FAQ: We're Having Twins


The fact that we are having TWO babies this March
is the basis of some hilarious conversations.

Between us, between our families, between our friends...
oh my goodness.

The craziness that is in store for us,
I just can not imagine...
and I can't really wait either.

After knowing for a few months about this huge addition,
I've become a bit of a pro on answering some of the common questions.

Here they are:

Oh, twins? Were you on fertility treatment?

Nope. 

We are having "spontaneous" twins,
as our doctors and midwives call them...
though that sounds like we had more say in the process
then is actually true.

It wasn't a whimsical decision we made.

Promise. :)

{But honestly... it is the FIRST question a lot of  people ask. Bizarre.}


Do twins run in your family?

Oh, yes.

My mom has them littered throughout her family tree.

Her mom had some, her grandma had them,
and her aunt had one pair of fraternal twins on October 3rd...
and then a second pair of fraternal twins the next year on October 3rd.

It makes me start to sweat just to type that.


Do you know if they are identical or non-identical?

Yep. We know!

They are "non-identical" twins.

Do you know the genders?

Not for another two weeks...
but I think it's a boy & a girl.


And I want them to look just like that.

So there.

My guess is officially on the record.

Tyler thinks the same.... we'll see who right/wrong we are soon.


What's the different in identical & fraternal twins?

Identical twins: One egg splits and makes two little people that are adorably... the same. Kinda.

Fraternal/Non-Identical: Two eggs get fertilized and grow at the same time. 

Basically, I'm having two totally different kids, at once. 

Okay, imagine you and your sibling. 

Now imagine if you both had the same birthday. 
That's the jist of what is happening here. 
Two birds.... One nest?



Wondering if twins might run in your family, too?

Here are the basic rules of "inheriting" the twin gene:

1. Only fraternal (UK: "non-identical twins") are hereditary.

Identical twins are the result of an inexplicable happening
(the egg splitting after fertilization)
and, because of the randomness, isn't something that passes down.

With that said, fraternal twins are the only type of twins that you can "inherit."

2. Twins only pass down through females.

Since fraternal twins are the only type of hereditary twins,
either your body spits them out at a normal rate
or you have overly-hyper ovaries and spits out more than one egg.

The bottom line is, boys have no part in the equation of passing on twins.

Who knew, right? 
Not me.

Well, that's all the personal information & science I have to share for the day.


Do you have personal info or biological facts 
that you'd like to share with the class?



Congratulations to Betsy (Heavens to Me) for winning the giveaway!
Please email me with your shipping information.


*image 1

45 comments:

  1. My first thought, was Twins? Go Tyler! But I guess it's Go You!

    Thanks for letting us follow along. I'm sure your babies are going to be even cuter than the cuties above! xo ~L

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm just curious to see just how thick your already amazingly-luscious hair gets with this pregnancy! You won't be able to pull it up before long!!
    This post cracks me up- it's like a very clinical view behind...YOUR curtain :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. i think twins are just great! And that photo? ADORABLE. I bet your kids will be even cuter than that!
    So happy for you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. So anyone could have identical twins! Crazy :) Can't wait to see if you're right about boy/girl!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I had "spontaneous" identical twins in the UK in March 2009 (I'm from NY). I was so confused when the asked me if it was a "spontaneous" pregnancy....then they asked me all. the. time. Got used to it. Congratulations, it's quite a ride, and worth every minute! Enjoy.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have a twin brother and you would be surprised how often i'm asked if we're identical. They ask that right after i say i have a twin BROTHER, too. Its all very confusing for the non-twins - i know! Also, twins are more common in older women; you drop more eggs as you age. Either way - it was so fun growing up with a built in buddy! joint Birthday parties, crushes on friends as we got older, and after years of thinking we were both so different, at 26, i'm now discovering that we're more similar that i had ever though! P.s - we were March babies, too!

