Of course I love my twins equally, but depending on the day (and although I would never show it with my actions or words)… I might ‘like’ one more than the other at times. And I’m not afraid to admit it!
Each month, when I take a photo of the girls in the orange chair and compose a letter to each of them, it’s a very personal look into my relationship with each of my girls, and an account of their developmental milestones. I do this mostly for myself, and for the girls to reminisce upon someday.
And, because they’re twins, I find it fascinating to see their differences each month. Unless your a parent of multiples, you don’t have the blessing of seeing two little people of the same age develop so differently… having SUCH contrasting personalities, strengths and weaknesses. Two little parallel lives.
I feel that it’s important to celebrate their various accomplishments, even if one is progressing faster than the other in certain areas. It’s easy to compare and worry when there are two, but I’m confident that they are both progressing famously. Their strengths are so different, that I really can’t compare them with each other!
Dear Adelyn,
Your hair is FINALLY growing! And I’m confident I’m not imagining it this time! (see the wispy little mohawk on your head?) It’s still very fine and though, and it’s hard to tell what color it will be, but it’s definitely darker than Paisley’s… which is to be expected with your dark eyes and long thick eyelashes. You’ve been very affectionate lately, and love to give kisses and hugs. You and Paisley have started hugging each other… SO cute I just can’t stand it. You still like to play with baby dolls and seem to be the more nurturing twin at the moment. You’re very sensitive to others’ feelings and are always trying to comfort Paisley by patting her on the back when she’s sad, or bringing her her blanket. However, on the same token, when you feel that it’s your turn for something, you don’t hesitate to take a toy away or push sissy out of the way. We’re working on this! Your favorite activity is climbing the stairs (with supervision) and you can scale our steep farmhouse steps in no time! You love animals, and are very brave even with large dogs! You prefer picture books with paper pages rather than board books, and will sit quietly by yourself and flip through the pages. When you sense that we’re getting ready to go bye bye, you bring us your coat and shoes. If daddy leaves for work, or takes out the garbage without taking you along, you get very upset. You understand just about everything we say, but you’re not much of a talker. But that’s ok… daddy didn’t talk until he was 3! We love seeing your little personality develop, and look forward to the next stage!
Dear Paisley,
You’re a rambunctious little gal, and love to be the center of attention. You have only one volume level… LOUD! You’re a very quick learner, and love to be praised. You are super tidy and enjoy picking up or organizing your toys and books into baskets or piles. You’re a skilled climber, easily pulling yourself up onto any chair… but you’re not a fan of climbing stairs. You love rough horse-play and ‘daddy-jungle-gym’… it takes a LOT for you to be hurt enough to cry. Every time you’re getting ready to poop, you come to us and say ‘poo’ while grabbing your diaper. We’re very anxious to potty-train you SOON! You hate having your diaper changed, and usually kick and thrash the whole time. Recently, your cheeks and chin have been very chapped and red, but you don’t seem to be bothered by it. Your skin has always been so much drier than sissy’s (you get that from my side of the family). This is going to sound strange, but you have a different ‘feel’ than your sister. While she is soft, loose, and a bit floppy… you are always very stiff, like your muscles are always tense. It’s very strange, yet something I never would have thought out of the ordinary if I hadn’t had two babies to compare to each other. Your hair is soft and curly, and easily gets in knots (again, you got that from me), but you’re a good sport about the de-tangling process. Your intelligence is outstanding… you already know your colors and many of the letters of the alphabet. We love your eager spirit, and look forward to the next stage!
I don’t have twins, but my nephew and my son were due the same day. They ended up born about 3 weeks apart. Theyre so close and its amazing watching them grow and how similar but different they are. They’re 2 now and absolutely amazing 🙂 We all love being able to watch them teach each other 🙂 xx
I have twin girls too who will be 4 next weekend. Mine are so different I tell people, “Some people have identical twins; we have opposite twins.” We can attest that hair does finally grow in (both of ours were late) and they do finally start talking (one of ours didn’t really start until they started preschool in September; now she is a chatterbox).
Thank you so much Keilah! And thank you for the blog suggestion… I’ll definitely check it out!
Your girls are so sweet! I’ve been a reader, or lurker rather, of your blog for a few months now, and I just wanted to say that your projects are so inspiring! Anywho, I’m commenting because I thought you might like this blog I often read written by a mother of twins (I don’t have twins but she has great parenting advice in general too) called The Twin Coach. Happy reading if you decide to check it out!
Oh! I also wanted to say that I have ALWAYS wanted to have twins, and was so disappointed that our IUI only ended up in a single pregnancy – especially since I thought that might be our only child. But then, seriously, I think I had my son for about 3 hours, and I almost cried with relief that there was only 1 of him! So, even though I had my babies close together – I’m not sure I could’ve done that if one of them had been twins! Kudos to you!
Okay, so I came over here from House of Hepworth’s, and I’ve read your infertility story, and cried while watching the video of telling your family! Your girls are absolutely beautiful! SO glad y’all didn’t give up! I too always wanted to be a mommy and struggled with infertility for 2 years before we got pregnant. I also had endometriosis, but it wasn’t as bad as yours, and we were able to get pregnant doing IUI. But here’s the good news – after that, because I nursed for at least 8 months, and didn’t have a period that whole time, my endo cleared up some, and we were able to get pregnant on our own. I took birth control pills for 3 months, (on the recommendation of my doctor to make my periods light and regular) got off them, and two months later I was pregnant. With my 3rd child, I got pregnant on the first month of trying – but I always had them close together so as to not let my endo grow back too much, and then, lo and behold, I actually got pregnant without trying for our 4th child! I never in a million years dreamed that would happen to me! And now, my babies are 6, 8, 10, and 12, and I remind myself every day that I’m living the dream! I know this doesn’t happen to everyone, but I just wanted to tell you my story and pray that you will have an easier time conceiving the 2nd time around. And now we’re about to become foster parents because then I will have always have a baby! Congrats again on your beautiful girls! I loved your letters to them!
Alayna, your story is so inspiring! I wish I could have a surprise pregnancy or two!
Thanks for sharing! So cute. Mary in NY
Haha… i LOVE that! I can’t wait for my girls to start talking to each other.. I know it’s going to be hilarious! It’s so great that your girls still have that bond, even after all these years and with so much distance between them. I hope my girls have that same closeness!
As the mom of identical twin girls (now 33 years old), I was tuned into their differences and similarities. One was always more kind and gentle and soft-hearted..the other was a dare-devil and brave beyond belief. They are still the same after 33 years. The bond between them still amazes me to this day..They now live in two different states, miles apart, but they know when each other needs the other one..One of my favorite memories was when they were about 2 1/2 and sitting in the rocking chair together just jabbering away..when I asked them what they said, the brave dare-devil said,
“I not talking to you, I talking to her”..so I guess twins do have their own language. I recently discovered your blog and am so glad to be remembering all the good memories. Glad you are documenting these days to share with them for years to come..Sorry to ramble on, but I was so glad to find you and your girls..They are Little Darlings!
Your babies are such cuties! Love reading about them!
omg what cuties!! stopping over from 5 days/5 way and a new follower 🙂
I look forward to this post every month. You are such a great mother. Also… I LOVE Adelyn’s little sweater in this picture! heart=melted