Double trouble … or maybe it’s triple?!

Conservative writer Matt Walsh and his wife recently had identical twin girls, and he tweeted this:

I remember soon after bringing my preemie identical twins home from their scary two-week stint in the NICU and crying in my exhausted state when I couldn’t tell them apart for breastfeeding. It was double trouble for real. My husband calmed me down and assured me that if I accidentally fed one too much it wouldn’t be the end of the world, and that the other one would surely let me know if he was hungry.

Nevertheless, I started breastfeeding them at the same time which was helpful for both efficiency – a good thing since I also had a 16-month-old child who was quite rambunctious in communicating that he was not always that thrilled with these new little humans – and for limiting confusion.

I also tried to avoid dressing them alike and, of course, can now tell them apart some 14 years later! I’m not knocking people who don’t take this strategy, but dressing them differently not only assisted us in knowing who was who, but it also helped forge my sons’ identities as individuals, each made in God’s image, even though they happen to share the same DNA and nearly identical fingerprints!

And despite the fact they both come from a single fertilized egg that 4 to 8 days after conception split into two unique humans – what a miracle! – each of my twins is very much his own person. Funny though that some folks who’ve known them for years (including my dad!) still cannot tell them apart.

My twin sons Gabriel and Zeke are now young men and have never exploited the looking-“identical” situation though. I, like Walsh, most certainly would have, but I suppose my twins are still young enough to have some fun with it should the occasion arise.

In honor of reminiscing about all this, here are a couple photo collages highlighting some of the ol’ “daze.” And please do comment if you can tell Gabe and Zeke apart, and if you can’t, you’ll be in good company.

Clockwise from top left: Zeke (in pale green) and Gabe (in camo) doing their best power fists!; Zeke thinking, “Oh, you’d better get ready, Mom, double trouble’s only beginning,” while Gabe cuddles up with his bro just like he did in the womb; a tired me at the NICU, holding the twins while trying to hold it all together; and finally at home with our miracle babies who survived Twin-To-Twin-Transfusion Syndrome! Glory be to God!

Left: Me chilling with my triple trouble, which includes big-brother Houston, who was wondering, “Eh, I’m not so sure about all this.” Middle: Houston amuses himself by putting stickers on one of his new toys … hey, that’s not a toy, that’s Gabriel! Right: Binky in mouth and favorite bear in hand, Houston decides to pack his bag and hit the road since the doubly increased competition on the home front was becoming a bit too much for him. Luckily for us, Houston couldn’t figure out the door knob.