Letters for Multiples

Marriage: Not A Science, But Just Like It?

2010-07-06T20:50:00.001-07:00

This little gem popped into my head, fully formed, the other day:

Science is like marriage. Everyone warns you it's really hard work, but for the most part, they tell you it's worth it.

And there you have it. After a possible personal record of approximately a zillion days away from here, I'm back with that tidbit. A tidbit that has nothing to do with anything previously written here! I'm such an overachiever.

Cheers,
Alison

PS: No wedding bells in my immediate future. I'd say it's test tube clinks a-ringing, but the only lab tubes I use are plastic.

IQ

2010-04-18T18:03:00.000-07:00

Intelligence tests are fuzzy, controversial things. They have come up in many of my classes here at the University of Where I Go. I am even taking a class specifically on differences between people, cognitively.

First off, measuring intelligence was not just to pick geniuses out of the crowd (though there have been plenty of "scientists" who tried to do just that). Alfred Binet wrote the first usable test, in order to determine which children should receive special help in school. I think that was pretty awesome and forward-thinking of him.

"IQ" stands for "intelligence quotient," where an individual's test score was divided by his or her age, to produce a ratio of mental age (how well he or she did on the test) to chronological age (how old he or she was). As you can see, this wasn't exactly fair to older people. Say you got a score of 150 on the test, and you are 10 years old. You could say your IQ is 15, whereas someone with the same score who is 50 has an IQ of 3. (IQ tests through the years have had different calculations; I made this one up just to illustrate the point.) Huh? Exactly. Now they are based on bell curves and such and the ageism has been eliminated.

What intelligence really is is a matter of much debate. I think it's pretty safe to say that the various ideas about multiple intelligences, different processes, etc. are much closer to the truth than what an IQ test can show.

But IQ obviously measures something (the skill set for an IQ test is extremely narrow, but is still a skill set) and that something is highly heritable. According to Matt Ridley in his book Genome, if a person takes the test twice, his or her test scores are about 87% correlated (100% being exactly the same, 0% being completely randomly different). It is clear it is the same person taking it. Now, take the scores of identical co-twins raised together and compare. 86%. A statistician would have to concede that he or she couldn't tell if it was the same person or not. In fact, it wouldn't be out of line to declare "Yup, same person." Identical co-twins raised apart have scores that are 76% correlated. To compare, fraternal twins reared together have 55% correlation and biological siblings have 47%. Adopted children living together have 0% correlation.

The higher correlation for fraternal twins probably has something to do with "nature" in the womb, compared to biological siblings, who each have different experiences (their own specific nine months, so to speak) in the womb. The large difference between biological siblings and adoptive siblings clearly points to "nurture" as playing a large role in IQ.

Cheers,
Alison

A Product Change Should Require a Memo

2010-04-13T17:13:00.000-07:00

"You smell different."

I had been smelling something new occasionally for a few hours. Definitely not bad, just new. Something shampoo-like. Eventually, I realized it was when Baby A was around.

I accused her of smelling different. OK, maybe "accuse" isn't the right word, but I stated it. Forcefully.

Well, she has some new hair product, something in a green bottle that is supposed to be good for wavy hair. (Our hair is awkwardly between wavy and straight, so it needs a bit of help sometimes picking an option.) I vaguely remember her purchasing it but a) I tend to use non-smelly stuff so it didn't compute and b) I was only half-paying attention when she mentioned it. And it smells quite good, actually.

Baby A and one roommate laughed. This roommate is the one who is a twin too.

"I was confused! I didn't get it!" I justified my declaration.

My roommate just said, "No, I totally get it!"

Twins, man.

Cheers,
Alison

Missing Maddie

2010-04-07T09:30:00.000-07:00

It's been a year since Heather and Mike lost their sweet Madeline Alice Spohr, their wonderful daughter they shared with the internet over at The Spohrs Are Multiplying... and The Newborn Identity.

Not a single day has gone by without me and Baby A thinking about Maddie and the Spohrs. Every single day. Maddie continues to inspire me. She is the reason I found what I want to do, both academically and as a career. I found human development as I researched further into the maternal and child nutrition field. She really did change my life, as silly as that may seem. Maddie was a little girl I never had a chance to meet, but she had an amazing smile, a huge personality, and some crazy ability to make people crazy about her.

Thank you, Maddie. You are so missed.

Love,
Alison

Let's Play a Game

2010-04-05T14:37:00.000-07:00

It's called "Guess the age of that baby."

I often play this human-development-nerd game. And the people around me, mom or sister, roomie or friend, sometimes play along. They don't take it seriously though, because they ~~know I'm going to own them~~ don't have the same knowledge base. And they aren't majoring in ~~babies~~ HDE like me.

Well, Baby A is going to double major in HDE like me, but she hasn't taken the infancy and early childhood class yet. Once she does, then the game will be based entirely on luck or whether or not the baby does something developmentally age-appropriate while in view. Plus, it's not like I creep on every family I see, like "How old's your baybee? Huh, huh? I'm trying to win here!" I only ask if the baby or kid engages me in an interaction.

Things I use when playing the "Guess the age" game:
Infant in a chest carrier? Good head control, he's looking around? 6 months.
Out at a restaurant? She dips spoon or bangs it into bowl? 12 to 18 months. Baby getting close to feeding itself? 18 to 24 months.
At the park? Not using the pedals on her trike? 24 to 32 months. Two year olds also can't steer. Keep that in mind next time you pass one while you're out on a walk, because your foot could be involved in a minor collision.
Preschooler jumping? Definitely 4 years old. Try as they might, most younger kids cannot jump. But they are funny to watch as they try.

Oh, the hobbies I have. Really hip stuff here, guys.

Cheers,
Alison

PS: Baby L.ouis is fine. He was deeerunk for a few hours after we got him home. It was a little funny, but I felt bad for him, since he certainly didn't understand what was going on. He's eating fine even though he's missing some teeth now.

Back to School (and the Vet)

2010-03-31T11:33:00.001-07:00

The great thing about the quarter system is that you get to start fresh every 10 or so weeks. (11th week is finals.) The not-so-great thing about the quarter system is that you have to start over every 10 or so weeks.

Oh, and our sweet baby kitty L.ouis needs oral surgery, and it's scheduled for this Friday. (He's not actually a kitten. He's approx. 2.5 years old but he'll always be our baybee.) Right now, Baby A and I are pretty calm about this. On Friday, after we leave him in the very capable hands of the vet though, I'm pretty sure there will be TEARS.

In more upbeat news, PICTURES!

Amanda's tattoo is all finished, but needs some touch ups.
I have a few broken lines, but nothing noticeable, so I think I'll leave mine.

Ignore the dry skin. Look, shiny! And pretty ocean!

This is the beach, on the North Shore, where the nose ring picture was taken. So. Blue.

The twinks at a different beach. Yes, we have the same style of sunglasses. Not because we're twins, but because Wayfarers are awesome.

Cheers,
Alison

A List, Because I'm Lazy and on Spring Break

2010-03-22T10:04:00.001-07:00

I'll definitely be posting some pictures of my nose piercing and some more of our tattoos...
Because we're in Hawaii, and hellooo, people take photos on vacation. And in Hawaii, it's all beautiful weather and ZOMG amazing beaches, which makes the whole showing-off-tattoos thing a lot easier than 40 degrees and rain, like it was for much of the school quarter.
Baby A is sick with bronchitis, unfortunately. Here, on the island. Poor thing. Thank goodness for health care. HCR, anyone?
On a different health-related note, apparently helmets aren't the law here. I have seen so many moped and motorcycle riders without them. Every time I see one, I freak out a bit, because traumatic brain injury or even worse? Not even HCR can fix that. Granted, I do ride my bike without a helmet (shame on me), but I ride almost exclusively on bike paths, away from motorized traffic (rationalization, FTW!). I could fall off my bike or get hit by a bike and hit my head, but I'm pretty sure the probability of a brain injury from that kind of fall is much lower than the probability of one from getting hit with a car or truck or hitting the asphalt at high speeds. I really should get a helmet or wear the one I actually do own, in any case.
I am obviously going to enjoy this vacation, but I'm also looking forward to next quarter. I will start working in a lab studying lactation and infant development on campus, I'm taking classes I (mostly) really want to take, and I have a big sewing project all ready for me to getting a-sewing on. Speaking of that project and next quarter...
I'm marchin g for Maddie again. Are you?

Cheers,
Alison

What is a Twin Good For, Anyway?

2010-01-28T19:35:00.000-08:00

Lots of things!

A shoulder to cry on, a companion when you need it (and sometimes when you don't), unconditional love...

Oh, and help taking care of new tattoos and piercings.

There is NO way I could have taken care of my back tattoo by myself. I knew that if I wanted something there, it would have to be when I lived with Baby A or someone similarly awesome and close to me. Baby A it was.

Aaaand I recently got a nose ring. I didn't have enough hands today when I was messing with it (cleaning it, moving it, making sure the hole in my nose is A-OK), so Baby A was called in as back-up.

The things we do for each other.

Cheers,
Alison

New Year, Part Deux

2010-01-11T10:54:00.001-08:00

It is our birthday! How is it that we are 21 today? Twenty. One. Years.

Today is going to be for cleaning our apartment, bowling, hanging out with friends, and enjoying our own personal New Year.

It's a new year for us (and, as the bartender said last night, a new era in our lives). We're "grown ups" now, or so people say. I'm not sure being able to purchase alcohol and gamble in Vegas really makes me an adult, just sayin'.

21 years and 9 months of kicking it, twinkie style!

Cheers,
Alison

Twenty Ten

2010-01-01T11:12:00.000-08:00

2009 is behind us. It's January 1 of a whole new decade. And I'm looking for to 2010 and the new decade, because...

In 2010:
Baby A and I turn 21 in less than 2 weeks.
In month and a half or so, we'll be halfway done with our five year, double major undergraduate education.
During spring break, we'll be swimming in warm ocean waters, hiking green mountains, eating plate lunches, and sipping fruity drinks on the sand. With our mom, which makes it even better.
Summer is for work and play.
In fall, my upper division nutrition courses will start.

And this decade:
Who knows what this decade will bring? But I know I'm ready for it.

New year's resolutions? Got 'em. There are only a few, but they all fall under this theme: "How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." Annie Dillard

Cheers,
Alison

Sunny and 60 is NOT Conducive for Sleigh Rides

2009-12-24T15:41:00.000-08:00

Baby A and I are snuggled up together like two birds of a feather would be. (I've had the song Sleigh Ride stuck in my head for days.)

If you're celebrating Christmas, we wish you all a wonderful day! I should have posted for Hanukkah (Challah!) and the winter solstice, but winter break turns my brain to mush, and the internet and I have been a little distant. So, belated Happy Hanukkah and Happy Solstice!

We heart the holidays, every one of them.

Happy Holidays!
Alison

It's the Most Twinful Time of the Year

2009-12-15T15:56:00.000-08:00

Maybe it's because this is the busiest travel time of the year, with people jetting off to be with family or friends.

Maybe it's because it is at this time of year that we travel, leaving NorCal for SoCal once again, spending significant amounts of time in both regions.

Maybe it's just the way it is.

Maybe it's just a coincidence.

Whatever the cause, this is the time of year when twins come out of the woodwork. We see twins, other twins see us. It's holiday festivities all around, double vision without the aid of eggnog or hard cider.

Mmm... eggnog. I love it (half eggnog, half milk), Baby A HATES it. Such is life.
Photo from Tasty Kitchen.

Of course, there are always those who feel like they have imbibed a bit too much holiday cheer when they see us. "It's like... I'm seeing double." The subtext of that usually being "I'm fully capable of that at the moment" or "Like last night."

Cheers,
Alison

100th Post and I'm a Winner!

2009-11-30T14:09:00.001-08:00

100th post right here. And what way could be better to celebrate it than "winning" NaNoWriMo? 50,479 words. I did it, and I am SO happy it is over.

*ETA: Official NaNoWriMo count is 50,077, according to their official word counter. It's still victory!

Despite how crazy NaNoWriMo made November I am really happy I participated. I now have a first draft of a novel that will hide on my hard drive forever. (No aspirations to get published here.)

I have been neglecting school work and such since I have written more than half of that word count in the last week. Just call me a comeback kid (stolen from a NaNoWriMo inspirational email). Now, it's time for me to polish up my philosophy paper then turn it in.

Cheers,
Alison

Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T09:37:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for (in no particular order):

my sister, Baby A, but you all knew that. I'm pretty sure she (usually) knows it, too.
my education. Public higher education in California is going through some major issues that must be resolved, but through it all, I am here to get my degrees and I know that I am lucky. Baby A and I are particularly grateful for scholarships and grants this year, as we will be in the coming years as well, I am sure. I personally have met students who are either honestly unsure if they can continue their education in this university system or know that they must try to go elsewhere next year or face not finishing their degree at all. I am not taking my education for granted.
our kitties. Pets are important, and our boys bring us joy. It's nice having pets in college. Money and time, yes, they require those, but pets reduce stress for everyone, even college kids. So worth it.
my family and friends. Of course.
the internet. Oh, what? You were totally thinking it too.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Alison

Separation Success

2009-11-19T09:18:00.000-08:00

Trishna and Krishna, conjoined twins from India, were separated in an operation lasting 25 hours in Australia, according to this BBC article. Twenty. Five. Hours. The girls were brought to Australia by the Children First Foundation two years ago because they were extremely sick in an orphanage in Dhaka, and the operation was performed at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne.

Both Trishna and Krishna are awake now and the outlook for both girls is very good. The girls were craniopagus twins, attached at the skull, so the surgery involved separating brain matter and circulation. That's some delicate and intensely technical surgery!

Wishing Trishna and Krishna a speedy and full recovery!

Cheers,
Alison

A Really Good Way to Tell Us Apart

2009-11-16T11:36:00.000-08:00

Our new tattoos! They are entirely different and in entirely different locations. During summer, when sun dresses, tank tops, and camis are the norm, mine will be out there for the world to see.

The goosebumps and redness are sexeh. You know it.

For scale, here's the design transfer.

I'm hunched over a bit. Ignore the optical illusion of linebacker shoulders.

Baby A's tattoo is freaking gorgeous. And NOT as FREAKING HUGE as it looks. It's only 9 inches long and 2 to 3 inches across at the widest points.