    Good Luck!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I must say first of all…my DREAM was to have boy-girl twins! I couldn't have imagined anything better! I so hope you will get to experience that! Secondly….Ive been preparing myself to be a grandmother to twins but now that I know it isn't passed down from the husband…I guess that's not going to happen! Oh well! I'm not sure Holly could've handled it all the way in New Orleans without us anyway!! You are so blessed! I can't wait to watch this unfold! thank you for the lesson on twins as well! I really needed it!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Congratulations! How amazing for you! We have three daughters and there was speculation with the last pregnancy that it was twins. Wow!


    Lisa

    ReplyDelete
  9. ooooh so exciting! twinkies!?!? lucky girl!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm laughing so hard. Ok, here is the thing I get asked ALL. THE. TIME. about our BOY/GIRL twins...are you ready?...people ask me if our BOY/GIRL twins are identical. Now, let's just pause a moment and think about this. A boy and a girl. A boy and a girl have different parts...always...therefor, boy/girl twins can never, NEVER, NEVER be identical.
    And I'm guessing two girls for you!! Do I get a prize if I'm right?? How about one of those H&M scarves?? wink, wink.
    Seriously, it's just the most incredible thing ever. You are so, so blessed (and I know that you know that). People always ask us how we do it (because we also had a barely 2 year old when we had our twins), but you just love them so much. You'll be a pro before no time at all.
    Sarah
    P.S.-And I'm totally giving you permission to go buy some cute jammies that you can lounge in all day...because your going to have days of only jammies...and you know what? That's ok. (Insert me doing a silly cheer for you!! YAY! Yay! You can do it!!)

    ReplyDelete
  11. I am going to love every minute of watching this pregnancy unfold. I love twins stories, and secretly wish twins will happen to me one day so you know, for now I will just enjoy the beauty of these little lives happening to you:D
    Thanks for the fun post!
    I am guessing two boys.

    ReplyDelete
  12. There is nothing better than boy/girl twins (although that first year was TOUGH)! Mine are 3 years old now. Yep, I second what Sarah said...I get asked all the time if they are identical. My response is...They are boy/girl... and then wait for them to realize what a silly question that was! Mine are best buddies for sure. I'll guess B/G!

    ReplyDelete
  13. That picture is just perfection, so exciting!

    ReplyDelete
  14. WOW! Congrats!! I have identical twin brothers and fraternal twin cousins...so they run in my family too! Pretty crazy!!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love this! Informative and fun to read. And now I want twins. Weird, right?

    ReplyDelete
  16. I never knew that fraternal twins were hereditary! I learn something new every day :) Such exciting times ahead... can't wait to confirm the genders. I'm routing with you and Tyler... it's totally a girl and a boy!

    xxx
    Jenna

    ReplyDelete
  17. you know my bet is on a little megan and stephen.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I have a twin brother and we get asked all the time if we're identical AND if we know what the other one is thinking. You can tell by someone's intelligence after those questions! Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Lauren,
    All the same questions were asked to me when I was carrying our twins (now 19) and funny people always had free advice for me. If I could do it all over again, I would in a heart beat - the first few years are sleep depriving challenging years and a test to one's strength. Practice trying to pick up two five pound bags of sugar because in the beginning they are like 2 lumps -
    Now that ours are 19 and in college, it is really incredible to see them together -
    So thrilled for you and your bundles of joy.
    pve

    ReplyDelete
  20. Well said, my dear, and highly informative and interesting too!
    You and your family must be soooo excited. Even I'm excited for you!
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  21. Yay! Congratulations! So happy for you! They will have such a fun, adventurous life! :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. love this post!! very informative for sure. my hubby is a twin and i always wondered if it would happen to us! not saying it wont- but now i know its not up to him! so happy for u guys! xox

    ReplyDelete
  23. Considering that my fiance has a fraternal twin and I have a fraternal twin and my brother and sister are fraternal twins----this new information makes me nervous!

    Another common twin question that your 2 new little ones will get often is "soooo....like...when are your birthdays?" the same. freaking. day!!

    And if they are two girls or two boys who look absolutely nothing alike, people will still mix up their names!!

    ReplyDelete
  24. No biological info to share - just that as much as having twins scare me, I see pictures of when Russ and his twin brothers were young and babies and my heart MELTS. I think it would be amazing to have twins that were boy & girl :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. That picture is adorable, a boy & a girl sounds great! I actually have a bunch of twins on both sides of my family--- eeek! Now I'm the one sweating as I type! Hehe!

    ReplyDelete
  26. i hope you have a girl and a boy too--would be amazing! and they would be best friends, well hopefully...

    ReplyDelete
  27. Thanks for the twin facts! Twins run in my mom's family. My grandmother had two sets of twins as siblings. I hope I'm blessed with them someday!

    ReplyDelete
  28. fun FAQ! my best friend has a fraternal twin and they are absolutely adorable - COMPLETE opposites personality-wise, but seriously one cannot live without the other. it's the best :)

    ReplyDelete
  29. My Pop-pop was a twin (his brother died at birth). I was always terrified that I would get the twin gene since, for most of my life, I had no desire to have kids. Now that I'm engaged to be married and the thought of babies excites me this twin thing was always in the back of my mind. I figured since I didn't really WANT kids that I would be the one that ends up with twins lol. BUT it's reassuring to know that the twin gene is passed down by females...and no females have twins in my family. It stopped at my Pop-pop. I feel safe....well....more safe. Anything could still happen lol.

    Congratulations again! This must be so exciting!!

    ReplyDelete
  30. I still can't believe you are having twins!!! How fun is that going to be? And also pretty hectic but mostly fun!

    ReplyDelete
  31. I would give anything for a boy/girl twin set!! And I hope yours are as adorable as those in the picture. But I am guessing you will make them. A little girl in a some fur, maybe?

    ReplyDelete
  32. OMG I hope it is a boy and a girl and I hope they DO look just like the picture. :) So crazy and/but exciting for you guys. :)

    ReplyDelete
  33. Congratulations! So very thrilling. Enjoy the ranks of double prams/buggies - you will notice them all the time now. Looking forward to watching your new adventures!

    ReplyDelete
  34. So here's one (or more) for you - did you know that one egg can be fertilized by two sperm making identical twins that aren't so identical? And that there is such a thing as mirror image identical twins where they are mirror opposites of each other? And that even though you may have a boy and a girl, people will still ask you if they're identical??? And lastly, even though we're in our (ahem) forties, people will still ask "which one's older?".... how annoying is that?
    xxoo
    C + C

    ReplyDelete
  35. Actually, a male CAN pass down the gene to have twins, they just can't make fraternal twins themselves. So my husband had no roll in our fraternal girlies but I got the gene through my mom's dad's side of the family.

    Every pregnancy in the family someone would make a comment about "oh it's going to be twins" even with my ODD that comment was made. You know what? No one said it with this pregnancy. :)

    ReplyDelete
  36. Lauren-

    Congratulations! My husband and I are having twins (our first pregnancy) in February- a boy and girl. It's been such an exciting time! Can't wait to read more about your pregnancy as well!

    http://www.classicallyeclecticblog.com
    Kelly

    ReplyDelete
  37. Aww how sweet, you must be so excited!

    Just stumbled across your blog now x

    ReplyDelete
  38. Congratulations what exciting news

    ReplyDelete
  39. i love this, and i love your comical attitude throughout this post, you had me laughing! also, my mom has two sets of twin brothers, yikes, so when i found out almost 2 months ago that i was pregnant (and since it was not planned) my husband and i immediately starting freaking out that it could be two babies or four for that matter. we're only having one, but maybe one day we'll get two :) i am the last one to have kids on my mom's side of the family and no one has had twins yet, so all the bets are me!

    ReplyDelete
  40. congrats on this news!
    i'm so excited for you. twins are my DREAM!

    xo the egg out west.

    ReplyDelete
  41. YOUR AUNT HAD TWO SETS OF TWINS ONE YEAR APART?
    bless her.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Actually it can run on a father's side of the family but, as he does not ovulate or control his wife's ovulation, he will only be able to pass that gene down to his children which will mean his daughter would have the gene and therefore be more likely to have twins. Cases like this explain why it appears to "skip" a generation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You might be right! I've heard that men can't pass down female genetic traits (since they don't have them themselves), but I'm also not a doctor/scientist who has researched this, so I'm won't pretend to be an expert! This is just what I've been told/read. :)

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...