Frequently Asked Questions-Twins Edition

I have had so many questions over the years and comments about the twins, so I thought I'd share a few of the most popular.  I don't get as many questions now that they are bigger and look nothing alike.  They are not even close to the same size, so unless you know them you really don't know they are twins. 


Are they twins?
Yep, they are! 

Are they identical?
Sigh.  No, they are not identical.  One is a boy, one is a girl.  That is what I always wanted to say, but instead I would smile and just say no, they are not.  For the record, boy/girl twins cannot be identical no matter how much they look alike.  They are always fraternal due to the gender differences.  Must I explain more about anatomy?  I hope not!

How big were they when they were born? 
The twins were born at 35 weeks gestation.  Carson was born first weighing 5 lb. 4 oz.  Emilynn was born 34 minutes later weighing 5 lb. 9 oz.  They were both 19 1/2 inches long.  That's a lot of baby in a belly! 

Do twins run in your family? 
No, not really.  That's the short answer.  The long answer is there are a few distant sets.  However, none that would affect US having twins.  Twins occur because the mother releases two eggs, they have nothing to do with the father-you know what I mean.  So, the twins in our family are not blood related to me in any way, so NO our twins have no real family connection.  My family has no twins in it's history from any of the women in our bunch.  I hope that makes sense.  I would honestly answer this one yes or no, depending on my mood for that day!  Ha! 

If they don't run in your family, did you use fertility drugs?
This one floors me, honestly.  I don't know why people feel the need to know someone's personal business, but they do.  Yes, we unfortunately could not conceive on our own and used Clomid to get pregnant.  The people who know us best already knew this, so anyone asking was not close enough to be privvy to this information but apparently felt they needed to know nonetheless.  Oh well.   People's nosiness knows no bounds I have discovered. 

Boy, you have your hands full. 
I honestly never know how to answer this one.  If I'm having a rough day, I want to say, "you think?"  I wouldn't do that though.   And I never have a bad day.  :-)  I also want to say, "yes I do, so please let me get on with my shopping before they go crazy!" haha!  It's okay.  If I were more prepared, I would think of something nice like, "Yes, we're very blessed."  Most of the time I just say, "Yep, I do!" and keep right on rolling along without even stopping. 

I'm glad it's you and not me. 
I just smile at this one.  I want to say, "Me too!"  Honestly, no matter how crazy our days are, I can't imagine not having my three very different, very amazing kiddos.  Each is different, each is so unbelievably loved.  I am glad it's me too!  :-) 

How do you keep such a clean house with 3 little ones? 
I'm kidding!  Just seeing if my family who reads this is paying attention!  I WISH people asked me this question- maybe one day!  Ha! 

You have a lot of help, don't you? 
People who ask this mean from the kids, and we are usually in a store.  Yes, I have lots of little helpers and I am grateful for the help.  I was told to always accept help from your children, so they will always ask and expect to help.  That is what I do, no matter how much longer a task takes with above mentioned help. 

Now, these are the most frequently asked questions by non-twin or non-multiple parents.  Other parents of twins and multiples ask completely different questions.  Things like eating habits, length of gestation, time in the NICU, sleeping patterns,  sleeping arrangements, etc. etc.  Maybe I'll post on those types of questions too!  Before I forget all the craziness that went with infant twins.  I have had many lengthy conversations in the baby food aisle at Babies R Us or somewhere once a mom and I both realized we had twins.  It also made me realize how blessed we were to have such healthy babies.  It's funny when you are talking to another parent of multiples, you cut to the chase.  No time for small talk, time is precious, especially if you managed to get out alone!!!  :-)  I'm so thankful for the experience of having twins- no matter how crazy the days can get around here!