It looks a little angry here. Like needles are irritating or something. Psssh.
Quote can be read here, fourth line down in the poem.

That's all the ink for now, folks. For a long time, actually. Mom made us swear to it. (She'd prefer never, ever, BTW.)

Cheers,
Alison

For Maddie

2009-11-11T08:11:00.000-08:00

Today, Maddie, is your second birthday. Baby A and I, and so many people, wish with all our hearts that you were here to celebrate. Last year, on this day, you celebrated with a cream puff. This year, we think of you, how lucky the world is because you were here, being brave, being kind. Even now, you are still making the world a better place.

Darling girl, you are so missed, by those who met you and those who never got the chance. By close family and friends and complete strangers.

My continual gift to you is the spot in my heart that is yours. Love, always, to you, your mommy, your daddy, and your family.

Love,
Alison

Muni Brings the Funny

2009-11-10T11:27:00.000-08:00

Public transportation is always an eye opener. This ad made us laugh.

(It's usually a shock when one finds out that she is carrying multiples. Mom got a huge shock when she found out there were two of us when she was seven months along.)

Cheers,
Alison

Twins: Universal Language for "Awesome"

2009-11-08T14:02:00.000-08:00

I know this street so, so well now.

Yesterday involved a big city adventure in San Francisco. Baby A and I joined a friend in the Bay Area and set off to pursue that flighty temptress, adventure. (Name that mythical wizard!)

To make a long story short, we ended up having a Chinese mom for about 10 minutes. It was awesome, and she directed us to a bakery on the edge of Chinatown known both for its delicious pastries and entrees and for validating parking for the garage where we parked. (We walked and Muni'd around, as one should do if possible.) As we, the three college students and the middle aged woman, parted ways, she asked "Are you girls twins?" She told us that she has a twin brother.

Twins. We're cool in every language.

Cheers, Alison

I heart lanterns. The end.

I Only Wish I Could Juggle

2009-11-03T09:41:00.000-08:00

It is true. I cannot juggle. I also can't whistle, and this is something that, yes, actually bothers me. And so many people have tried to teach me! I am slightly tongue tied (Baby A too); it was enough of a problem to make feeding a concern when we were just wee new humans but not enough of a problem to go under the knife. Like how I dramatized an outpatient procedure performed on many people with no complications? It's actually called a frenotomy, and it's just a little snip with a scalpel or a laser of the tissue that holds your tongue down. But in any case, Baby A and I can speak/eat/etc. normally. It could be why I cannot roll my R's so my Spanish SUCKS and I cannot whistle. These two reasons are not pressing enough to let someone take a sharp instrument to the bottom of my mouth.

And I digress. Hard. I should be a college professor, that's how awesome my digression skills are. Anyway: JUGGLING. Also, I hate the circus and I HATE clowns. Clowns juggle. Maybe my inability to juggle is my subconscious way of further distancing myself from them. And when did hating clowns become cool? It's become a part of pop culture. I, on the other hand, instead of wearing shirts that advertise such a phobia, just break out into a cold sweat when there is one around and duck behind the nearest object, animate or inanimate. Wait: a brief Google search reveals the phrase "Can't sleep, clowns will eat me" came from an Al.ice C.ooper song. So it's HIS fault I see clowns on shirts everywhere. Got it.

JUGGLING. I am currently juggling school, work, a few projects of the crafty variety, trying to not let the piles of clothes and papers in our room reach waist high, one intramural sport, a few clubs, and having a social life.

Nope, this post had nothing to do with twins. You know what else has nothing to do with twins? National Novel Writing Month. Go ahead and add NaNoWriMo to that list above. Word count as of last night: 2640. I am a little behind schedule, but I really want to do it this year and get 50,000 words of prose down before 11:59 the night of November 30.

And now we've reached the end and you are wondering "What the hell was the point of this post?" Here you go: I can't juggle when it comes to actual, physical juggling, but I do try my best to juggle the things in my life. And sometimes I drop a bowling pin (I decided my mental picture of juggling is going to include bowling pins because I LOVE BOWLING), but I'm trying.

Cheers,
Alison

Numbers

2009-10-07T18:38:00.000-07:00

It's been 1 month since I posted... Sorry about that. Beginning of the quarter stuff, and now I have some sort of f1u.

It's been 6 months. Madeline Alice Spohr. You are always in our hearts, Maddie. You and your amazing family. Always.

Love,
Alison

Look, Ma! No twin!

2009-09-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

For two weeks, I will be away from Baby A. Away in the great state of Washington. Trees. Rain. Water. Trees. Coffee. Did I mention trees? No twin, though.

Saying good bye was hard. (Baby A, I know you're reading this, love you. Sorry I cried.) But I am so excited to be going to Washington! It'll be tons of fun. Well, it'll be fun after take-off is over. Flying... icky.

Cheers,
Alison

Poor Us... Wait, What?

2009-08-19T19:39:00.000-07:00

Pity. It happens.

But getting pitied because we are twins? That really sucks.

"Poor you, your family dressed you two alike. However did you live through it?" (Quite happily, thanks).

"You had to SHARE?! Oh, how horrible your childhood must have been." (Sharing is caring, folks, and it really wasn't bad).

"You have always been around each other? How do you manage it?" (Because we like each other).

Not everyone is like this, I want you to know. Yes, you may call me Captain Obvious. Lots and lots of people either a) think being a twin is cool or b) are ambivalent, like "Hey, you're people, I'm a person, it's all good, whatevs" type of ambivalent. Sometimes c) are mildly annoyed because telling us apart is hard or looking alike draws attention (which we don't look for BTW, except here on this little blog of course... alright, moving right along) or whatever.

BUT these statements have happened, or a statement with that general idea has happened. Mostly from kids or people our age, but we have had some random comments from adult strangers. (Heh. Adult. We're 20. When does one stop using "adult" as an adjective?)

It's like twins wear signs like

"OH HAI, we look alike and/or were born on the same day
so please tell us your opinion about how we should run our lives
(based on personal experience or not),
KTHXBAI."

To those people and such comments, we politely smile. And then post it on teh interwebs.

Cheers,
Alison

Personality

2009-08-14T11:00:00.000-07:00

If personality was solely decided by star charts and astronomical charts, Baby A and I would be just alike.

Not. At. All.

Baby A likes to stay up late and go out and such. My idea of a good night involves into pajamas and then bed early. Maybe some TV, a movie, or a good book.

Baby A is bubbly. She bubbles like a shaken soda sometimes. I'm more reserved (says she, the one who started this little space to spill her thoughts out onto the information superhighway). I swear.

I'm a measure-twice-cut-once type of girl. It does make sense I'm a little more into crafting. Baby A doesn't always look before she leaps. Sometimes she gets a running start too. She's also the athletic one.

I'm portraying myself as the dour sister and Baby A as the merry sister. Of course, these are generalizations and not close to the whole picture.

I fully admit Baby A is the fun one*, and I love her so much.

Cheers,
Alison

*Did you read this?

Blonde

2009-08-11T20:23:00.000-07:00

Baby A and I were blonde during childhood. Blonde. Not towheaded, but... blonde. (I called it "more yellow than white" to my hairstylist. She thinks me and my inexperience in the ways of the world of hair are amusing.)

And then we got older and it changed to "dirty blonde." And it kinda got to a point where, really, it was brown. Particularly in winter when sun+chlorine don't work their magic.

Long story short, Baby A decides, after talking about it off and on for years, that she's going to go blonder. The decision fell to me: to dye or not to dye?

"Wait," you may be thinking. "Baby A is the fun one*, so why didn't she just jump right on that foil bandwagon and ride off into the golden sunset?" Our mother was sooooo anti-dye for the longest time. Then time went on and Mom succumbed to highlights. The decision to put "those chemicals" in her hair was probably less difficult than knowing she no longer had room to talk. Heh.

I did decide to get highlights. Not because I was so concerned that wemustlookexactlyalike but because if you can't do something fun and crazy with your hair during college, really, when can you? I just called partial highlights "fun and crazy." You have my permission to laugh. Like I said, my stylist does.

And, no, our hair color is not the same anymore. Baby A ended up blonder with more color overall. And that's A-OK with us.

Cheers,
Alison

*True story. I'll tell it some time.

One Car Twinkieship

2009-08-04T11:42:00.000-07:00

That's right, we have one car. We share one car.

Our life is a two person carpool.

This is better for the environment, of course. We consolidate errands and accompany each other on them. We work at the same place, both during the school year and now, during summer, at a day camp. So that's not a concern.

Dad asked the other day, "So when will you two need another car?"

Now, we work, live, and go to school together. But soon, like two or three years soon, that could change.

When will we need another car?

Cheers,
Alison

Which One AM I?

2009-07-27T20:59:00.000-07:00

"Which one are you?" he asked.

He has asked this at least three times since our single file line started walking. I have ignored each question, hoping someone around him would help him out.

This camper has been with us all summer. Baby A and I have explained the differences over and over and over again, since we get new campers often.

He has asked this approximately 300,000 times this summer.

I looked at him over my shoulder.

"This morning, I said that only one of us is here today. I told you which one I am." Baby A had to help out the camp for younger kids. This morning, I introduced myself to the whole group since we had a new camper, and I explained where Baby A was. Also, two seconds ago, another camper got my attention by saying MY NAME.

"Ummm..."

I turned around. I looked at him, head tilted, and not in a Snow-White-I'm-listening-to-the-forest-inhabitants sort of way.

"Uhhh... Well, which one are you?"

"You should know by now."

And then I turned around and continued leading the line.

I said it nicely, so don't think I'm some sort of evil camp counselor who terrifies poor children for fun.

I think I've made it clear here and IRL that Baby A and I are pretty laid back about the whole identical twin confusion thing. It's OK to mix us up or forget, especially if we've just met. Our good friend and coworker calls us by the wrong name probably two or three times a week, more if she's tired. But she tries. Which is more than I can say for some people.

Baby A is pretty noticeably blonder than me now. I have half rim glasses, hers are wire with full rims. I'm taller. My backpack is black, hers is green. She wears slip on Vans, I wear shoelace-less sneakers. And there are differences in our faces, bodies, selves.

And let me say this: yes, some people have a much harder time than most telling us apart. We get that. That's OK. Screaming above everyone else's chatter when the question has already been answered for you at least twice that day is not. Luckily for me, that behavior is usually confined to people under 10 years old.

Cheers,
Alison

Gred and Forge

2009-07-26T18:59:00.000-07:00

I mean, Fred and George Weasley. The identical twins in the Harry Potter series, though I do hope those names were instantly recognizable to you. Troublemakers extraordinaire, and businessmen to boot. I do speak about fictional characters as if they were real, thankyouverymuch.

HP movie marathons on TV, Half Blood Prince out in theatres, and it just seems like Harry Potter is everywhere. Again. (Which is just the way I like it). And it came to my attention that *gasp* I had not yet brought Fred and George into my little space here.

I think there's plenty to say about the Weasley twins, but right now, I'll just leave you with some pictures. I am so, so glad that they found British identical twin boys to play George and Fred. Makeup and camera tricks can only do so much. Any one remember Double Teamed, the Disney channel movie about identical twin basketball players Heather and Heidi Burge?

Having a laugh at Hogwarts. From HP Lexicon.

Grown up and looking fine. Heh. From harrypotterupdate.multiply.com.

Cheers,
Alison

Are You?

2009-07-18T09:20:00.000-07:00

It's no secret 'round these parts that I love and support Heather and Mike Spohr, parents of the Famous Madeline.

Now they've gone, with friends and family members, and started a non-profit to support NICU families during the difficult time of their child or children's stay.

This is the most amazing way to honor Maddie, who spent 68 days in the NICU. Madeline is still lighting up the world, thanks to Friends of Maddie.

Be a Friend of Maddie.

Love,
Alison

Nan and Diana

2009-07-14T11:17:00.000-07:00

I have been rereading the Anne of Green Gables series. Even now, I reread series and books I loved as a child. Often. Harry Potter? Practically memorized. The Laura Ingalls books? Know them like the back of my hand. But I forgot about Anne. She's popped back into my consciousness now and again, but never at a time where I was near my books (we trimmed down the books we took to school to the essentials) and with free time to read them.

Anne's life has twins weaving through it throughout the books. She cares for Mrs. Hammond's three sets of twins before her arrival to Green Gables, the home of Matthew and Marilla. Marilla and Anne take in Davy and Dora, a set of twins, as their own. Anne has her own set when she is building her own family, Nan and Diana. Yes, we are breaking down a fictional series, twin-style.

Nan, with brown hair and brown eyes, and Diana, with red hair and green eyes, do not look alike. Anne mentions her disappointment that they do not look "one bit alike" in Anne of Ingleside.

The Hammond twins were probably all fraternal, since it runs in families. Davy and Dora... obviously fraternal. (The gender difference is a dead giveaway, folks.) And Anne's are certainly fraternals.

I like how these twins are treated like their birth status is incidental, just a detail. We really don't need every ficitional pair of twins to be all twin-y.

Cheers,
Alison

An Endlessly Fascinating Tattoo

2009-07-12T11:12:00.001-07:00

Working at a summer day camp means I hear a lot, and I mean a lot, of "Kids say the darnedest things" things.

"Are tattoos really permanent?" (Yes.)

"Is that going to wash off when you get in the pool?" (No.)

"Why do you have an 8 on your wrist?" (Not an 8, says I to the 8 year old.)

"You and Baby A have the same tattoo, did you know?" (Oh yeah, I know.)

Cheers,
Alison

In Honor of Finals Week...

2009-06-07T17:43:00.000-07:00

This post will be short and sweet, about a movie recently watched when roomies and myself felt some procrastination was in order.

Seen On a Clear Day? Excellent movie, I recommend it.

A: It's got the whole UK thing going on, as it is set in Scotland. I pretty much love movies and TV shows made by our former landlords across the pond.

B: It's about swimming the Channel. I don't actually like open water swimming (just past the breakers is good enough for me, thanks), but I inexplicably enjoy watching movies or reading books about it. Lynne Cox' Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer is pretty freaking epic.

C: It has identical twin boys in it! Played by Andrew and James MacLennan, the boys' twinness isn't the focus of the movie. They are just a family that happens to have twins in it. A lot of movies with twins in them make the twins one of the focal points throughout the film. Andrew and James are just normal sons and grandsons in the movie, just as singletons would be. No hocus-pocus or kooky mix-ups here!

