on twins

Ever since I found out (only, wow, four months ago) that I was having twins, I've been researching them. I've found out lots of fun facts. One of the most interesting to ME is that only about a third of twins are identical, and of those, only about 1% are monoamniotic like my girls. But I've also learned that all IVF doesn't cause identical twins (though someone on IVF can, by the luck of the draw, have them), that some people don't know at birth whether their twins are identical or fraternal because identical twins, if they split early enough, can each have their own placenta. And that, yes, if you tell someone you have identical twins, they just MIGHT ask, "a boy and a girl, then?" :)

But the really fun thing has been learning about my OWN twins, now that they're here and I can get to know them. I've found "tell" (other than the fact that Anna is currently about half a pound bigger than her sister); it's something that will disappear eventually, but it will do to help me figure out which is which while I'm getting to know them this first year.

And I've found that they have some slight mirroring: their cowlicks turn different directions, one clockwise and one counterclockwise.

And they are tiny and beautiful and mine. Anna loves cuddled and Lucy loves having her hand held. And they love being sung to. I've gone through lots of hymns, visiting them in the NICU.


And then I come home and miss them, but have many happy hours watching Bess and Gamgee gambol about the house, jumping off things, playing with blocks and shouting out the back door, "It's okay, Wise Men, it's just the Baby Jesus!" (Our Advent playacting has continued through Lent; in my toddlers' current world, the wise men are camped out in our backyard.) I've read that twin relationships are very similar to the relationship between any other two siblings very close in age. I hope so. Because if my older two are any good example, we're going to have a happy household packful of little ones.

peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell