Twin: (n) together in close relationship; pair (*updated)

The past few days have been somewhat rough for a certain little twin. Headaches, fevers, and overall exhaustion. So this morning after breakfast, this is what I found upon entering the living room-

One guess on which twin is sick...



We went to the doctor this morning and got plenty of meds to help with the infection, and our sick child is now sleeping peacefully. Right now I'm quite thankful for antibiotics.

Which brings me to another topic; the thankfulness, I mean. You see, very often I'm out in public and people ask me the ages of our kids, and I respond with "9, 5 and 5." Of course, people are often surprised (I mean, since Connor and Nora look so much alike, can you blame the confusion? :) Or they'll ask how far apart Connor and Nora are, expecting a year or two, and I love responding with, "One minute." (37 seconds, actually. I know, I'm a detail person.) So fun. Ultimately, the discovery that they are twins is often followed by comments like, "Oh, you poor thing!" or "Don't you have your hands full?!" My response is usually, "Oh, don't feel sorry for us; we love it!" Or, with the 'hands full' comment, I am reminded of others who would ache to hold a child, and think to myself, "Yes, but better full hands than empty." And I mean it, because of days like today, when I walk into my living room and find them together, Connor quietly sitting next to Nora, snuggled into a chair so over-sized as to make them look tiny. Yes, I am an emotional person, and I admit to getting a lump in my throat when I look at these pictures. And, yes, I know I'm biased. But the feeling this gives me is nothing short of brimming over. They have a relationship that brings us joy, to watch them interacting, getting each other's jokes, and having each other as built-in playmates. They want to be with their big brother, Joel, dwelling on every word he says. I love watching all 3 of them bounding off the bus together, happy to be home with full details of the day. I often have to say, "Hang on, guys, one at a time..." I know this might not always last, and the days might come where the last thing they want to do is talk to me, or squish in together on the big overstuffed chair. I want to store these memories. So I quietly go retrieve my camera and get some pictures to remember the here and now. I know that some people may think I'm a Pollyanna, and I do know that it's not always easy for mothers of twins. It's just that the rewards so far outweigh the perceived negatives that they seem insignificant. I understand peoples' reactions, their awe at the fact that we have twins, the work involved, the tiring days and (sometimes) nights. Hey, I'm not going to pretend that I don't think about double the college tuition. But what I can't seem to make people understand is that we wouldn't want it any other way. So don't feel sorry for us. We're soaking in every minute, thankful for the fact that we've been blessed so much.

Can you blame me when this is the end result? --


I'm going to admit now to feeling nostalgic; this Sunday is their 6th birthday. It's hard to believe. Then again, so was it hard to believe over 6 years ago when I found out I was carrying two! That was an experience so special and personal and deeply spiritual that it's too precious to share on a blog. But I'm sure you can plan on seeing photographs from their 'party' this coming weekend!

Oh, and I just had to add a couple of how they usually feel: (little goobers...)







"My sister and I, you will recollect, were twins, and you know how subtle are the links which bind two souls which are so closely allied."

~Arthur Conan Doyle, Scottish author, famous for his series Sherlock Holmes
(1859-1930)