Cheers!
Alison

Eeeevil

2009-05-21T16:22:00.000-07:00

Evil twins don't exist. Sure, there can be twinships where one is a better person or whatever. But there is no cosmic rule that in each pair of twins, there is an angel and a devil. You would be surprised how often we come across people who truly believe this. "Oh, come on," they say. "One of you *has* to be the bad twin." I would sometimes like to respond "Oh, well, then you *have* to be an idiot."

I don't, however. Wouldn't want them walking away, thinking they were right all along and this one is definitely the evil one, now would we?

Maybe they watched Sabrina the Teenage Witch episodes with Sabrina's evil twin (from an alternate universe) Katrina. Maybe they played Legend of Zelda and saw Link's evil twin Dark Link. Maybe they are Trekkies who saw Star Trek Nemesis, and since they watched a movie with Data and his evil twin B-4, they are now twin experts. I could go on and on with examples.

I am not even going to go into soap operas' use of the evil twin. It's just not a good soap if someone's not coming back to life after being offed by their evil twin, right? Katharine Chu wrote a paper, up on MIT's OpenCourseWare, about the decline of the soap opera. She's got a whole paragraph on the evil twin plot twist.

To be fair, a lot of "evil twins" in the media are actually evil, or misunderstood, doppelgangers, not identical twins. But people don't always... oh, alright, NEVER pick up on that subtlety.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some ~~evil~~ homework to do.

Cheers,
Alison

Twin Language

2009-05-01T18:48:00.000-07:00

No, we do not have our (original) twin language anymore. We do have a sign language deal we made up, part ASL, part nonsense. But that is not a true idioglossia or cryptophasia.

"Idioglossia" is a scientific term for twin language. "Idio" comes from "idiosyncratic," and "glossia" means "of the tongue." "Cryptophasia" is another term for twin language, "crypto" means "secret" and "phasia" comes from "aphasia," a speech disorder.

Words we still remember from our language (because our family thought they were hilarious and therefore still occasionally uses them):
Fogee, Fogi, Foji: pronounced "Foh-jee," Baby A came up with that one for our older sister
Tack-tack: cracker
Fy-fy: fry

Our baby and toddler years were spent in Hawaii, so we picked up on some Hawaiian Pidgin as well. That had a hand in our pronunciation of things and our grammar. Our family still uses "all pao" sometimes for "all done, finished." Back then, we dropped the R or various other letters off of the ends of words. Apparently, one time when I got a plant piece in my foot, I went to my dad and said "I got one stickah in one foo." "One" is more commonly used in Pidgin than "an" or "a."

Our idioglossia was influenced by both English and Pidgin. The reason for an idioglossia between any siblings that are close in age is due to the natural mimicking and practicing of speech. When babies are together and practice talking, their mistakes get incorporated into their speech. It can turn into something that sounds like an entirely separate language.

Cheers,
Alison

School is Occasionally Useful

2009-05-01T18:39:00.000-07:00

I am taking an intro to public speaking class. Because I figured it wouldn't be too bad. And because it filled a requirement for both of my majors. I'm nothing if not practical.

Our first big speech had to be an informative speech. And guess what I informed about? Twins. So out of character for me, I know.

So now I have some more research done about things I have yet to blog about. Idioglossia! Evil twins in the media (with examples)! Identical twinning and IVF! More science!

Stay tuned.

Cheers,
Alison

Marching for Maddie

2009-04-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Madeline,

Baby A wrote a letter to you in the comments of one of your mommy's post. So I thought I would write a little something too.

Oh, Maddie. We all, ALL, wish you could be bopping along in your stroller or being carried by your daddy or hanging on to your mommy right now, as they, along with something like 70+ people, march on your March for Maddie team in LA. You have inspired so many people to get involved with the March of Dimes. I remember when I just landed on The Spohrs Are Multiplying, and I clicked on the tab "Who is Maddie?"At the bottom, your mommy wrote "She's even got a favorite charity!" with a link to the March of Dimes. I thought it was so cute. And when I saw your picture, I was gone. Gone. It was official. I was pretty much a Maddie fangirl, in a totally non-creepy, non-stalkerish way.

I still am a Maddie fangirl, you know. How could someone forget the Moozer? That's like someone forgetting about the sun. Your mommy called you her "sun eyed girl" and there could not be a more perfect description. Many of us only saw your beautiful eyes in photos, but their rays reached into our hearts.

Your parents probably did not realize what they were starting when they began to post your story and your life on the internet. They did not realize that, besides data and information, love flowed across the web, reaching people's homes who never even met you. Myself included. So much love, sweet girl, because of YOU.

So, today, right now, Baby A, some friends, and I are marching for you, Madeline. As Baby A said, you'll see the purple balloons.

Love, Alison

November 11, 2007 - April 7, 2009

2009-04-14T14:30:00.000-07:00

This post was set to go up at 2:30 pm, the time that the services for Madeline start. This image, from Mrs. Schmitty, is up on blogs from all over right now, to honor Maddie.

I've Gone Purple for Maddie

2009-04-11T10:10:00.000-07:00

My blog's gone purple to honor Madeline.

Her parents have requested everyone wear purple for the services on Tuesday. If you can't be there or didn't know of the Spohrs before now, please wear purple on Tuesday and let people know you are honoring the life of a brave, sweet little girl who is gone too soon. You can also mention the March of Dimes, an organization that works towards a day when all babies will be born healthy.

Have you donated yet? $1 or $100, whatever you can afford would be much appreciated. The economy is bad, but losing a child is so much worse. Please, support the Spohrs. You can click on the button on the right to donate via PayPal.

Love,
Alison

For Maddie

2009-04-10T08:08:00.000-07:00

We all know everyone is struggling right now because of the economy. But there are two people who are struggling because their sweet little girl is gone too soon. Final services and arrangements cost quite a bit. And a child's funeral is something no parents should have to plan or pay for.

ETA: Heather stayed home to care for Madeline, and Mike will be getting no income as he takes time off. Anything left over after paying for the services will go to support the Spohrs during this extremely difficult time.

If you can, please consider donating to help with the costs. Every dollar helps. The PayPal button is on the sidebar to the left.

For Heather and Mike. For Maddie.

Love,
Alison

ETA PS: Got this one from Velveteen Mind, created by Rachel at A Southern Fairy Tale. This button doesn't fit in my side bar, but it is beautiful and I had to put it up. Maddie was a very small person, but her life was big and full. She is so loved. Both buttons go to the same PayPal page where you can donate to help the Spohrs.

Madeline Alice Spohr

2009-04-08T12:53:00.000-07:00

Though she was just a little girl who is gone too soon, Madeline brought immense amounts of joy to people's lives. Her big blue eyes and huge smile never failed to wow me with their beauty and the gorgeous spirit behind them.

Maddie is so special to me for another reason, besides her curls and her antics and her huge personality. She literally changed my life.

I really got into reading blogs last year, and I looked around for blogs about twins. It was from Baby on Bored that I found The Spohrs Are Multiplying. Stefanie's Sadie (who has a bigger twin sister) and Heather's Maddie were both teensy and not growing. (Heather happens to have a twin brother, and she has commented here before).

There was a point last year when I knew a food science degree was not quite what I wanted. I wandered over to clinical nutrition, but I was not sold on it yet.

I read about the nutrition appointments and consultations for these small babies, and others, and it was like I was struck by lightning.

Of course. This is what I am supposed to do.

I love love love babies and children, I love the science of nutrition, and I want to help people. When I found out that I could go to graduate school in Maternal and Child Nutrition or Maternal and Child Health or at least specialize in maternity, infancy, and childhood, I wondered "Why didn't I know this sooner??"

Maddie. Sweet, precious, brave Madeline. She was such a huge factor in guiding me to what I want to do with my life. Her story taught me so much about love and bravery, and her grin reached through the screen and tugged at my heart. I mourn for her as if I had known her in "real life." Every bit of me wishes that Maddie could come back. Every bit of me hurts with a hurt I know does not even compare to the pain felt by Maddie's family.

I only knew you on the Internet, Madeline Alice, but I will carry you with me forever. I mean that, Maddie Moo.

Heather's site is having some traffic/server issues, but I hear it is getting moved. You can go here to donate to Heather's March for Maddie team or here to read about how to donate to help with the family's expenses.

Love,
Alison

The Tattoo Story

2009-03-30T13:54:00.000-07:00

So, I told Swistle that I would post this yesterday. But yesterday was filled with laundry and packing and Dad's birthday celebration and packing. And also, flying. Ick.

We thought about getting something together for a loooooong time. After the deed had been done, Dad said "No one has ever thought about a tattoo as much you had." Which is probably true. This is somewhat significant because he was not at all pleased with the location. He's fine with tattooed daughters, as long as said tattoos are hideable. Mom was so not into the tattoo thing AT ALL. But she promised not to disown us (joking... sorta). Now itt's done and everyone's fine. Some family members may have even been... pleasantly surprised. You'd think they were imagining a huge anchor or a topless mermaid or something. And inner wrist? SO HIDEABLE. Bracelets, watches, long sleeves, even make-up. It's quite a small tattoo; they took just a few minutes each. It also counts as "tastefully done," I think, and tattoos in the workplace are becoming more common. Our older sister works in a hospital and informed me that healthcare still is in the 1950s when it comes to tattoo policy, which is a bummer considering I want to be a registered dietitian and will probably work in a clinical setting at some point. We will see. I am always freezing in doctors' offices, so long sleeves everyday would probably be the norm even if I didn't have a tattoo on my wrist.

The tattoo itself has so many meanings, there is clearly the infinity (forever)/love aspect of it, but also the connectedness of it and the symbolism of two halves. I drew it (badly) based on a couple of tattoos I saw online. The nice man with the needle drew it much nicer. When we hold hands, I always hold her left hand and she holds my right. The placement made a lot of sense to us.

I am not going to lie. It hurt. I am not sure I quite know how to describe it. But it was more manageable than I expected. I didn't even cry, and I walked in there half-expecting to pass out. Gooo me!

We went down to a very reputable and well-known tattoo place in San Diego, called Avalon. No appointment, just a walk-in. Tuesdays aren't exactly the busiest day for a place like that, right?

All in all, a very cool experience. Taking care of it is a bit of a bummer. It is more the aftercare than the pain that will deter me from getting another any time soon. (Though I will probably need breaks from the needle during the session for anything much larger than this one). And waking up to a little ink loss under my saran wrap/ointment rig the morning after was unpleasant... I believe the first thing I thought was "OMG, what have I done to myself??" But a little wash and all was well.

And that is the story of the twin tattoos.

Cheers!
Alison

Things I Have Been Doing Instead Of Blogging

2009-03-28T18:17:00.000-07:00

-Working
-Studying
-Working
-Volunteering
-Studying
-Adventuring
-Studying

You get the picture.

Oh wait... One last thing.

-Getting ink

-Baby A too

That I actually went through it kind of still boggles my mind. No regrets, though. I am so happy with it! Baby A loves hers too. Mine is on my inner right wrist, hers is on her inner left, and they are mirror images of each other.

Cheers!
Alison

Twin Saints (No, Certainly Not Us)

2009-02-04T22:41:00.000-08:00

Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian are Catholic saints that are twins. Their good deeds are reputed to include providing medical care and healing without accepting pay, hence their nickname "the silverless." They are often depicted in paintings to be transplanting the leg of a recently dead Ethiopian man onto another man, to replace his ulcered and diseased leg. Um, yeah. Here is an example...

"Legendary transplantation of a leg by Saints Cosmas and Damian, assisted by angels."
Photographed by Andreas Praefcke (2006), I can't seem to find the name of the artist, and I got this image here.

Fun! According to Wikipedia, the twins are the saints of "surgeons, physicians, dentists, protectors of children, barbers, pharmacists, veternarians, orphanges, day-care centers, confectioners, children in house, against hernia, against the plague." Catholic.org just lists pharmacists/druggists.

There are many churches dedicated to Cosmas and Damian, but the one I want to bring to your attention is the one in Twinsburg, OH. Yeah, THAT Twinsburg. Love it.

Cheers,
Alison

Population Genetics, And How Identicals Make It A Little More Interesting

2009-02-03T12:00:00.000-08:00

There was this evolutionary biologist by the name of William Donald Hamilton, aka Bill, and he was a pretty big deal. He was a member of the Royal Society, and he studied altruism and kin selection, among other things. His work is especially interesting when you look at genetically identical individuals. You will have to forgive me; I am a science nerd.

Some species, like bees and ants, have one reproductively active female (the queen) and many sterile females (workers). These workers take care of offspring and generally... do work, as the name suggests, leaving the queen plenty of free time to make more babies. It had long bothered biologists that this seems contrary to natural selection, survival of the fittest. Being unable to reproduce makes you pretty unfit, in natural selection's mind. (Remember, we're talking about insects, not people, don't shoot!). Darwin himself pondered this problem. Hamilton found a formula describing how being unable to reproduce might be beneficial for the overall fitness of the individual's kin.

Hamilton's rule: rB > C, where r = relatedness factor, B = benefits to the reproductive recipient of such altruism, and C = costs to the individual in terms of fitness (fecundity).

This is where we come back to the subject of twins. "r" is how related you are to someone else. You are 0.5 related to a parent and a full sibling. You share half your genes. You are 0.25 related to a half-sibling, because that half is halved again. You are 1.0 related to yourself. Oh yeah, AND your clone, if you are the product of an in utero cloning event.

Using Hamilton's rule, if I didn't reproduce and I instead helped Baby A to reach her full fitness (helping her raise children, giving her the opportunity to have more children, etc.), I would still be pretty darn successful. As successful, in fact, as if I had gone and had my own children. My genes are her genes, and therefore I am pretty fit if she reproduces and I don't. There is practically no cost associated with me refraining from having offspring to help my sister, from an evolutionary standpoint. My genes are still passed on to the next generation.

Of course, humans cannot be entirely compared to the order Hymanoptera. But this was an interesting thing to think about during biology today.

Oh! AND my professor actually mentioned identical twins/clones today for once. Well, didn't actually mention, but it was on one of the slides. Score!

Cheers,
Alison

PS: Yes, all those links are to Wikipedia. I love me some wiki.

Roomie?

2009-02-02T14:00:00.000-08:00

Baby A, one of our roommates, and I are looking to live together for the next school year. We need to find another roomie to share a room with our roommate, or we need to move to an apartment with a big master for Baby A and me and a smaller bedroom for our roomie. (We break rent down by square footage, and since Baby and I share, we can afford a bigger room than a singleton alone). Moving might be nice (walk-in closet, anyone?), but we love our apartment complex and our neighbors.

Said neighbors know an identical twin looking for a room to share! (Her twin goes to a different school). That's the hard part, getting people who want to share. Since she's shared her whole life (and it's cheaper, I presume), sharing is preferred! Obviously, Baby A and I are golden on the whole sharing thing, and our roomie shared a room with her older sister. We're all about sharing around here :].

Since we haven't met this girl yet and we haven't solidified our own plans yet, I am really not sure how this will all turn out. But, in any case, I was very excited to hear another example of the sharing skills of multiples. We all had at least one partner in the womb, right? It must have rubbed off on us. Now this part is more about twins who choose to live together/share a room when they don't have to. Some people assume multiples need lots of space after, *gasp* the horrors of having to share with the same people our entire lives. (Anyone hear of marriage? Anyone? Pretty much sounds like "you and me forever, deal with it." Welcome to twinhood). People tend to give us advice, or substitute the beginning of "assume" for the beginning of "advice," about how we need "spread our wings" or some other psychobabble they are totally unqualified to give. Some multiples do live apart and enjoy it. Some live apart not by choice. Others are sticking together until something changes. (Hi! That last one is us!) Most of the people who like to give us their opinion are singletons who have maybe seen a TV special on multiples. Or something. Next time we get psychobabbled, I am going to ask them if they are married, and then tell them sorry they have to share their life with someone too.

All parents get tons of unsolicited advice, and I am sure parents of multiples (or preemies, hi Heather!) get a bit more than usual. And it's the same for the kids too. I know that Baby A and I have had our fair share of people trying to tell us how to live our life. It's refreshing meeting (or hearing about, like at the snowboard shop the other day, identical males who share a room who are close to our age) about twins just like us. We are not freaks.

Cheers,
Alison

The Eternal Question, Or, Two Of Them Actually

2009-02-01T19:18:00.000-08:00

When something bad happens to people, "Why me?" is a common thing to ask. When something good happens to people, "Why me?" is also asked. I am sure that there are very few people who can (truthfully) claim never to have asked themselves this question.

And so it is with Baby A and I. "Why us?" Why our zygote? Why are we lucky enough that our split was even and clean? Why? Parents of multiples ask similar questions, as Pam mentioned in a comment on my last post. One baby turned into three sweet boys. Oh, the chances!

We have jokingly said "We were too much person for one person!" But really, chance favored us, and we are not sure why.

Another eternal question: what happens after we die? Oh, don't worry, I won't wax philosophical on you here. Here I introduce to you the idea of an ibeji. The Yoruba in western Africa have the highest rate of dizygotic twinning in the world. Their word for "twin" is "ibeji."

The meaning of "ibeji" I want to talk about is the wooden statues they carve to house the souls of twins who have died. They are formally known as "ere ibeji," where "ere" means "sacred image," "ibi" means "born," and "eji" means "two."

The Yoruba believe that twins share a soul, and thus if one passes away in infancy, that part of the soul must remain on earth so the other twin can live. The statue houses that part of the soul. Even if both twins die, ere ibeji are made and kept. The statues are cared for as if they were living, and are kept in a special place in the family's home.

Interestingly enough, apparently twins are descended from the colobus monkey, whose flesh is forbidden to the Yoruba. During festivals where mothers dance with their ere ibeji, they sing songs honoring twins, many of which emphasize this connection. Sometimes, twins are even referred to as "children of the monkey." Our parents used to call us "monkeys" because we were climbers as toddlers (we climbed EVERYTHING). Coincidence? Maybe not.

Here's where I got all this information:
Yoruba Customs and Beliefs Pertaining to Twins
Wikipedia article: Yoruba People
Wikipedia article: Ibeji
Ere Ibejis: Yoruba Twin Figures from the Bryn Mawr College Collection

Cheers,
Alison

Oh, The Cute

2009-01-27T23:24:00.001-08:00

The wonderfulness of icanhascheezburger.com.

Can't Take Us Anywhere

2009-01-25T10:36:00.000-08:00

Not even home, apparently.

Baby A has had some fun (and spent some dough) outfitting us for the snow. It doesn't snow here, but we are within reasonable driving distance to the best snow in California (or so I hear). Anyway, as kids who grew up in SoCal and whose major snow events meant driving into the mountains to see a couple inches of snow, we never got into the whole snow clothes thing. But when there's feet and feet, and you want to actually do something in it, like hike or snowboard or just play, you NEED waterproof snow clothes.

So she cruised the online sales and found some great deals, to be delivered to our doorstep by Fed.ex.

The packages came yesterday, and we went to open the door together. (My sister bought me snow gloves and snow pants, what a good sister!) The nice delivery man did an extreme double take. He was very friendly, and he was very interested in us being twins. He thought it was great that we like each other enough to continue to live together.

When we shut the door, and Baby A started to open the packages, I realized that a conversation that usually occcurs when we are out and about just occured on our very own doorstep.

Seriously, I have a lot of stuff to put down in this blog, but it's midterms. Again. I know, it feels like I just started school again. It feels that way because it's true. But anyway, after this round of exams... Promise.

Cheers,
Alison

Living Together

2009-01-19T22:10:00.000-08:00

Baby A and I have always shared a room. Always. We know that a lot of siblings share a room their whole lives until they leave home. There is probably a much lower incidence of siblings electing to live together after leaving home.

For us, it makes so much sense. I've touched on this before, but we share everything. Our clothing is truly shared clothing. We have one printer (why buy two?). We usually get along so that's not a problem. And living with your sister is a little more comfortable than living with a stranger when you move into the dorms.

Now that we are in an apartment, still sharing a room for the foreseeable future, I wonder what it will be that will split us up. Graduate school? Boyfriend? Job? We know that some time, relatively soon, one of us will be called to go elsewhere. We will miss each other when we live far away, and I honestly can't see permanently living far away from each other. Human brains are terrible at predicting what they haven't experienced, so right now it is inconceivable that we would ever live far away from each other on purpose. We're not like Tegan and Sara. But who knows? We may live on opposite coasts one day and be OK with that. (Baby A, don't shoot!)

On a completely different topic, I need to blog about some twin mythology. Because, dude. There's some crazy stuff out there.

Cheers,
Alison

Identical Quadruplets in Armadillos

2009-01-10T10:14:00.000-08:00

What a title, right? I know, you are on the edge of your seat awaiting this fascinating subject. Not.

But this is actually very interesting. No, wait, I am serious! Don't leave yet. Hear me out.

The nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) produces identical quadruplets as their standard litter, or whatever a group of baby armadillos is called. The fertilized egg (after hanging around for 14 weeks or something without implantation, which is strange in and of itself) divides into two, and each half divides into two more. Then normal development continues, and you get four little clones come spring. Awww. Sometimes, armadillos will have three or five pups but they are always identical.

It happens to be the state animal for Texas. Oh, and the only animal known to carry leprosy besides humans. Um, yeah. Texas' state animal clones its babies and carries leprosy. Just saying. I can't be too harsh on the little bone-plated mammals though, since they are really important for research on Mycobacterium leprae and Hansen's disease (leprosy's more official name).

Here is more than you ever wanted to know about armadillos from Texas Tech University. And in case you haven't had your fill of armadillo (bad joke, since people can and do eat armadillo), check out "fun facts" here and FAQs here.

Side note: I wonder if anyone has done nature/nurture research using baby armadillos from the same litter raised in different environments. Too bad I am not a biologist or biology major. I would have a research project all set there.

Cheers,
Alison

Back To The Daily Grind

2009-01-06T15:21:00.000-08:00

Baby A and I are back in school, which means we are also back at work.

We both love coffee. We come from a long line of coffee drinkers, and we occasionally even drink it black (which is a foreign concept to much of our generation). So we stop at Star*bucks on our way to work more often than not. Hey, it's right off the freeway right there. Them corporate gurus really know how to suck you in, right? They even put it a little more than halfway to work, so it's drinkable by the time we arrive. Thanks, guys! Side note: why would anyone ever order anything extra hot from St*arbucks? Anyone? I'm pretty sure "boiling freaking hot" is the default setting. But I digress.

So the cashier today did the whole double take thing, then "Are you twins?" We answered "Yes" at the same time. Not on purpose. She thought that was really cool. But then we ordered different drinks, tall brewed coffee for yours truly and a tall mocha for the twinkie. She seemed genuinely surprised we got different drinks. I gave her the brief run-down, "I don't like chocolate, she does." Of course, then I get the weird look, like the "Why the hell don't you like chocolate??" look.

Life is strange enough without being an identical twin who doesn't like chocolate while her sister does. Usually if the twin thing doesn't blow someone's mind, my anti-chocolate stance does the trick.

Cheers,
Alison

The Post I Was Hoping Wouldn't Happen

2008-12-30T17:15:00.000-08:00

Baby Faith passed away on Christmas Day. She survived for a month after the surgery that separated her from her sister Hope, who passed away immediately following the separation.

My thoughts are with the family.

Sincerely,
Alison

On Sharing

2008-12-23T17:19:00.000-08:00

Ah. The gift giving time is upon us. And I'm having flashbacks to holidays past and two little girls who very, very often would put the gift between them and work on unwrapping one side...

Every pair of twins, I'm sure, has gotten a gift to share. I'm guessing when the two are the same gender, that happens even more. Baby A and I, in fact, just got a couple gifts to share a few days ago, and we definitely unwrapped them collaboratively.

Sometimes it was a little ridiculous, but I totally get that getting two of the same board game, movie, etc. doesn't make sense. And we feel extra lucky at the holidays and our birthday because we often get the same thing but in different colors. And since we have gotten so good at sharing, it's almost like double the presents. Almost.

Wishing you all a very happy holiday season!

Cheers,
Alison

Blech, Blech, Gag

2008-12-17T22:45:00.000-08:00

Baby A and I were driving, and a commercial came on the radio. It was for the new "G1rls Nex7 D0or." Blech, blech, gag.

And then at dinner, our stepmom brought it up too. Blech, blech, gag.

I cannot tell you how many comments and questions Baby A and I have fielded revolving around situations such as these. I know I bitched about this earlier but seriously? I. Don't. Get. It.

Apparently we're just not going to get over this identical-twins-semi-naked-thing any time soon. Coors twins, anyone?

Cheers,
Alison

In Utero TOTALLY Counts

2008-12-12T12:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday marked one month till Baby A and I's birthday.

We like to do this thing where we calculate how long we shared womb space (9 months, because hell yeah we went to 40 weeks) and then how old we are. So yesterday marked approximately 20 years and 8 months of kicking it together, twinkie style. Yup, we're finishing up our second decade, if you don't count time in utero.

So, about the whole 40 weeks thing... The doctors were a little surprised. Well, a LOT surprised. Because in med school, they teach you that twins almost always come early. See that "almost" right there, between "twins" and "always"? That's us! Mom chose a Wednesday to be induced, if she didn't go into labor naturally. Which she didn't, of course, because that would be too easy, and we're all about doing things the hard way around here. She liked Wednesday because she likes the number 11. (There were probably also some swear words and tears involved too, because dammit, 13 pounds of baby is just not comfortable, apparently). We like the number 11 too. The ones match, 1 for her and 1 for me. I guess twenty-two would have been cool too, but 42 weeks with twins, that's getting out of hand.

Cheers,
Alison

Mitosis Mistake

2008-12-11T16:02:00.000-08:00

We have our bio final exam tomorrow.

I was just looking at the material on mitosis, and had one of those weird moments when it hit me: "A mistake in cytokinesis is why I'm here."

Back to our regularly scheduled silence till after finals are over.

Cheers,
Alison

Sister, twin, heterosexual life partner?

2008-12-07T17:03:00.001-08:00

I feel weird calling my sister "my twin" and calling my twin "my sister." I feel like neither of them are just right.

When I use "my sister" to people who don't know about Baby A, I usually get a weird look, sometimes followed up by a question. Like "You have a sister in the same grade as you?" or "Why do you live with your sister still/work with her/practically share a bank account?"

But I feel like calling her "my twin" makes me sound... I don't know. Like I am bragging maybe. Or like I want everyone to know how *special* I am because I have a twin. Which is not the case, I just don't want confusion sometimes.

So I walk a fine line between feeling like I advertise my twin-ness and getting awkward looks and questions. I feel like most twins usually use "sister" or "brother," like I do, right?

Cheers,
Alison

Hope and Faith

2008-12-04T08:36:00.000-08:00

Hope, one of the conjoined twins born to Laura and Aled Williams, passed away immediately following surgery, due to lung failure. Her parents were with her.

Faith will need more surgery and extensive healing. She has been given a 50% chance of survival.

The girls were omphalopagus twins, joined at the abdomen with separate hearts and a shared liver.

My thoughts are with the family.

Sincerely,
Alison

Yet Another Conjoined Twins Story

2008-12-02T10:17:00.000-08:00

I found this just yesterday. A case of conjoined twins who cannot be separated despite best efforts to find a way.

Romanian conjoined twins Anastasia and Tatiana will be five this coming January, and are conjoined at the head (craniopagus twins). Their heads face opposite directions, so as the news story puts it, "they have never been able to look each other in the eye."

It is too dangerous to separate the girls because their brains are growing together and their systems are very complexly intertwined. If the girls had been able to separated, Anastasia would still have needed dialysis and a kidney transplant, because she relies on Tatiana's kidneys.

They were brought the US in the hopes that they could be separated, much like the Ibrahim twins, Mohammed and Ahmed. They now live in the Chicago area.

Everyone was hoping for the best possible outcome, a healthy separation, so there has understandably been much disappointment. I hope for the best for the girls and their family.

Cheers,
Alison

Thanksgiving Apart

2008-11-29T13:05:00.000-08:00

Baby A and I decided not to go home for Thanksgiving this year. It had something to do with exorbitantly high airplane ticket prices and the fact that we'll be home for winter break in just a few weeks.

And then I got invited to Thanksgiving with my boyfriend's family. And then back to their home for the long weekend. So, that is where I am now.

I have had Thanksgiving dinner without Baby A before, but never had I just not seen her on Thanksgiving.

