Twin stuff

My brother-in-law sent us this video clip when I was pregnant with the twins, and it became the theme of the whole pregnancy. It turns out that this clip is pretty accurate to what having twins is like! Although don't ask me which one is Troy and which is Jonathan, they take turns being the "dominant" twin.
Speaking of twins, this is my favorite list of questions people ask about twins. I did NOT create this list, but I have been asked many of the questions on it.

15. "I could never do it."

Oh really. What would you do? Would you put them on the curb with signs around their necks that say, "Free to a good home. My mom can't do it."?
14. "Do they have different personalities?"

No. They are the same human being divided into several parts.
13. Said by a stranger, "They're identical, right?" Mom answers, "No. They're fraternal." Stranger response, "They are NOT!"

OK. You're right. I have no idea what I'm talking about. These are not my children. I thought it would be fun to borrow them from a mom down at Baby Gap. It's been more than an hour. I guess I should return them.
12. "Are they 'paternal' twins?"

Yes. They have a father. There was only one virgin birth.
11. "Just wait till they're older. It only gets harder."

Thank you. I woke up this morning hoping I'd receive a word of discouragement while pushing a cart of preschoolers down the cereal aisle.
10. "When one cries, does he wake the other?"

No. Multiples cannot hear each other's cries because they all communicate with their special telepathic language only.
9. From a perfect stranger: "Were they in the same sac?"

Hello. Nice to meet you, too. Will you be sharing your gynecological history with me as well?
8. "Are they developmentally behind?"

Well, let's see. They're 3 years old and thus far, all their graduate school applications have been denied. We'll get back with you on that.
7. "How do you do it?"

Haven't you seen the Nike commercials?
6. "Are they natural?"

Nope, their arms and legs are made of silicone.
5. "You must be SO busy."

Are you volunteering to clean my house?
4. "Did you take drugs?"

Well, there was this one time in college....
3. "What do you do when they all cry at the same time?"

Sometimes I cry. Sometimes I go to Starbucks.
2. Said to a mom of boy/girl twins: "Are they identical?"

Uh. Not exactly.
And No. 1. Drum roll please. . . .1. After a stranger had been informed that the toddler boys were twins, she asked a simple question:
"Are they brothers?"

Enough said.

The few comments I would add, "How do you tell them apart?" and I'm thinking, "I look at them. One is a blond and one's a redhead. You really can't tell them apart?" The other comment I get a lot is, "Do twins run in your family?" I totally understand asking that, but I get it so frequently that I should print up information packets about the part that genetics plays in twins and keep them in my purse. By the way, the answer is no, twins don't really run in my family. And FYI, contrary to popular belief, twins don't "skip a generation" and they are also not inherited on the father's side. Fraternal twins are possibly genetic because a woman's ability to release two eggs at once can run in families. The father plays no part in how many eggs are released. Identical twins are not genetic. I did a lot of research when we first found out we were having twins, so now I'm sharing my findings. Feeling educated yet?