My Very Own Mary Kate & Ashley

One year ago today at 4:44 pm, Annie Gibbs aka Annie G and Annie Gibby came into the world.

Then 44 minutes later, Ellie Mills aka Ells Bells and Ellie Bell couldn’t stand being left out any longer and joined us.

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I don’t mean to brag, but I look really good after giving birth…even to twins

While I was pregnant, I asked my doctor if she could find out if they were identical. She said there was a small chance because of the type of twins they were, but we could do a blood test when they were born. No need for that expensive blood test! They could not look any more different in looks or personality, but they sure are sweet together.

My mind is completely blown that a year has gone by. I thought I’d never get out of the trenches of them not sleeping and trying to get them on the same schedule, but here we are. I survived a year with them, and I wish I could just turn around and do it again. (kinda…)

I thought I’d share a few things I’ve learned in my year with these two. Most of these could probably be applied to having one baby, but I feel with two everything is magnified.

Twins make you feel somewhat like a celebrity. It’s really like a celebrity that appeared on an episode of Real Housewives a couple of times….but a celebrity nonetheless. Everyone wants to stop and ask you questions, and they are often very personal questions, but that’s ok. Just a rule of thumb: Don’t ask people you don’t know questions about their uterus. Someone warned me while I was pregnant that a quick trip in a store would take more time than I wanted because people love to stop and talk to you. This is very true.

The name of the game is “Survive”. Mark separated from the Air Force full time in April and started flying for an airline in May. He was gone the very end of my pregnancy training for two months…you know the end when you have two babies inside you that feel like hippos, and you can’t walk. It was survival mode then, and it was definitely survival mode when they arrived. He was gone for a lot of the beginning. I remember falling on the floor in the laundry room crying one day when he was about to go on another trip because I was so exhausted. (Reminder: The title of our blog has the word “dramatic” in it for a reason.) I am here to tell you I survived the exhaustion, and I vaguely remember the bad nights. I lied. I do remember one really bad night, but I don’t even want to talk about it.

God cuts some slack when there are two. When I was pregnant, my friend, Jessica, knew several people with twins and told me not to worry. She said her friends believed twins are usually good babies because God gives you sweet ones since there are two. I thought that was the silliest thing I’d ever heard, but looking back, I have to think it’s true. I remember in the very beginning, Annie would have a horrible night of sleeping, and the next night Ellie would, then the next night it was Annie again. See? How kind of them to alternate nights! Now, some nights they weren’t so darling and decided to both party all night, but no one is perfect. Overall, they are both easy going babies that are 100% sweet.

Every child is different. I have said for a long time that I’m so glad I taught for so many years before I became a parent. It opened my eyes to a lot, and I was also able to see the fruits of good parenting that came out in the classroom. One thing I also learned is that every child is different and just because one might take her time a little more, doesn’t mean anything is wrong. I saw that so much in the classroom, and now I see it in these girls.

Ellie is my tinier one, but she is speedy in everything she does. She rolled over, crawled, sat up, and stood several weeks…maybe even a month before Annie ever did. Plus, I’ve never seen a baby crawl as fast as she can. She looks like a lizard on a mission.

This girl just enjoys life as it comes and isn’t worried one bit about keeping up with her sister.

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Y’all remember OctoMom? That broad is a soldier. After I had Claire, I remember thinking to myself on more than one occasion, HOW DO PEOPLE HAVE MULTIPLES?! God’s sense of humor is so beautiful. Two is definitely tough and way more difficult than one baby, but it is very doable. More than two?! Forget it. I don’t know how people who have triplets or more stay sane. God bless them.

Don’t underestimate the abilities of a 3 year old. Annie and Ellie were born in July, and then Claire turned 3 in September. I never knew that girl could be so helpful. She’s my diaper fetcher, laundry assistant, and their one-woman show. She’s the best.

God…won’t He do it? Having one baby will blow your mind, but having two…I just can barely comprehend. If you’re ever doubting your faith in God, I encourage you to step inside a delivery room when a woman gives birth to multiples. She won’t mind.
“He is able to do immeasurably more than we could ask or think.”-Ephesians 3:20

Someone I know who has girl twins told me when I was pregnant that she feels sorry for people who don’t have twins because they are so much fun and bring such joy. I get that now. Happy birthday to my sweet girls!