And you know what? I MISSED HER. As we drove back by our town on the way from the (all day) dinner to my boyfriend's hometown, I was tempted to stop by our apartment and see her for a bit.

I settled for texting her.

I always buy her a little something when I go away for the weekend. This was no exception. I can't wait to get back to open it with her.

Cheers,
Alison

PS: I totally did not abandon my twinkie. I asked her beforehand, and then she made her own plans. We're all good.

In More News From Britain...

2008-11-22T11:31:00.000-08:00

An 18 year old girl is due to give birth to conjoined twins in the next few weeks.

Do news sources know that the preferred term for conjoined twins IS conjoined twins, NOT Siamese twins? Just wondering.

They are already planning on separating the babies. However, they do not yet know how the babies are conjoined. Generally, twins are only separated if both can survive without the other (excepting parasitic twins), meaning they each have the organs and capacity to live without the other. Abigail and Brittany Hensel cannot be separated; they share multiple organs and organ systems. They each have an arm to control and they have two legs. In certain cases, an organ transplant can allow a twin that had less organs than the other to survive, such as the Herrin twins case. Kendra and Maliyah were separated, requiring Maliyah to get a donated kidney from her mother.

There is the well-known case of "Mary" and "Jodie" Attard. Their parents took them to Britain to seek medical advice. Doctors wished to separate the girls because Mary was much less developed; they viewed her more as a parasitic twin who was straining the more developed twin and would eventually lead to Jodie's death. This is what the courts agreed with. The parents, due to religious reasons, wished the girls to remain together as they were born. Mary died after she was removed from her sister; Jodie is healthy.

I will be following this new conjoined twins case closely, and am hoping for the best possible outcome for the mother and the babies.

Cheers,
Alison

School

2008-11-18T23:47:00.000-08:00

I am so lucky to have a twin that goes to school with me.

Except, you know, when she spills a solution in chemistry lab. And then we have to make some more. And we're the last group working because of it.

She's going to read this, so I'm just going to throw this out there: I LOVE YOU. I'M JUST GLAD WE GOT OUT OF THERE ALIVE.

I am SO not a fan of chem lab. But, in general, having my Baby A there makes it so much more fun.

Cheers,
Alison

Dear BBC,

2008-11-15T09:01:00.000-08:00

I would like to inform you that the child born to Susanne, the woman who had the world's first full ovary transplant, is genetically her daughter. You wrongly stated that Maja, the baby born because of the ovary transplant, is "genetically her niece." Since Susanne and Dorothee have the same genes (that's what makes them identical), that makes any children conceived by them genetically half-siblings (not cousins). The sisters share DNA, so the children have the SAME DNA from their mothers and different DNA from their fathers.

What you probably meant to say is that Maja is her niece in a familial sense, because the eggs formerly reside in her sister. However, as stated before, identical twins have identical DNA, which means the children born to identicals are gentically indistinguishable from half-siblings. If two identical females married an identical male from the same pair, their children would be genetically indistinguishable from siblings!

Hope this clears up any (long-lasting and persisting) confusion about identical twins.

Cheers,
Alison

**ETA** If you feel like letting the BBC know about their mistake, go here to fill out the form for style, accuracy, and grammar mistakes. The full url for the story with this mistake is http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7731186.stm.

Um, Yes, My Last Post WAS About This

2008-11-12T10:43:00.000-08:00

According to the BBC in an article posted today (go read it!), a healthy baby girl was born to a mother who had received an ovary from her identical twin. The woman had ovary failure in her teen years, while her twin had healthy ovaries.

I mentioned egg donation last post and jokingly referred to having spare body parts, but I never considered the viability of the ovary transplant option, if such a need ever arose.

And for good reason too. It was the world's first whole ovary transplant! The new mother received the ovary from her twin to try to alleviate her early menopause. Doctors attached it in such a way to allow eggs to travel as they normally would. The report says the mother was not intending to get pregnant, but she did. What a confirmation that the transplant was a success!

It is noted that most young women with ovary failure have little to no warning to store their ovaries for later and, of course, they don't usually have an identical twin. Because of these women's genetic match at the highest possible level, concern for rejection was very low.

The British Fertility Society supports the removal of ovaries to preserve future fertility in the cases of women who will undergo treatment for cancer. Removing an ovary can be done immediately allowing for chemotherapy or radiation to begin at once, while harvesting eggs takes times because of the injections needed to ripen many follicles at once. The spokesman quoted in the article says that long-term freezing could be just as damaging to fertility as age, and clearly there are other, more applicable options in the treatment of infertility.

Congratulations to the new mother and auntie!

Cheers,
Alison

Houston, We Have... Cats

2008-11-11T13:09:00.000-08:00

Baby A is compassionate and kind and loves animals. So when the chance to adopt two little orphan kittens wandered in her path, she picked it up, schmoogled (TOTALLY a word) it, and said YES.

Now that we're in an apartment that allows pets, the brothers, who are now over a year old, live with us. They are named after historical figures. The bigger one is named after a certain king of France who got beheaded, along with his young wife, and was known for being fat. The smaller one is named after a certain French military leader who was known for being short. Louis and Napoleon. Clever, right? Auntie (yours truly) came up with them.

Yes, it is true. I am an auntie to two four-legged creatures, which is certainly preferable in my mind to being an auntie to one eight-legged creature. Because why anyone would want a huge, hairy spider as a pet is beyond me.

And then it randomly occurs to me every so often that when I'm eventually an auntie to Baby A's biological two-legged children, they will have MY DNA too. Our kids will be genetically indistinguishable from half-siblings.

Say one of us has bum ovaries. She could totally just use the other one's eggs! The possessor of said faulty reproductive organs is STILL passing on her DNA to the next generation, despite the fact that the eggs were stored in the other twin.

Having spare body parts walking around could be so useful (there's so much to say about that). Here's hoping we never test that theory.

Cheers,
Alison

There Are No Words

2008-11-09T16:59:00.000-08:00

Hugh Hefner is dating twins. Who appear to be identical twins. 19 year old identical twins. Whose myspace apparently said "Hollywood, here we come!"

Thanks, girls, for renewing random strangers' interest in seeing identical girl twins naked together/make out/whatever. Because fending off skeevy perverts is just *so* much fun!

Cheers,
Alison

I Saved A Life!

2008-11-06T10:43:00.000-08:00

It took FOR.EV.ER to donate blood yesterday. I had never done it before, so I had to register with the company. Baby A donated blood the day before and so she was in the system. Lo and behold, two people living at the same household with similar names and very similar SSNs! The guy seemed all concerned that I was trying to fraud them, or make another profile with them.

Seriously, I told him her name, her SSN, her date of birth (duh), even her weight. Though, if he was that concerned I was donating twice in two days and thought I had made it all up, then I should know all of fake "Baby A"'s stats. But he was convinced Baby A and I's information was correct, and we moved on.

It also took a long time because there were no good veins in my left arm (I'm a rightie, so that was unfortunate) and because my blood pressure was too low to donate. Nothing like some serious nerves to raise that blood pressure to the point where I could give.

I got a flyer about joining the National Marrow Donor Program at the donation. And today I found this post. Abbie, the Handmade Quilt-er, whipped up a beautiful lap quilt (in a ridiculously short amount of time and free of charge) at the request of neighbors to give to another neighbor, a woman who donated marrow to a stranger with leukemia.

To celebrate this woman's selfless act, Abbie is giving away a quilt similar to the one she made for the woman (pictured above).

I love quilts, so I definitely entered. You should enter too!

I feel this is one more push from the universe for me to join the Marrow Donor Program.

Cheers,
Alison

Midterms, Exams, and Quizzes, Oh My!

2008-11-03T18:27:00.000-08:00

When you have a body and a brain based on the exact same DNA as someone else, things tend to work the same way.

Our brains tend to make the same connections between things, reach similar conclusions, and get confused on the same topics. This is why we know sit far apart when taking an exam in the same room as each other. Because getting the same wrong answer to the same question tends to puzzle the teacher.

Our seventh grade science teacher assigned seating, and I was way up front to the right, and Baby A was in the last desk in the back on the left. No one got up during the test. We both missed one question, the same one, and marked the same wrong answer. Clearly we didn't cheat, and the teacher briefly mused on the unlikelihood of telepathy.

We sat kind of close to each other in a midterm last quarter, and got the same wrong answer to a question. (We each missed more than one for sure). Same wrong answers trigger more suspicion than same right answers (because it's right for a reason, of course). We didn't cheat, it would have been obvious to the teaching assistants and professor if I positioned myself in a way to see Baby A's test or vice versa. But since then, we have been careful to get to exams early to pick seats far away from each other, so there is no possibility of that ever being accused of happening.

I guess I haven't recovered from being accused by our second grade teacher of cheating. We sat at the same group of desks, so OBVIOUSLY those DEVIOUS, TRICKY IDENTICAL TWINS used their external hard drives (each other's brains) for help. Actually, we didn't, and I'm pretty sure I cried when the teacher said we did. Because I was that much of a sensitive two shoes. It was pretty clear to everyone else that those gosh darn goody goodies wouldn't cheat. Our classmates also totally thought the teacher was on crack. Or however a second grader would say that.

Cheers,
Alison

Oooh, Spoooky!

2008-10-31T19:02:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, Baby A and I FREAK. PEOPLE. OUT.

People on drugs tend to be very scared when they see us. No, seriously. (This happens more than you think). They tend to go all "Whoa, dude, there's like.... two of you. Are you both... real?" YES.

Baby A and I usually don't dress alike for Halloween. Not since we were six or so.

Halloween is an excuse for many college students to part-ay. While dressing up as sexy nurses, sexy cops, sexy fairies, sexy witches, sexy angels... you get the point. Alcohol and drugs abound on this fine holiday. (I am at home, I made my friends a casserole, and I am going to snuggle in with my boyfriend for a movie. I am so. not. cool).

Imagine this: Baby A and I dressed exactly alike on Halloween. Out in public. Run into a bunch of high-as-a-kite college kids. They would be TERRIFIED. Baby A and I would laugh our butts off.

Next Halloween, for sure.

Cheers,
Alison

Her Head is Smooshed

2008-10-29T13:52:00.000-07:00

I love my twinkie, and she loves me. But I think a liiiittle part of her hasn't forgiven me for my in-utero transgressions.

Like probably taking more of the food. I only weighed 2 oz more at birth, but she was underdone on the inside, so who knows?

Like ruining her birth moment. Uh, TOTALLY not my fault my cord came out with her. And then the doctors were all, "We gotta get Baby B outta there!!" And three minutes into her (glorious) time here on earth sans clone, I showed up on the scene, blue and not making a sound. I've been a spotlight-stealer from day one, apparently.

Like making her head a different shape. You think I'm kidding? We have different face shapes, probably from her head being my seat in the womb. No joke. I wonder if any other twins have this...

Gee. It's good for me that there's this whole "unconditional love" thing.

Cheers,
Alison

Twins at Work

2008-10-26T21:09:00.000-07:00

I was at the grocery store, at the check-out. I looked up at my cashier and saw the one behind her as well.

TWINS! They looked very alike, which was awesome. Of course, I struck up a conversation, but I mostly think she thought I was crazy.

What can I say? I love seeing identical twins in public, because it doesn't happen very often.

Cheers,
Alison

tap tap

2008-10-25T18:34:00.000-07:00

Is this thing on?

Let's start over.

Hi, my name is Alison, aka Baby B. I'm an undergraduate at a university in Northern California that I love love love. My twin goes to the same school. We share a room in an apartment, a car, two cats (I'm the "auntie"), and a brain.
I spend my free time reading the interwebs. I like crafting blogs. I like reading about food. I'm not a mom and don't plan on being one any. time. soon. But I love reading about other people's babies so much that I'm subscribed to more family blogs than I care to admit.
Before you think "Creeper!," I was one of those little girls who was super into baby dolls and playing house, babysitting was my only job for a long time, and I love babies and children so much that I want to be a registered dietitian specializing in pregnancy and infant and toddler health.
Offline, I go to school, study, and try not to screw up. Wait, I try not to screw up online too, but clearly my lack of posting since, um, EVER may indicate otherwise.

Nice to meet you.
Cheers,
Alison

Just For Kicks

2008-07-22T21:03:00.000-07:00

Baby A and I both pulled back our hair and took off our glasses today, and we let the kids at day camp Ooooh and Aaaah over how much we look alike.

Tons of fun.

Till we got to the pool and I lent my hair tie to a camper. Then it was all "No fair! Now I can't tell you guys apart!"

Life's tough, kids. Besides, we each have our own pair of board shorts (I'm blue, she's brown) that we wear EVERY DAY. And we don't switch.

Feeling a little beat down from work. Something not work-related coming soon, promise.

Night night,
Baby B

Away With Leave

2008-07-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

Baby A is out tonight. I had already made a date (to babysit), so when our friend invited us to sleep over at her new apartment, Baby A took the opportunity. I went to go wrangle some toddlers.

I'm home now. I am usually acutely aware of where Baby A is. But tonight, from my busy night with the under 4 crowd, I forgot. I went to our room to put down my stuff, and I was surprised she wasn't there. It took me the walk from our bedroom to the kitchen (not long at all, but still) to remember. Stepmom then informed me of when she left, so it was good I had managed to remember before being ambushed.

I'm happy she's out having fun. We don't always do everything together, which I know you may find hard to believe. But it's true. I should blog about those times more often. I should blog more often in general, but you already knew that.

Good night,
Baby B

Two Camps, Or Watch While I Attempt To Climb Back On The Wagon

2008-07-13T12:04:00.000-07:00

I admire those bloggers who hold down full time jobs, keep a family going, AND manage to post quite often.

What's new in the world of Baby A and Baby B?

Well, nothing too exciting. Still getting those stares. Still freaking out the parents at the day camp when they realize there are two of us. Still playing the twin game with the kids at camp.

Some of the kids are really getting to the point where they can tell us apart. It's mostly kids from last session, but hey, progress is progress.

When kids figure out that, wow, you CAN tell identical twins apart after some time with them, it's usually accompanied by shock and disbelief. "No way! I thought I'd never be able to tell you two apart." Yeah, yeah, we know.

Generally, there are two camps. Camp one consists of those who think/thought they'll never be able to tell us apart. Camp two is made up of those who are determined to tell us apart, and they usually prefer it'd be sooner rather than later.

