Is it really that hard to grasp?

Twins seem to baffle people sometimes. A few years ago we were waiting for our tax refund. We got our federal and then waited on the state refund. And waited and waited and waited. When I sent an e-mail to them, they replied that there was a problem with my return because of the stay-at-home-mom credit. There was this credit you could claim if you were a stay at home mom with a child under 12 months old. I had two children under 12 months, so we got to claim it twice. After I explained to them that we had twins, I think the reply was, “Well, you definitely deserve it then.”

Then this week the twins were in for their well-child visit. We had their iron tested afterward because there were some concerns about low iron. Turns out, Troy’s iron was low and Jonathan’s iron was very low. So they called in some prescriptions for me at my local pharmacy. When I called my local pharmacy to see if they were ready, Troy’s was ready but Jonathan’s wasn’t. I spoke to the pharmacist to see what the problem was and he said, “I don’t see any problem. I’ll have it ready for you, come on down.” So, I went down there. When I got there they were still acting baffled about something. Finally, the pharmacist asked me, “Are Troy and Jonathan related?” Yep, they’re twins. “So is there a reason that Jonathan’s dose is so much higher than Troy’s?” Yep, his iron was lower and he’s two pounds heavier. “Oh, that explains it.”

So that was the entire problem. They had two similar prescriptions for two children with the same last name and birthdate and couldn’t figure out why the doses would be different. This kind of thing happens all the time with the twins. We had problems getting them added to insurance because adding two children with the same birthdate sent their computers haywire. I guess I’m glad the pharmacy double checked because iron overdose can be extremely dangerous. But then I asked the pharmacist what I could put the iron drops in so that my boys will take it. Because I’m telling you right now there’s no way that they’re just going to drink down some iron supplement straight from the dropper. His reply: “Gee, that’s a good question.” Yes, I thought so too. That’s why I asked it. He finally said, “Well, orange juice would be best because of the vitamin C but I can’t imagine how that would taste.” Thanks pharmacist, you’ve been loads of help.

Apparently, iron deficiency is very common in twins. It comes from having to share womb time. When our pediatrician told us that, my husband said, “Yeah, I guess April just didn’t suck on enough rusty nails while she was pregnant.” So I said, “Yeah, next time I’m pregnant with twins you can run to the hardware store and get me some rusty nails.” Then our pediatrician said, “Next time you’re pregnant with twins you might be able to use the rusty razors that you tried to slit your own throat with.”

He’s such a funny guy.