Five Wonderful Things About Having Twins

1. Two babies are just plain cute
Yes, I get asked one trillion times a day if they are twins, are they natural ,and how far apart they are. It does get tiring and as I am interrupted for the 10th time by a nice old lady while trying to chose a loaf of bread while one baby is fussing and the other is happily trying to escape the stroller. I am tempted to answer "Gosh they are twins! Thanks for telling me!", "Well, the synthetic plastic babies are all the rage.." or "Well, I got pregnant with the second when I was 6 months along with the first". I try to grit my teeth and smile....I silently tell myself to take it as a compliment. One baby is cute- two are simply irrisistable.... People don't know what to say so they say the first thing that pops in their head- as odd as it may be. Plus, when I get home I look at them and well- gosh darn it they are cute!

2. Twins you get through the tough stages at the same time
Okay, I admit I am so happy that I have twins- instead of 2 only 9-13 months apart. I can NOT imagine going through midnight feedings and then turn aroudn and do it all over again. I can't picture myself cleaning baby food goo off the floor, ceiling, baby, dog, household appliances, and anything within flinging range of the high chair for twice as long. I would much rather clean twice as much since I was going to clean up anyhow, what does a few more splotches of gunk matter. First year molars, yep that was an ugly time- but hey I was all done in a matter of weeks (much Tylonel, drool, and exhaustion on my part) and they both had more pearly whites to flash! Learning to walk- no sweat. There is an awesome contraption called a Baby corral. It is interlinked pieces of gates that form a large octagonal shape. Toss in 2 babies and - Viola! You have babysafe walking space! If I had a nine month old and an 18th month old no one would have been safe. If in a baby corral, the nine month old would be a sitting duck for the now climbing 18 month old! Well, we haven't reached potty traingin stage yet...but hey I can predict that I will be mcuh happier to get it all over with at once rather than have my houseful of training potties and Pull-ups for the better portion of a year.

3. All the hugs & kisses
The best part with twins. You get twice the giggles, grins, kisses, and hugs. As one toddler comes barreling after you for a giant hug, be sure the other is soon to follow. When they are small, it is big sloppy wet smooches- then it evolves to the twins kissing each other with sweet little pecks. Nothing brings a smile to your face faster than two little bodies coming at you asking "HUG! HUG!"

4. They entertain & learn from each other
It does take a while to get to this stage as invisioned- I pictured two kids playing nicely with toys while I was able to sit for more than 5 consecutative minutes enjoying a cup of tea ....okay that may NEVER happen, becuase I have learned that by the time they are that old, someone can tattle, push, steal , or otherwise create instant chaos. But twins DO entertain each other! As infants, they always have someone else to look at. The sight of two babies cooing at each other and smiling is worth months of midnight feedings and double poopy diaper duty. Two tiny toddlers playing peekaboo with each other as they run around (and around and around) the kitchen table with double squeals of joy made me forget the giant white mess they made as they (quietly & gently) tossed an open bottle of baby powder back and forth while I was taking a quick potty break. Hey, I've learned that if I can get one excited about helping you clean up the explosion of toys that ascends on thehouse daily - the other will join in and then !poof! I have 4 helping hands! With twins, they can and do play patty cake, peekaboo, tag, row row row your boat, and sing together, allowing me a brief respite to step back (for a moment!) and take pleasure in watching them live in the moment with the happiness. And most of all...the tiny little kid voices calling for each other to come play or to look at some new treasure that has been found- the joy they take in sharing new discovories with each other & have secret looks between them just melts my heart.

5. The laughter
I always thought that I would have double the laughter with two more people in the house, but rather it seems exponential and their is a thousand times more laughter in my life now that there was in the pretwin era. There are a few different kinds of laughter I've experienced. First, twin can just look each other and laugh- its inside joke that as a parent I am are not privilaged enough to know- but as you know laughter is contagious and as both children giggle away that at each other , I feel your own mouth begin to smile and soon a a chuckle or two erupts....then soon the cantagion spreads and everyone present is laughing jsut because the twins were. Then there is the laughter that comes to a parent that really is a substitution for crying. This is the laughter that is heard when one infant is burped and then I get spit up on, no problem- get a clean shirt- then proceed to burp the next infant...and get spit up on again and well I haven't had time to do laundry in a week so you have no more clean shirts- I laugh at the options of going around in just a bra or with a barf smelling shirt all day. I have also heard this type of laughter when I walked in upon two toddlers up from a nap and see that they have discovered that they can take their diapers off....and are fingerpainting with the contents of the aforementioned diapers... on the wall... and themselves- with smiles all around. Then I can't forget the mortified laughter. The kind that makes you want to just sink in to the floor in embarassment. This kind is most common when I am in public or have a prim and proper relative visiting.Like when I may be purchasing feminine products and one of myobservant offspring says loudy 'Mommy Diapers!" and well since their are two children, it become a mantra and is chanted for what feels like eternity. Or as a friend relayed to me the joy of boy twins.....her boss and his spouse were visiting and one of the twins happens to have a bad case of diaper rash...and kept sticking thier hands down thier pants to scratch , and because it looks like fun the other child quickly followed suit and soon she had two little monkeys running around with thier hands down their pants giggling. Then this last kind of laughter is the best kind I have found- it is when I have two warm snuggly, wiggley, warm bodies in my lap and am reading a silly story or doing itsy bitsy spider for the one billionth time and well to them it is just as funny as the first time, and I are surrounded by big belly rolling laughs coming out of two tiny little bodies and I feel overwhelmed with love for those little people and all the laughter and love they have brought into my previously not- nearly-so -funny life.