There are both good and bad things about each camp. Of course, it's slightly obnoxious when people insist that no, never, no way will they ever know which is which. But they make it a game, and don't take any mistakes they make too seriously. It lightens the whole situation. We appreciate the ones that insist they will be able to tell us apart. However, when they make a mistake, they usually flip out or start apologizing profusely, while Baby A and I are all "Dude, it's OK, give yourself a break."

No matter which camp someone belongs to, if he/she spends enough time with us (it's only one day for some, one year for others, completely subjective), you WILL be able to tell. We have different personalities, we walk differently, our voices are different, we wear different glasses (which we can't switch because of different prescriptions), we have distinguishing marks. It's all a matter of time.

Side note: Dad called me Baby A the other day, with our stepmom and two stepsisters in the same room together. It threw everyone for a loop. But, see? Everyone makes mistakes. And one of our coworkers really got it the other day. She examined our faces and said, "You guys don't look all that alike now that I know you." Exactly.

Later (or, Sooner, I'm hoping),
Baby B

Define: Twin

2008-07-07T21:07:00.000-07:00

twin [noun], definition
1 a: either of two offspring produced at a birth : gemini

2: one of two persons or things closely related to or resembling each other
3: a compound crystal composed of two adjoining crystals or parts of crystals of the same kind that share a common plane of atoms
merriam-webster.com

twin [adj], etymology
O.E. [Old English] twinn "consisting of two, twofold, double," probably ultimately from P.Gmc. [Proto-Germanic] *twinjaz (cf. O.N. tvinnr, O.Dan. tvinling, Du. tweeling, Ger. zwillung), from PIE [Proto-Indo-European] *dwisno- (cf. L. bini "two each," Lith. dvynu "twins"), from "double," from base *dwi-*dwo- "two" (see two). The verb meaning "to combine two things closely" is recorded from c.1394. The noun developed from O.E. getwinn "double."
etymonline.com

I just love words. I read linguistics books. For fun. Anyway, "twin" is a very interesting word in English. Its Germanic ties are pretty easily distinguishable, but if you check out the abbreviations guide on etymonline.com, it will explain that Proto-Germanic and Proto-Indo-European are hypothetical languages. Some words, we know eactly where they came from. Considering twins have been around pretty much forever (think about Romulus and Remus who are considered to be the founders of Rome, plus myths from almost every culture), it makes sense that the roots of the words that mean "twin" in various forms and languages have been lost to history.

"Twin" is also very interesting in Spanish. Apparently, "gemelo/a" is used for monozygotic twins, while "mellizo/a" is for dizygotic twins. As my understanding of Spanish is basic, I am not sure the origins of the two terms. "Mellizo/a" is for fraternals, which leads nicely into "trillizo/a" meaning "triplet." Since triplets and other high order multiples are most often fraternal, it makes sense that these words follow a pattern. Gosh, I love it when language makes sense.

To check out the two different words for "twin" in Spanish, visit allwords.com and then confirm (en espanol, and yes, there should be a tilde over the "n" but I don't know how to do special character in Blogger and I am tired) by checking out wordreference.com.

Hasta luego,
Baby B

A Slightly Aggressive Post

2008-07-04T07:28:00.000-07:00

It's funny how one thing can lead to another. I was going to write about the fraternal twin boys at the day camp where we work. I was looking on the internet for papers and research on fraternal twin relationships.

I found an article, from one of those sites that accepts freelance work, talking about the bond between fraternal twins.

The article then references a woman by first name only, "who has a fraternal twin," who says that fraternal twins may be even closer than identicals [no problem there, each pair's relationship is different] because "they don't have to deal with the level of competitiveness or identity issues that identical twins might have" [big problem there].

I then spent a good hour on the internet looking up twin articles, twin research, twin anecdotes. What I found was a little disappointing.

Some people think competitiveness is greater in identicals because of their intense similarities and thus higher level of comparison. Some people think competitiveness is lesser in identicals because their extreme bond overcomes any jealousy. Everyone seems to think that twins, fraternals and identicals, are on the verge of hating each other if anyone compares them (at all) or they don't get exactly the same amount of attention (to the minute) or they are not treated solely as individuals (no "twins" here, folks).

I have known fraternals that have intense rivalry and just don't get along, and I have known fraternals that are extremely close. I have known identicals that don't wish to be considered a unit, and I have known identicals that fully embrace that as their identities.

What I have to say: Let your twins be themselves. If they have a rivalry or don't get along, then you should go with that and try to diffuse the situation. If they get along great, then be careful to respect their individuality but also respect them as part of a whole. Follow your twins' lead, not the advice of someone who doesn't even know your kids.

Side note: Personally, I am not offended (neither is Baby A) when someone asks who is better at what. It becomes both a chance to show off something the one is better at, while also pointing out something the other does well. Like "Baby A is a better test taker, but Baby B is much better at math conceptually." We have always answered like that, automatically. "I'm better at this, but she beats me at that." It's just the way we process it.

Word,
Baby B

Oh, The Fear

2008-07-01T19:41:00.000-07:00

Baby A and I were asked by more than four separate small people today at work if we could dress alike tomorrow. Since everyone gets a camp t-shirt for field trips, they can just wait for the field trip this week, we said.

Most of the kids, however, live in mortal fear that we will DRESS ALIKE. Or TRICK THEM. Or SWITCH GLASSES. Or WEAR OUR HAIR THE SAME. And they talk JUST LIKE THAT.

Our response is "We like you all too much. We wouldn't do that to you."

What I don't get is the anxiety about this. I do understand that it can just be disconcerting for some to look at us. None of the kids have had such a reaction. They just think it's cool we're twins for about three seconds and then move on to connect 4 or wall ball or coloring. But the alarm that we're going to TRICK THEM? I blame the media. How many times has the tricky identical twins concept been used as a gag on television?

<3,
Baby B

The Games We Play(ed)

2008-06-30T08:14:00.000-07:00

This is somewhat a continuation of yesterday's post. Built-in best friends are handy for playing games with.

I was watching Jon and Kate Plus 8 (highly recommended) reruns on TLC. In one of the episodes, Kate mentions how she has no idea what the kids are playing, yet they are all on the same page. She says her older twin girls never seem to discuss the game whenever they are playing together, and the little ones, all six of them, also never seem to talk about the game, they just play it.

Our dad has mentioned similar things to us. In all our games or stories we made up, we were generally on the same page, without too much discussion. So it seemed to outsiders that we had some weird way of staying on course without ever talking about the game. It baffled them.

I do have to point out that it was not something telepathic or "creepy." Just like I can tell if she'll like the shirt I bought, or she can tell what I would like off the menu at a restaurant we've never been to before, we have pretty solid ideas about what the other one will agree with. We also have twinkie filters, so we can generally veto something before the other one has to.

It is pretty miraculous to have that sort of connection with someone, twin or not.

Hugs,
Baby B

Built-In Best Friend

2008-06-29T09:19:00.000-07:00

Baby A and I have heard so many stories from twins, fraternal and identical, about how much fun it was growing up with a twin. Singletons are right that having a constant companion must sometimes get on your nerves, but most of the time, it's like having your best friend live with you.

I wish I could generalize more. I know one pair of fraternal twin boys who said they were much closer when they were younger. They grew up and grew apart. But I have also heard about "friends of friends" that fought like cats and dogs when young, but actually got much closer as they grew up and matured.

All in all, Baby A and I have always been close. There have been ups and downs, sure, we have had plenty-o-years together. But we are definitely very close twins.

We have had so many singletons tell us how lucky we are to have a built-in best friend. We know, and we definitely appreciate each other.

Tell us your built-in best friend story.

ttfn,
Baby B

The Name Game

2008-06-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

No posts for awhile, I know. Baby A and I started full time jobs working at a day camp for kids 7 to 13. It has been exhausting. We have swim every day (note the need for the one pieces last post), plus outdoor games, indoor games, free time, etc. During the day, we give all our energy and attention to the kids, so when we get home, all we want to do is eat and sleep.

So, we work with the same group of kids. There's about 40 of them everyday. That means there is plenty of confusion. We knew this would happen. We DO look alike.

So, to circumvent the name issues and the "What's your name" questions, we've started a little game.

Baby B: "I'm Baby B (yeah, that's not really my name, hang with me here), and what color am I wearing?"
Campers: "GREY!"
Baby B: "So who is that?"
Campers: "BABY A!" (sheesh, just pretend, OK?)
Baby B: "And what color is she wearing?"
Campers: "GREEN!"
Baby B: "What's my name?"
Campers: "BABY B!"
Baby B: "What color am I wearing?"
Campers: "GREY!"
Baby B: "What color is Baby A wearing?"
Campers: "GREEN!"
Baby B: "Which one is that one?"
Campers: "BABY A!"
Baby B: "Which one am I?"
Campers: "BABY B!"

It's redundant. It's monotonous. But it works. You do what you can when you work with your clone.

Peace,
Baby B

Meeting Half of an Identical Twin Pair

2008-06-20T13:34:00.000-07:00

Baby A and I were at a sporting goods store, and we were going to pay separately.

I walked up first, put my purchase on the counter, and the transaction began. Baby A and I tend to draw double takes anyway, but this time, it was more than a double take.

Cashier: "Are you two twins?"
Baby A & B: "Yes." (smiles)
Cashier: "I am, too!"
Baby A: "Identical?"
Cashier: "Yeah, we're identical."

Baby A and I were pretty excited. Meeting multiples of any kind is a lot of fun for us, but we can count on one hand the number of adults who have told us they have an identical twin.

We talked about names. As previously stated, our names do begin with the same letter, but they don't rhyme. NO RHYMING HERE. Baby A and I love names that go together well, but aren't fans of rhyming names for multiples. But that's a different post. Anyway, the cashier and her twin's names sounded good together, but didn't start with the same letter. All three of us agreed that naming multiples can be tricky, because parents want the names to pair well together but many are worried about picking names that are too alike. Some are not worried enough, but that's for later.

Meeting another identical was exciting. Too bad she didn't work with her twin; it is always fun to be the one who feels like she's seeing double, for once.

Love,
Baby B

Six Things, TV Edition

2008-06-18T10:20:00.000-07:00

It's summer, so (besides the full time jobs wrangling kids that start soon) it's time for some quality time with the television.

This list took a lot of time and effort. We wanted to avoid just putting channels, because that would be a cop out. And we don't cop out in this family*.

1. Jon & Kate + 8. OK, so trying for one more baby and getting six is a little sketchy (at least six embryos were implanted for that to happen, none are identical, so no embryo churned out two babies), but we LOVE this show. Yes, we love anything to do with multiples, but Kate is hilarious (and she reminds me of myself, if I were under the pressure cooker of eight kids), and the kids are WAY. TOO. CUTE. Plus, we think Jon and Kate do a really fantastic job fostering their relationships with the individual kids and fostering the relationships between the kids. Yay for Jon & Kate + 8!

2. Modern Marvels. We are nerds.

3. Good Eats. Alton Brown is our hero. He is fantastic. And he had a direct impact with what I want to do with my life, because he gets all into the science of food. (Other things that influenced my clinical nutrition major: the obesity epidemic, malnutrition in Americans when we have enough calories to eat, malnutrition in citizens of other countries when they DON'T have enough calories to eat, and the sad kids at Disneyland who can't walk the whole time and would rather get a second ice cream cone then meet Mickey).

4. How It's Made. See #2.

5. Food Network Competitions. We love the Food Network in general, and picking just one FN personality is hard. We chose the competitions because they are accessible for everyone, even those who don't enjoy traditional cooking shows. They have got strategy, the pressure of the clock, and endurance. It's like football, but for cake. We like football, but love food more. Ergo.

6. Deadliest Catch. Woohoo! Ocean + drama + ruggidness + fish = totally awesome.

*"We don't ______ in this family" is Baby A and I's new thing. "We don't waste energy in this family" was where it started, when she left the light on as we were about to leave. It is such a handy phrase.

If you feel like it, and watch TV, leave us a comment about what shows you enjoy. We're not closed-minded about TV in this family. Unless it's on MTV.

Ciao,
Baby B

A Conversation with a Singleton

2008-06-16T12:16:00.000-07:00

While standing around, waiting for the drugstore to open (because we had to drop off the car first thing in the morning for an oil change, it was right there, and we needed things like floss), a woman approached us.

Woman: "Are you guys twins?"
Baby A & B: (smiles) "Yes, we are."
Woman: "That's what I thought. I couldn't decide if you two were just siblings that look really alike or if you were twins."

Now, at this point, I'm think she's thinking we're identical. That is not the case.

Woman: "Are you identical?"

How would we look so alike otherwise? If she did not think we were identical, then why did she jump to fraternal twins, instead of siblings? Fraternals can look very similar, somewhat similar, or be as dissimilar looking as strangers, just like singleton siblings can. It surprises me how much me 3/4 of an inch over Baby A throws people off.

Baby A & B: "Yes, we are."
Woman: "No." (in that shocked way) "Really?"

Baby A and I pull back our hair, she makes comparisons, etc. It takes her awhile to comprehend.

She then asks one of the most common questions.

Woman: "What does it feel like to be twins?"
Baby A: "Well, we don't really know..."
Baby B: "Because we haven't ever NOT been twins, so we have nothing to compare it too."
Woman: "How does it feel to know she has your genetic material?"
Baby A & B: (basically same thing as above)

The conversation continues in the same vein.

We love, love, looove talking about being twins. But we also come up against so many myths and misconceptions. I know I can't change them all, but that's what this blog about.

<3,
Baby B

About My Dad

2008-06-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

Being a father of twin baby girls is hard, no doubt. Dad has done a fantastic job.

He was, and is, a bit overprotective. But many people have told us that they had never seen a dad take such a interest in feedings and diapers. (It probably had something to do with Baby A's weight scare). I believe there may have actually been logs of all of this. I wouldn't put it past him.

Being in the Navy, he was briefly stationed in Northern California when we were very young. We were in Southern California, with our mom. (They were separated/divorced by this point). He would drive the loooong drive at least twice a month to come spend the weekend with us. That would be a California round trip in a weekend.

As we got older, Dad made sure that one twin NEVER felt left out. He always asked us "Are you sure you guys don't need two?" We share pretty well, so we often just got one of something. Once, he didn't want one of us to have to wait for the other twin to finish the newest Harry Potter book, so he just bought two. The day it came out. In the madness. That's dedication.

