Who's In Charge Here?

Who sets up a petting zoo and doesn't let the kids PET the animals? Hmmm. At least call it a "looking zoo" so we desperate parents of multiples won't get too hopeful that our little rugrats will be entertained for hours on end chasing goats and pulling donkey ears and running around with sawdust-filled shoes.

Don't get me wrong, the Texas State Fair in Dallas was spectacular. We had an overall good time there during Friday night of our trip to my mom and GB's house. But the big reason we went was to entertain the kids. And the fenced-in animals didn't really do the trick. My twins need serious hands-on fun. I give the Amarillo Tri-State Fair major kudos for their petting zoo, which we went to in September. It was everything a petting zoo should be, and the twins had the time of their lives. Oh, well. Now we know that we don't have to drive to Dallas when the urge to pet goats strikes.

Deepest Appologies to Everyone on Flight 85 to Amarillo

For causing uninterrupted mahem in the fourth-to-back row. 

Perhaps Nate and I were too cocky going into the flight. The twins had been perfect little angels on the flight to Dallas (to visit my Mom and family). On the way home, however, we were all tired and perhaps should have given the twins a coctail or two before we boarded... I think we managed to piss off at least 35 people during the 45-minute flight. If Evan and Owen weren't screaming, they were biting or yelling or fighting. Halfway through the flight, Evan made a very stinky poop (thank you very much, dried apricots), so Nate had to change him in his lap in the cramped bathroom while Evan screamed bloody murder the entire time. Nate was ready to sell them to the highest bidder. I was ready to jump out the window.

Will we ever fly with the twins again? Not without one or more of the following:

1. A miraculous boost of twin maturity
2. Additional adult reinforcement
3. A new "no seatbelts allowed" policy
4. Serious drugs or alcohol.

My Hero

We got to visit one of my favorite people in the world over the weekend - my Grandma Boettcher. She'll be 90 in March, but you wouldn't know it by looking at her. She's breathtakingly beautiful and smart as a whip. She's vibrant and energetic and full of adorable stories. She is my hero and one of the dearest people to my heart.

We all met up in Waxahachie at my Mom and GB's house. Mary flew down with Grandma, and Johnny came, too. The twins had a blast, and they loved their Great Grandma, who played basketball with them and cuddled with them. Grandma kept us all laughing. We all took turns losing to her at Scrabble, and whenever she had a spare minute, she cranked out a crossword puzzle as easily as I brush my teeth. Amazing.

We're hoping to visit her this summer in Michigan for a late birthday celebration. We'll see if Nate and I are brave enough to fly with the twins EVER again. That's another story...

And The Winner Is...

Monozygotic! 

DNA testing confirms that Evan and Owen are identical twins. Crazy. All this time, the doctors have told us they're fraternal, but from all the research I did during my three months on bedrest, I knew it was completely possible for them to be identical. Separate sacks and placentas do NOT always mean fraternal. Curiosity got the best of us, and we ordered the DNA test. We're so glad to know the truth. It's mindboggling to Nate and me that they're identical, because they look like totally different kids to us. Owen looks just like Nate, and Evan looks a lot like my Grandpa Boettcher. But I guess it's normal for the parents to be able to diferentiate each twin. Most people can't - even their grandpas! (The grandmas are the only other people who've got them down pat.)

So what does knowing their zygosity mean for us? Other than giving us a difinitive answer when people ask, it also means Evan and Owen are exact matches for each other in the unlikely event one of them needs some sort of transplant, transfusion, etc. It means they're destined to be almost exactly the same build and height, so maybe they'll have similar physical abilities. It also means they'll probably trick their teachers. Above all, it means they're extremely lucky. Identical twins are very rare, and they share the most unique bond known to man.

Here are some fun facts I dug up:

• Male identical twins are the least-common form of twins. About three in 1,000 deliveries worldwide result in identical twins.
• Identical twins are not considered to be hereditary.
• When one egg is fertilized by one sperm cell, and then divides and separates, two identical cells will result. If the zygote splits very early (in the first 2 days after fertilization) they may develop separate placentas (chorion) and separate sacs (amnion). These are called dichorionic, diamniotic (or "di/di") twins, which occurs 20-30% of the time.
• Genetically speaking, the children of identical twins are half-siblings rather than cousins. If each member of one set of identical twins marries one member of another set of identical twins then the resulting children would be genetic full siblings.
• It is estimated that there are around 10 million identical twins and triplets in the world.

Walk for a Cause, Run for your Life

Saturday morning, Nate and I were pumped to participate in the CareNet (Crisis Pregnancy Centers of Amarillo) 2007 Walk for Life. It's a great cause, and we had wads of cash to donate (thanks to Debbie and Earl). So we loaded up the kids, the wagon AND the dog and headed to MediPark. It started out well. The kids watched contently from their wagon at the festivities surrounding the check-in gate. Lots of dogs, clowns, kids on decorated bikes, a guy singing and playing his guitar... Baron wanted to talk to every dog there, and luckily we didn't cause any distress among our fellow dog owners. Baron did get a lot of attention. He was the biggest dog there, probably by about 60 pounds. All the kids wanted to pet him, which, of course, he loved.

Then the walk got underway. Rather than acting like the well-trained, obedient dog that he really is, Baron was a monster, pulling us toward the other dogs. Without having to say a word, Nate and I mustered up a burst of speed to take us toward the front and away from other dogs. Baron was better because he was "winning the race," at least as far as the other dogs were concerned. We enjoyed our walk around MediPark - it's by far the best park in town. But about three-fourths of the way around, Owen decided he'd had enough of the gyrations of the bumpy road. He was ready to be done. Soon, Evan joined in, creating a lovely duet featuring the oh-so-sweet sounds of screaming babies who are way too close to naptime. Despite the fact that this walk was in NO WAY competitive, Nate and I once again took off, this time at a pretty swift jog, praying for the screaming to stop, praying for Baron to behave. Huffing and puffing, we headed straight for the car and loaded up, sadly skipping out on all the fun food, drinks, games and raffles all the other walkers would soon get to enjoy. Nope, we were headed home with a bad dog and two cranky toddlers.

We used to enjoy doing things like this. It's a feeling that you're giving more than money - you're wearing the T-shirt and pounding the pavement in a public show of support. Man, kids really change things... Maybe next year will be a more pleasant adventure for this family of five. Or maybe we'll write a check and let someone else do the walking.

Holy Crap, They Understand Me!

The past several weeks have been huge eye-openers for me and Nate. Not only are the twins growing (they're getting so tall) and getting into everything, it seems they're also starting to understand a lot more stuff!

The cutest example: they bring me their shoes, so I'll tell them, "Sit down so we can put your shoes on." And they plop right down with big goofy, excited smiles on their faces! So adorable. Cracks me up every time. And they LOVE their shoes. When it's time to go bye-bye, they line up at the door to the garage. When it's time to eat, they run to the kitchen and try to climb into their high chairs. They know what bath time means, nap time, outside, going for walks. They're becoming functioning little humans! This is really getting fun for me. They're not babies anymore, and I'm OK with that. The past year has given us some amazing, wonderful memories, but Nate and I both look forward with great anticipation to the months and years ahead when we can really have tons of FUN with these guys. Nate and I are active - we love to get out and do stuff - and we're excited to have two new partners to share our adventures.

Worst Enemies...Best Friends

Evan and Owen definitely fight a lot over toys, sippy cups, Mommy, Daddy, food... basically everything. But when it's all said and done, they're pretty much best friends. They never leave each other's sides, and the moments Nate and I live for are when we can hear the two of them off in another room cracking each other up, completely enjoying each other's company. Those are the times that I'm reminded I'm not a normal mom - I'm a mom of multiples! It's easy to forget how unique our situation is, because it's all we know. We have no clue what it's like (or how EASY it must be!) to have just ONE kid. How simple it must be to zip to the grocery store toting along ONE single child! Jeesh. All we know is that, when we hear them laughing simultaneously, it's pretty dog-gone neat to have twins.

Someday E and O will understand how blessed they are! For now, we're working on learning to share. Less fighting, more laughing!

Guardian Angel

The twins have a very special guardian angel, someone I miss very dearly: my Grandpa Boettcher.

They were born on his birthday, August 9, as though deliberately honoring a great man whom they will never know except in stories. But I vow to teach them about this great man of West Bloomfield, Michigan, who had all the time in the world for his grandkids despite a demanding career that he carried out far past reasonable retirement. Grandpa was a chemical engineer, one of those people who is so smart he was in a different league than the rest of us.

Yet he was amazingly normal, too. He had a great sense of humor and gave great hugs. He never, ever ended a conversation without telling you he loved you. He was a skilled carpenter and could make beautiful works of art out of wood. And he was patient enough to explain every step of the process while my brother and I held his tools like a surgeon's assistants.

Grandpa died at 83 on April 24, 2003, leaving behind my precious Grandma and his five daughters.

He never had a son to follow in his footsteps. So, I can only imagine how proud he is to share his special birthday with two great-grandsons who actually look quite a bit like him!

Grandpa, we LOVE you! Thanks for watching after these little boys!