1. Do you nurse both babies at once?
In the beginning, when each baby took, like, 40 minutes to nurse, I often did. Otherwise, once I’d finished nursing the second one it was practically time to feed the first one again. I wasn’t a big fan of tandem nursing, though, especially when the babies were still trying to get the hang of latching on. I had to be holding their heads and guiding them back onto the boob on every time they popped off, which they weren't thoughtful enough to do in synch, so it felt sort of like trying to play that old boxing arcade game (Upper cut! Upper cut!) where you’re doing one thing with your left hand and something else with your right. I sucked at that game.
Now that the girls are more efficient eaters (15 minutes, tops), I almost always nurse them one after another. It’s nice to have a hand free to turn the pages of a magazine or work the remote. Oh yeah, and to be able lovingly bond with each baby as an individual. That, too. Definitely.
2. How do you tell them apart?
Seriously?
OK, OK. So maybe they look sort of similar if you're seeing them for the first time, or don't spend hours with them every day. And they are sisters, after all. So, here's how to tell:
Elsa's eyes are the color of an alpine lake and her hair is like spun sugar. She has the heart of a poet, the soul of a mythic hero, and the fortitude of a marathon runner. Clio's eyes are the color of sea glass and her hair is like velvet. She has the spirit of an artist, the tenacity of a mountaineer, and the laugh of a small, tree-dwelling monkey.
Does that help?
3. Do you have two of everything?
Breasts, check. 529 college savings accounts, check. Cribs, car seats, high chairs, Baby Bjorns, baby backpacks, check. Bouncy seats – we've got four of those. But just one ExerSaucer, one swing, and one floor gym thingy. Our place just isn't big enough to accommodate duplicate heavy baby equipment. Bonus: when preschool time rolls around, they'll be schooling all the other kids on how to share.
4. Do you dress them alike?
No. I've never understood the whole dressing-twins-alike thing. Beyond making it easier to spot them in a crowd, it seems like it's something intended for other people's amusement rather than the kids' own good. I imagine it's tough enough trying to get a handle on your sense of individuality as a twin – no need to make the situation worse. Not that establishing one's discrete sense of self is a chief concern of your average infant. But still. I don't want to think of them as a unit either. Also, their coloring is totally different. Clio can NOT pull off pastels.
5. Do they wake each other up?
Yes. Yes, they do.