He'd always tell me, in private, to take care of my sister. In turn, I later found out, Dad would tell Baby A to take care of me. Cultivating that sort of twin relationship is something I can at least partially credit Dad for. And that is something we will carry with us forever.

Happy Father's Day!
Baby B

News Flash

2008-06-11T21:48:00.000-07:00

I found my driver's license!! Yay, right?

I know, I know. You didn't even know I lost it. Do you realize how humiliating it is to be an "adult" and lose the most important plastic-y card you have been given? Social Security card doesn't count, because it's printed on cardstock, or whatever. If I had not found my driver's license, that would have been the second one THIS YEAR. Not counting LAST YEAR. I'd like to point out, one was lost in a field and I looked for a looooong time for it, and the other managed to get very lost at a friend's house (where it still has not been seen). Of course, I am now posting my humiliation on the web. What can I say? It's how I roll.

Why tell you about my driver's license, you ask? So I can transition into this story: Baby A and I trade cards. And by cards, we're not referring to baseball or odd imported characters, we're referring to important cards, the kind kept in wallets. Is that illegal, or frowned upon? Never mind, I prefer not to know.

Yesterday, while on the errand trip from you-know-where, we needed food. "Need" may be understating it. I threatened to eat one of her limbs, and she warned me my forehead was in imminent danger. So, we hit the In-n-Out. It was my turn to pay, but I was cranky, so I just handed an ID and my debit card to my sister.

I've used her school ID to check out pots and pans to cook with from the area office. She's used my school ID to buy food at the convenience store next to the area office. Oh yeah, impersonation has been running rampant in this twinkie relationship. But never in class, or anything important, mind you. Just for... food. Just for food.

Yeah, that basically sums us up. Totally on the straight and narrow, but willing to break all sorts of laws when our blood sugar takes a nosedive.

Nom nom nom,
Baby B

Embryo Splitting

2008-06-11T14:29:00.000-07:00

You know, Baby A and I came from the same embryo.

This does not mean we think embryo splitting should be allowed for assisted reproduction. Because they call that "cloning" and that's implicitly or explicitly illegal just about everywhere.

Identical twins will just have to continue to be freaks of nature, embryonic mistakes. IVF multiples are absolutely fine, because they aren't clones. They are individuals with their own, distinct DNA.

I cannot begin to fathom the repercussions of purposely splitting a human embryo... Maybe I will have to think that through sometime soon. But I'm not an ethicist for science, so it will be (of course) just my perspective on things.

Holla back,
Baby B

Sometimes, Things Just Can't Be Equal

2008-06-09T17:26:00.000-07:00

I know this happens in every family with more than one kid. "His half is biggerrrr!" "No fair! It's my turn to play with the toy!" "Why did you give her a bigger slice than meeee??" It just can't always be equal for siblings.

Fast forward to college.

We got the same cheap bike, cruisers (read: one gear). Mine has been fine all year. Baby A's? Looks like it lost more than one fight.

One of the two springs under the seat fell off. The end of one of her handlebars cracked and came off, so she ripped the end of the other one off to make it look slightly less ghetto at first glance. (Glance again, and the ghettoness is evident). She's been missing a bolt on one of her fenders forever, and that's why her fender caught her tire, leading to the epic bike accident I was not there to prevent. Her fender is now a crunched piece of metal under her bed. I think she's looking for a way to recycle it.

I have apologized for taking the good bike. See, before we moved to school, we were in the garage at Dad's...

Baby A: "Which one do you want?"
Baby B: "I don't really care. They are the same."
Baby A: "OK, well this one will be mine, and that one will be yours."
(I realize the bike disparity was beyond my control. Doesn't mean I can't feel guilty about it, K?)

No matter how the "same" things are, you just can't anticipate how different they will end up being. Like how that ONE EXTRA CRUMB looks fine to you, but is clearly evidence of your favoritism towards the other one. I'm sure I too had that irrational, small person mindset at some point, but I can't illuminate the rationale behind it for you. Sorry. Just take a deep breath, and remember "They will grow out of it."

Later gator,
Baby B

Six Things, Food Edition

2008-06-07T13:15:00.000-07:00

Six things Baby A and I agree on about food:

1. Hold the pickles, please.

2. Rice can be eaten with ANYTHING, including more rice. We grew up with a rice cooker at both households, so it shocked us when we found out that some people didn't own rice cookers or that some people thought rice cookers were just "an Asian thing." Uh, no. DELICIOUS RICE IS EQUAL OPPORTUNITY.

3. Mexican food should be eaten with liberal amounts of whatever the house red sauce is. We aren't Tex-Mex fans.

4. ICE CREAM.

5. We like darker lettuce, and we particularly don't like the awkward-to-eat ribs. Plus, there are not as many nutrients in pale lettuce.

6. FRIED POTATOES, in all their many, glorious incarnations.

Why "Six Things"? Because five is not divisible by two, and I'm not sure I could hold your attention with ten things. I am just keeping it real.

Word,
Baby B

Love is 6 am Airport Drop Offs

2008-06-05T12:58:00.000-07:00

So, I had a final art project due today at 7:30 am (before our little art show). I was up until 1:30 am finishing it. I then had to wake up at 5:30 am, that's right IN THE MORNING only 4 HOURS after my pillow and my head reunited, to take Baby A to the airport. How's that for sisterly affection?

By the time I got back to the dorm, I didn't have time to go back to sleep before I needed to get ready and go help set up the art show.

Now, it is nap time in my dorm room, all alone. Which is not all that bad because too much of the time our naps don't coincide well, and one will be clicking away on the computer or doing homework or something else equally distracting.

Zzzzz,
Baby B

Proud, Not Jealous

2008-06-02T23:24:00.000-07:00

I have seen sibling rivalry up close and personal in my friends' lives. It can get brutal.

But Baby A and I just aren't like that. Sure, there were times when either (or both) of us would get a little green-eyed like the monster. But that has not happened in years. Honestly, out of all the twins I have met, rivalry hasn't been a problem. I have heard stories, like "a friend of a friend of a friend of mine is a twin and they hate each other and they always compete" but have yet to hear anything more concrete.

Growing up, it can be hard to constantly be compared to your twin. "If you guys have the same genes, then why is she better at math/writing/running/tether ball?" was one we heard often growing up. (Just so we're clear, Baby A is better at math. You'll hear more about this below). If we ever scored differently on a test, everyone was shocked. "Oooo, that one must be better at history/science/reading/life."

Even now, in college, that happens. In the fall, for chemistry, we were in different sections, but coincidentally had the same TA. As he was passing back the first midterm in chem lab, he said to me "Your sister did better than you." He was very nice, and I'm sure he meant nothing malicious. It's just one of those things people say without thinking about. The fact that he said something about our different scores shocked me, for some reason. I guess I wasn't prepared for it, like I had been throughout all those years. I thought maybe we had left that behind with compulsory education. But as long as we go to the same school (or, in our current situation, university), we will be compared.

When Baby A does better than me in school, I am so proud of her. Sure, I may be upset, but not at her. I compete against myself, and if I feel I could have done better, that's what irks me. Not that my twin beat me on an exam. She feels the same way, that she can be both happy for me and upset with herself, and those two things are not related.

Case in point: Baby A just got a midterm score back from this third calculus class she's taking, and she did much better than she was expecting! I, on the other hand, struggled to finish the second of three calculus classes in the very same calc series. After a particularly bad midterm, I was just hoping to pass and knew I didn't have the heart to take the third quarter of calc. I also decided right then and there that my major was changing. I looked for majors I was interested in that did NOT involve a third quarter of calculus. (Luckily, this new major is a much better fit than my old major, and I'm very excited about it). Yes, I copped out of calculus, it was that hard for me. But my twinkie stuck it out (her major requires all three calc classes) and she's working hard. Her score showed that.

Am I jealous that she did so well? Nope. All I am is thrilled.

Later gator,
Baby B

Blogging for LGBT Families, or A Little Something About IVF Multiples

2008-06-01T11:13:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, June 2, is the official Blogging for LGBT Families Day, thanks to Mombian.

Some people seemingly are upset about multiples from in vitro fertilization in general. For instance, I was shocked to read about what Jennifer over at Arcane Matters heard from a dad at a park. You can read about it here. And he didn't even know that she and her girlfriend were parents to those two adorable little girls. If he was so intolerant of straight people going about things the "non-natural" way, I can't imagine what he would have thought about a lesbian couple having babies the only way they can: the "non-natural" way. The rant he had against IVF was a disservice to EVERYONE who can't get pregnant the old fashioned way.

It is generally agreed that human females were meant to carry one baby at a time. Most women release one mature egg per month. Some women naturally release two or more per month. Are the fraternal twins that result unnatural because they resulted from a woman's genetic tendency for hyperovulation? Will it come to the point that families with fraternal twins will be stopped in the supermarket and interrogated about whether or not they resulted from IVF? How damaging it could be for IVF multiples to be told by outsiders that they were "non-natural" and the decision their parents made to have them was wrong.

Apparently, the Tories over in the UK feel that lesbians should NOT be allowed to undergo IVF UNLESS they agree to have a "father figure" or male role model in the life of the child or children that result.

Excuse me? What are they going to do about all the children who grow up fatherless because abandonment or death? What about single women who are ready for children but haven't found a significant other yet? The Tories seem to believe that "family breakdown" has caused the rising rates of poverty within Britain. I am pretty sure, but I'm no political or socioeconomic expert, that having a father figure doesn't automatically mean your family is above the poverty line.

This hysteria about letting babies be raised without a father is by no means new. After the first "test tube baby" Louise Brown was born, University of Chicago professor Leon Kass wrote in 1972, “And why stop at couples? What about single women, widows, or lesbians?” He also believes that birth control is wrong, women should dress modestly to help men contain their desires, and feminism and long-lasting marriage are not compatible. Hmmm.

I, for one, think there is nothing "non-natural" about wanting a family, no matter your sexual orientation, whether you go about it through IVF, surrogacy, sex, adoption, becoming a foster parent, etc. Love is what makes a family.

Heart,
Baby B

Parenting Multiples, Pt. II

2008-05-30T08:14:00.000-07:00

It seems, as I continually crawl the interwebs and ignore all I have to do pre-finals week, that there sure does seem to be plenty of parenting advice out there.

And me? I'm trying to give out parenting advice? I'm still in college and childless! I'm no expert, not even a parent, just a multiple who lived through being raised to tell about it. Consider that my disclaimer for this post, OK?

Dressing the twins alike. Oh, how my maternal grandmother loooooved to dress her twin grandbabies alike when we were younger. When we were little, we didn't even notice. But as we got older... I'm not going to lie. I won't even sugarcoat it for you. Sometimes, we felt like a freak show. But it brought my grandmother and many of her friends joy, so we grinned and bore it.

Mom, that merciful woman, put her foot down on the ridiculousness once we grew out of all of that. However, there were plenty of occasions where Mom would say, "Look. I know you girls are too old to want to dress alike, but if you did, Grandma would be really happy." And so we would oblige. Sometimes we'd match everything but the shoes, or wear the same outfit but in different colors, or things like that.

We did not hate dressing alike so much that we wouldn't. Wearing the same shirt on the same day (usually a coincidence) wasn't a big deal, and sometimes we chose to. We just didn't always want everything to be a big twin production.

Dad, on the other hand, dressed us alike out of convenience. As a single dad who had us on weekends, we would go out and do things together, run errands, go to baseball games, go to bookstores. (Wonder why I included bookstores? Please refer back to "Parenting Multiples, Pt. I" and mourn the mounds of reading materials the twin terrors left in their wake). It was always easy to spot us in the crowd.

It's true that when a kid gets lost in a crowd, he or she often can't give authorities an accurate description of what their parent or guardian was wearing. Same thing with parents; in a panic, remembering what their child was wearing can be difficult. When we were dressed alike or similar, all Dad would have to do in a worst case scenario would be to show the police the one for them to get a pretty accurate idea of what the other one looked like. Luckily, Dad never had to test this technique, but I honestly think this was a fantastic idea.

So, bottom line: Baby A and I have mixed feelings about dressing alike. We have to admit, we go a little baby-crazy over multiples dressed in coordinating or matching outfits. And for safety, it's top-notch to have twins dressed alike if, heaven forbid, one ever got taken or lost. But when your multiples speak up, it's time to let them dress differently. Unless they have a grandma who just can't get enough of the matchy twinness, in which case, convince them to do it every so often. It just needs to be balanced.

And yes, matchy twinness is a technical term.

Here's looking at you, kid,
Baby B

Spanish Twins Separated At Birth

2008-05-29T21:05:00.000-07:00

Oh. My. Goodness.

I cannot even imagine how devastating this whole situation must be.

The identical twin that grew up with her biological parents: I could imagine her having a case of pretty bad guilt, like survivor's guilt, so to speak.

The twin that isn't the twin: The whole rug must feel like it was pulled out from under her. To find out that she isn't actually a twin and that she has a whole separate family?

The twin that was separated: Wow. I can't imagine finding out I had an identical twin walking around all those years, and then grieving for all the years that were stolen from them, grieving for the dad she never met (he passed away before the twins found each other).

One news report said one of the identical twins (I'm guessing the one that was separated from her family) had to undergo counseling to come to terms with her true identity.

I think this report may not be true. It's the only I found in a Google News search that mentions they were conjoined.* I'm pretty sure if the infant twins had been conjoined, it would be easy to tell that one didn't have marks from the surgery, right? Maybe the reporter misunderstood "separated." Every other story just says "identical."
*I just double-checked. It's the only one that has "conjoined" in it.

Apparently, this mistake was uncovered in 2001, so I hope everyone has found some peace at this point.

Adios,
Baby B

How Identical Twins Are Made, or A Lesson About A Cellular Mistake

2008-05-29T14:09:00.000-07:00

Let's get some concepts defined first, shall we?

Mitosis: how one (human) cell with 46 chromosomes becomes two cells with 46 chromosomes each [the DNA replicates, one copy goes to one side, other copy to the other side, and it splits down the middle]
Meiosis: how one (human) cell with 46 chromosomes becomes two sex cells, or gametes, with 23 chromosomes each [the cell skips the DNA replication]
Gametes: the biology textbook term for sex cells, with males producing spermatozoa (sperm) with either the X or Y sex chromosome [usually males make about 50% of each] throughout their lives and females born with ova (eggs) that are always X
Chromosome: organized piece of DNA (they are generally portrayed to look somewhat like an elongated "x")

Babymaking 101

When a mommy and a daddy love each other veeerrrry much... Just kidding. Let's skip to fertilization.

