Common Twin Questions

I got this idea from Twin-Spiration, who got it from Simply Blessed with Chaos. I figured these are questions many people have for me when they find out that I am a mother to not one, but two sets of twins.

Caitlyn and Charlotte are 4- year- old twin girls (identical? we don't know and don't care about right now). Cheyenne and Courtney are 2- year- old twin girls; very obviously fraternal twins.

1. Do they have a special 'twin' language?
A: Yes. Both sets have their own language. I do not understand it, nor am I going to try. They communicate with me in English and each other in twinspeak.

2. Does one cry when the other gets hurt?
A: Nope. As a matter of fact, and this goes for both sets, the other twin tries to "mother" the one that got hurt.

3. Do the girls share a room/crib/bed?
A: Yes, they share a room. Caitlyn and Charlotte still share a bed. They prefer it that way and that is how it stays. It doesn't matter if I lay them down separately or not, they will end up together touching hands. As for Cheyenne and Courtney, they do not share a bed. Cheyenne prefers to sleep with me and Courtney prefers to be alone.

4. Can I tell them apart?
A: Yes, I can. I can tell Charlotte and Caitlyn apart by face. From the back, I haven't got a clue if they are dressed alike. As for Cheyenne and Courtney, no one believes they are twins based on how they look to begin with. They look nothing alike; there is no way to confuse them!

5. Why do you (don't you) dress them alike?
A: Caitlyn and Charlotte, I do dress alike sometimes. For special occasions or if I see an outfit I really like, I will dress them alike. Otherwise, they choose their own style. Caitlyn is a tomboy. She prefers jeans and T-shirts. Charlotte is prissy. She prefers dresses. As for Cheyenne and Courtney, it is extremely difficult to dress them alike. Its hard to find 3T and 18 months outfits that are identical.

6. Do you have a favorite?
A: No. This is a dumb question. No real mother chooses one child over another. I love them all equally.

7. Which one is older?
A. Caitlyn and Charlotte will be complicated to explain when they are a little older. They honestly have different birthdays. They are only 20 minutes apart, but it was around midnight. Caitlyn was born at 11:42 pm on 10/19 and Charlotte was born at 12:02 am on 10/20. There is only 30 seconds separating Cheyenne and Courtney (born via c-section), so it really makes no difference. However, Cheyenne did come out first so technically she is older.

If anyone has any other questions...just ask! It's actually kind of fun!

Updates, updates, updates.....

Well, it is 20 days into 2010 and I have only written one blog for 2010. I always tell myself around December 30th that I will blog at least 5 times a week. It never happens; I don't know why I keep lying to myself about it. So, since I've already ruined the 5 times a week thing, I am resolution free!



Updates on us:



Chris -- Not much to report on. He's still working.... and hating it.



Me -- Spring semester has started for college. I am only taking 4 classes this semester: Intermediate Accounting, Auditing, Cost Accounting, and Principles of Macroeconomics. Hopefully I'll do decent this semester, and keep current in my classes instead of falling behind.



Crystina -- Well, in as little words as possible, she is no longer a little girl. And we'll leave that at that. However, no - Daddy and I are not dealing with that all that well. Its a hard fact to face. Also, on the Tina front, she has become such the typical teen lately. However, this attitude just isn't going to cut it here anymore. She blatantly lies to us. I mean we can literally sit here and watch her do something, see it with our own eyes, then ask her about it and we get the "It wasn't me. No I didn't!" Any advice on how to curb this attitude, please let me know. I just don't want *my* kid to be the lying, stealing kid!



Carolyn -- Has become highly whiny. I mean every time she says something its with a whine. She is still such a tattle tale. Every little thing is something I must know about whether I want to or not. I mean do I really need to know that one of the kids is wearing mis-matched colors? Not really, but apparently Carly thinks I do.



Caitlyn -- She is still my tomboy. She is also the more aggressive of the 4 youngest. She still loves wrestling and is determined to one day marry John Cena. Not sure how to break it to her that it will most likely never happen, but for right now she can dream. It's either him or Mickey Mouse and I really don't want my daughter to marry a mouse! LOL



Charlotte -- Still convinced she is a princess and says that one day her prince will come for her. I hope her fairy tale happens for her. She is prissy and loves to dress up.