The lucky male gamete that first got through the outer layer of the female gamete has 23 chromosomes. This is convenient, because the female gamete has 23 gametes as well, and 23+23 = 46. Chromosomal abnormalities known as polysomy, the most well-known of which is probably Down Syndrome, are where this math is different.

Now that the chromosomes from Mom and Dad are mingling, all sorts of reactions are occurring within the one cell that used to be two. The egg/sperm combo is now a zygote (soon-to-be embryo), and it starts to develop. It doesn't begin to grow for the first week or so; rather, the cell undergoes mitosis and divides, or cleaves, into smaller and smaller cells all stuck together. This ball of dividing cells is known as a blastocyst.

Here's the kicker: the cleavage of the blastocyst can cut it right down the middle, leaving two bunches of cells. If the split was even and clean, everything is OK (for now*), and identical twins develop. Uneven splits make the embryos nonviable (as far as I know, let me know if I am mistaken). An embryo that splits late, or incompletely, produces conjoined twins.

The scientific term for identicals is "monozygotic twins" because they are produced from one zygote. Fraternals are "dizygotic twins."

See why a boy/girl pair cannot be identical? XX cannot split into XX and XY, just as XY wouldn't make XY and XX. For convenience, we are going to disregard further complexities from my little ol' high school bio explanation, such as sex chromosome abnormalities and semi-identical twins.

XO (or, in my chromosomal case, XX),
Baby B

*Twin development in utero can have complications special to twins, like twin to twin tranfusion, but that's another post.

Just As I Say Anything...

2008-05-28T21:46:00.000-07:00

I've just decided the route I want to take in grad school, what I want to do. (Granted, this could change, but I did find something that really fits my interests and personality). I was discussing possible grad schools with my sister. Note that grad school is still a couple years off.

I threw around some words like "Washington State," "North Carolina," "New York," and "Minnesota." (I'm looking at a few here in California too). Baby A looked like a five year old that just found out that Santa doesn't exist.

She interrogated me briefly. And then sighed.

Baby A: "Well, that's OK."
Baby B: "Really?"
Baby A: "I'll just move to follow you."

And right now, I'm OK with that. But, my first two choices are here in the good old Golden State, so we'll see.

See you on the flip side,
Baby B

PS: Heather, fantastic mom blogger over at thespohrsaremultiplying.com, said something in a comment I wanted to elaborate on, but got caught up with other topics. Tomorrow: why boys and girls CAN'T be identical. Oh boy, get ready for a little biology.

Being Apart

2008-05-26T17:26:00.000-07:00

Baby A and I spent the weekend apart. Some people are surprised we spend so much time together; others are surprised we spend some much time apart.

We handle separation well. While I was away this weekend, I texted her with interesting tidbits and I called her a couple times. I think our parents were more worried than either of us were. Apparently, Dad texted Baby A multiple times on Saturday (though he eased up on Sunday when it was clear she was going to make it). Mom also got in on the action. When I called her, she asked if I knew how my sister was doing and mentioned that she was going to call her in a minute.

We didn't always handle separation well. We sobbed. We wailed. We moped. But I don't think we were unusually attached for identicals. And as we grew older, and we had more experience leaving and being left, the experience went from wretched and horrible to somewhat unpleasant.

Trips, we are OK with. Living apart? Eh, not so sure about that quite yet. Since we have an apartment together next year (we are sharing a bedroom and two of our girl friends are sharing the other bedroom), this obstacle has been postponed further. Right now, going to the same school, being young, it makes sense for us to live together. We definitely don't anticipate being old maids living together, single in the marriage sense. But for right now, living together is cheaper and convenient.

A friend of ours we have known since middle school has a mom that is an identical twin. Her twin lives in Arizona. If I remember correctly, they lived together till their early twenties, even moved around together some, then one came to California and the other went to Florida or some other far-off state. Now, the other one is in Arizona. Even though these twins don't live in the same town, or state, they talk on the phone every day, sometimes more than once. I think that's a pretty healthy twin dynamic, and I hope that when Baby A and I move away from each other, we keep our lines of communication open, as wide as the Colorado River.

Adult twins are still twins, no matter how far apart they are.

Love till Niagara falls,
Baby B

Parenting Multiples, Pt. I

2008-05-23T23:11:00.000-07:00

*Note: I'm not a specialist, a doctor, an expert, or anything of that nature. This is my personal opinion only.

Clearly, I'm not a parent. And when I reproduce, it will probably not be multiples because fraternal twins don't run in my family and identical twins are freaks of nature. I can say that because I am a natural clone, so don't up and get all offended by that. The fertilized egg, it was minding its own business, just multiplying and it split. Too. Far. Probably before Day 5. One little ball of cells cuts itself in half and becomes two people. How crazy is that??

But I have read a lot of material on parenting twins/multiples.

There's one piece of advice that really bothers me that probably everyone just accepts as fact: Be sure to treat your twins as individuals.

This, in theory, is wonderful advice. Generally speaking, our parents did a good job of making us feel like individuals. But they never went so far as to ONLY call us by our names and never refer to us as a unit. We have been called "the girls" and "the twins" forever, by family, friends, and acquaintances.

People who insisted on calling us by our names all the time with no variation actually made me feel a little uncomfortable. Ignoring my role as part of a unit is ignoring a large piece of my identity. I often felt "Hello? I'm a twin. She's right here, we're together. Can you not see her?"

Both Baby A and I were (still are, when we have the time) voracious readers. I use the term "voracious" for good reason; those books/magazines/novels/dictionaries/newspapers never saw it coming. Naturally, if I saw something about twins, I would read it. That caused more harm than anything anybody had been calling us. I worried, for about two seconds, that I was co-dependent on Baby A. And then I realized I wasn't and quickly got over it.

"Co-dependency." "Lack of individual identity." "Underdeveloped sense of self." All this just because twins/multiples are sometimes referred to as a unit by those around them? I don't think so.

If anything, being called "the twins" or "the girls" solidified who I am. I am a twin, an identical one, who has a whole other human being hanging around that has the same genetic code. Hell yes, we're "the twins." I love being a twin!! I'm also Baby B, aka A_____, someone who is so alike and so unlike from her twin, completely individual.

I'm going to throw out an example of why ONLY calling twins by their separate names is overkill. A family, say the Robinson family ("Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson, Jesus loves you more than you will know, oh-oh-oh"; sorry, I digress), is known as "the Robinsons" often times instead of "Mr. Robinson, Mrs. Robinson, and Elaine." (Couldn't resist, because I just saw "The Graduate"). Does that diminish their ability to discern their own identities and function apart from the group? I think not.

So, maybe that example was a little facetious, I'll admit. But here's the point: treating multiples like individuals is very important, but trying to completely ignore or discount their identity as a unit is unwise. Or, if you're unsure what to call them, just ask, like, "Do you mind if I call you two 'the boys' sometimes or would you rather just be called 'Mike and Alex'?"

Signing off,
Baby B

When It Rains, It Pours

2008-05-23T10:47:00.001-07:00

I'm not exactly one for old adages, but this one seems to ring true.

Baby A and I can go weeks, or at least several days, without anyone talking to us about being twins. We still get a lot of looks, some double-takes for sure, but the days are gone where we got stopped by at least 2 strangers a day, asking "Are you twins??"

Or, so I thought.

Yesterday, we went to the post office for some work-related business. All three USPS employees were looking intently at us when we both walked in the door. (I think they had been observing us through the glass door, as we struggled to carrying extremely heavy and awkwardly shaped boxes towards the side door where they take large packages).

The woman at the right-most station (from our perspective) asked us the $64,000 question. And the man at the middle station commented about how we were the second pair of twins they had seen come into the post office that. I guess it never rains twins for singletons, it always pours as well. One of them, I don't remember which, made a comment about "Wow, you guys sure do look alike."

It was hot and windy, the boxes had been heavy, blah blah blah (we're full of excuses to consume more calories, nom nom nom), so we decided to walk across the street to the gas station's little snack mart thing and grab ourselves a drink to share.

As we were deciding the flavors (the horchata syrup was out, so we tried some pomegranate berry non-carbonated drink, and then settled on Squirt), I looked back at the two female cashiers who were looking at us and whispering. My first thought was "Oh great, we're going to get yelled at for tasting the pomegranate healthiness that didn't taste that great."

We walked up and I took out my card. The other cashier walked away to help another customer, and the one that is still there blurts out "You guys are twins, aren't you?"

I'm going to interrupt this story momentarily to tell you our twin policy. When we get stopped, we smile, we nod, we're very polite. We do NOT get cranky or short just because we've answered these questions before. Back to the regularly scheduled program...

The nice cashier, who called us "sweetie" and "honey," then proceeded to ask if we can think each other's thoughts or feel each other's feelings. I'll admit, there was a slight internal groan, but she was so nice about it and clearly excited to ask us questions. We smiled and looked at each other. I answered.

Baby B: "Well, a lot of the time, it's because I know her so well, I can just tell."

Nice cashier: (nods) "Right, right. That makes sense. Are your names similar?"

Baby B: "I'm A____ and she's A____."

Baby A: "They both start with 'A' and they have the same number of letters."

Nice cashier: (nods) "So there's an aura thing about you two. Kind of like a hippie thing."

Baby A & B: (laughs) "That makes a lot of sense. Our mom kind of planned it that way." (smile and exit)

Having the same genes and names that start with the same letter and have the same number of letters leads to having an aura thing? I'm not sure, but I know some people are really into numerology. It's not an accident that our first names have the same number of letters and our middle names match that way too. Mom didn't take it too seriously, but it still happened that way.

So the moral of the story is that twins, young and old, will never stop getting stopped. And we kind of like it that way.

TGIF,
Baby B

We ARE Identical, but We AREN'T Exactly Physically Alike

2008-05-21T21:28:00.000-07:00

Why is this, you ask?

Well, young grasshopper, I have a story for you...

After we went to 40 weeks (a story for another post), it was time for Mom to get induced. It was a Wednesday morning, and that evening, Baby A was born first at 6 lbs. 4 oz. I came second at 6 lbs. 6 oz. Within days, Baby A dropped to 4 lbs. 10 oz.

What no parent wants to hear: Failure to Thrive Syndrome.

"This is a general diagnosis, with many possible causes. Common to all cases, though, is the failure to gain weight as expected, which is often accompanied by poor height growth."

Baby A wasn't developed enough, so her digestive system couldn't handle protein. Sounds like tons of fun, right? Not exactly. She lost so much weight, there was no way our parents could NOT tell us apart. She spent a lot of time in the hospital.

The doctors tried all sorts of different formulas. Then they put her on Nutramigen.
She finally started to gain weight, and she came home to be with her other half, who had been happily guzzling milk and putting on the ounces at home.

In baby pictures, sometimes the most reliable way to decide who is who is to look at the size. The slightly smaller one is Baby A. In some of the infancy pictures, there is a drastic difference, but by our first birthday, we were a lot closer in size.

Repercussions? Up through her toddler years, Baby A always had the weaker immune system and spent many nights in the hospital. Now, our immune systems are equal. My parents had to find ways to make eating fun for her, so there were a lot of songs and games and special names for food. Now, our appetites are the same. Our sizes aren't, though. I've always weighed a little more and been a little taller. Even our shoe sizes are different. She wears a 7, whereas I am a 7 1/2. We can still share shoes, like some of our heels and flip flops, though.

People have harassed us, "You guys can't be twins! Why aren't you the same height/same weight/same size/completely identical??" We sometimes reply, "No set of twins has everything exactly the same about them." If we're a little cranky, "Baby A couldn't eat anything for a long time as a newborn and got very, very sick and almost died." It just goes to show you that you never really ever know the whole story.

Sending you health and happiness,
Baby B

Letters for Multiples

Marriage: Not A Science, But Just Like It?

IQ

A Product Change Should Require a Memo

Missing Maddie

Let's Play a Game

Back to School (and the Vet)

A List, Because I'm Lazy and on Spring Break

What is a Twin Good For, Anyway?

New Year, Part Deux

Twenty Ten

Sunny and 60 is NOT Conducive for Sleigh Rides

It's the Most Twinful Time of the Year

100th Post and I'm a Winner!

Thanksgiving

Separation Success

A Really Good Way to Tell Us Apart

For Maddie

Muni Brings the Funny

Twins: Universal Language for "Awesome"

I Only Wish I Could Juggle

Numbers

Look, Ma! No twin!

Poor Us... Wait, What?

Personality

Blonde

One Car Twinkieship

Which One AM I?

Gred and Forge

Are You?

Nan and Diana

An Endlessly Fascinating Tattoo

In Honor of Finals Week...

Eeeevil

Twin Language

School is Occasionally Useful

Marching for Maddie

November 11, 2007 - April 7, 2009

I've Gone Purple for Maddie

For Maddie

Madeline Alice Spohr

The Tattoo Story

Things I Have Been Doing Instead Of Blogging

Twin Saints (No, Certainly Not Us)

Population Genetics, And How Identicals Make It A Little More Interesting

Roomie?

The Eternal Question, Or, Two Of Them Actually

Oh, The Cute

Can't Take Us Anywhere

Living Together

Identical Quadruplets in Armadillos

Back To The Daily Grind

The Post I Was Hoping Wouldn't Happen

On Sharing

Blech, Blech, Gag

In Utero TOTALLY Counts

Mitosis Mistake

Sister, twin, heterosexual life partner?

Hope and Faith

Yet Another Conjoined Twins Story

Thanksgiving Apart

In More News From Britain...

School

Dear BBC,

Um, Yes, My Last Post WAS About This

Houston, We Have... Cats

There Are No Words

I Saved A Life!

Midterms, Exams, and Quizzes, Oh My!

Oooh, Spoooky!

Her Head is Smooshed

Twins at Work

*tap tap*

Just For Kicks

Away With Leave

Two Camps, Or Watch While I Attempt To Climb Back On The Wagon

Define: Twin

A Slightly Aggressive Post

Oh, The Fear

The Games We Play(ed)

tap tap