Cheyenne -- Is the most talkative child I have ever encountered! She talks from wake up to bedtime and even in her sleep! She still sleeps with us. I don't think she understands how it's going to be once Connor is born. She prefers to be right between me and Chris. She's still a little chunky thing!



Courtney -- Is still my runt! She is barely wearing 18 months; they are still too big on the waist but she needs the length. She loves all things monkey. She's obsessed, I would say. I even call her my little monkey because of her long legs and arms.

Pregnancy -- I am 33 weeks along now. I am eager to meet my baby boy. I am eager to have my body back. I don't share that well, body space included. Chris and I have been arguing over the details. You know, which college should Connor play football at, what position, what we would do if he got drafted to an NFL team we hated (cough... cough.... Cowboys). You know, all the things parents of boys worry about during pregnancy! LOL Just 7 or less weeks and he'll be here! I so cannot wait!

Looking Back -- October 10, 2007

Courtney and Cheyenne on October 14, 2007 when they were 4 days old.

I missed posting about the baby twins' 2nd birthday so I am sharing their birth story now. These were baby numbers 5 and 6 for us.

I had been having contractions since I was about 30 weeks. I began begging at 35 weeks to be induced and they kept refusing. I had a couple ultrasounds at maternal-fetal medicine and there was a difference in sizes, but not enough of one to warrant immediate induction. At 36.5 weeks, I finally convinced my doctor to induce me the following Wednesday. That put me at 37.5 weeks. I had made my preparations to go into the hospital that Wednesday morning -- packed my stuff, arranged for the sitter, etc. The Tuesday before, I was in the kitchen helping Tina finish up her science project when I felt a small trickle. I thought nothing of it because my water had to be broken with my last 2 pregnancies. I took a shower, got dressed and went to the bowling alley to watch Chris bowl. I had a trickle feeling all evening, but still kept quiet. As we were leaving the bowling alley, my water completely gushed out. I told Chris we needed to hurry and get my brother (the sitter) and get to the hospital. So, we picked him up, dropped him off with the other kids, and started going to the hospital. About halfway to the hospital, we got a flat tire. Luckily, we had some friends from the bowling alley that lived that way and they picked us up and carried us to the hospital. Once, upstairs they hooked me up to the machines and asked me if I wanted any pain medicine. I said no. They went and called the doctor and he said to wait and see where I progressed to alone. Prior to this, I had been dilated to 3 cm. I still was. So they monitored me overnight. On Wednesday morning, they went ahead and began inducement at my scheduled time since I had progressed no further. Later on in the morning, I asked for some pain medicine but no epidural. I slept off and on. Around 3 pm, the doctor came in and said since I had not progressed at all even with maximum inducement, that a c-section was the only option. I had been in full labor for 24 hours with no progression. Even though I didn't want a c-section, I really had no choice at this point. So, we agreed. They went ahead and prepped me and got me the epidural or whatever it is. I then went into the maternity OR for the c-section.

Cheyenne Elyzabeth was born at 4:06 pm weighing 7 lbs, 9 oz and was 20.2" long. Courtney Michelle was born at 4:07 pm weighing 5 lbs, 8 oz and was 19" long.

I had a rough time healing from the c-section. We went home when the twins were 4 days old. They had both dropped weight (Courtney even went below 5 lbs) and both were a tad jaundiced. By a week, they were back to birth weight or higher and the jaundice was gone.

Yes, Cheyenne was a chunky baby and she is still the biggest. In fact, she wears size 2T-3T while Courtney barely wears 12 months. They are still too loose on her waist, but she needs the length! LOL

The twins in 2008.


The twins in 2009.


A couple of pics that I fell in love with when they were little. They were about 4 months old in both of them.

Courtney and Cheyenne


Cheyenne and Courtney


Cheyenne with the cake:


Courtney with the cake (excuse the fact she doesn't have pants on. She won't keep them on!):