Top Ten Things Never to Say to Twin Parents

*Yes, people have actually said these things to us!

1. Are they twins? Are you kidding me?! You really think people can have kids this close in age (1 minute apart) and they are not twins and I have IDENTICAL twins!!!

2. Double Trouble! How original...

3. Better you then me. Now that is just rude! And my children are glad these people are not their parents!

4. You've got your hands full. I hate to break it to these people, but lots of people have more then TWO kids, mine just happen to be the same age.

5. Are they natural? Okay, do you ever hear some ask a parent of a singleton this one? Just because they are twins doesn't mean someone had fertility treatment, and no we didn't. But if we had they are still "natural" human beings!

6. Do they do everything at the same time (cry, poop, talk)? Yes, we get this all the time.

7. There are TWO of them! Boy now these people are geniuses, huh?

8. Do they have different personalities? They are two different human beings, not clones! Yes they share the same DNA and blood type...but please!

9. How do you do it? Our standard answer..."we don't know any different"

10. When one cries do they wake the other? Okay why do you care and the answer is no most of the time.

So now when you see multiples...you know what NOT to say :)

Lucky Too.

It has been forever since I have updated our blog, but I felt inspired today after reading my cousin's wife's blog. She and my cousin have a 17 month old profoundly deaf son. What they have had to endure as new parents this past year I cannot begin to imagine going through. But with the help of a cochlear implant and two incredible parents their son, Christian, is doing amazing well. If you have time take a look at her blog....like I said its inspiring. http://www.livelaughlovefamily.blogspot.com/ Her latest entry is entitled Lucky.

I have to say we as a family are lucky too. Bob and I just moved into a beautiful new home along with our two happy healthy twins. Of course there are the dogs, Dot and Joe, and the cats Bubba and Sinclaire who came along too. We live in a beach town, have good paying jobs (something hard to come by in Wilmington !) that we actually enjoy, and are surrounded by family and close friends.


I feel so fortunate that Madison and Kaitlyn are able to spend time with their grandparents like I did growing up. They also get to see two of their Great Grandmothers, Uncle Gordon, "Aunt" Corina, "Uncle" Roger, and "Aunt" Kate alot as well. Grandma and Grandpa Fankboner make it up from Florida every couple of months to see them too. We can't forgot our wonderful sitter, Julie! It's such a great feeling to know there are so many people that love your babies.


As for an update on the babies, who are becoming less and less babies everyday. They are both walking! Madison has four teeth and Kaitlyn is working on her fifth. Madison has grown completely attached to her stuffed dog, "Puppers". In fact Puppers fell out of the shopping cart this weekend at Wal Mart and she completely freaked out. Luckily Puppers was rescued from the baby department at Wal Mart. Bob has gone online to find another Puppers, just as back up, but he can't find one. All I can say is we are in big trouble if we lose him! Kaitlyn has a stuffed Tigger she carries around, but doesn't seem to be quite as attached it as Madison is with Puppers.

Kaitlyn has excellent fine motor skills and we often times find her trying to figure how one of her toys "works". Madison enjoys looking through books and playing with all her different toys. But most of all she likes walking EVERYWHERE! Maybe she will be a runway model one day :) Both of them love Elmo.....La La La La La La Elmo's World, has become a staple in our home. Most every night we end our day with a walk around the neighborhood. They love to be outside. Our neighborhood has a lot of kids and they all love to see our girls.

Yes, we are lucky......

Super Twin Mommy

No, I am not talking about me...I am talking about a lady in Winston Salem, NC who gave birth to twins with a combined weight of over 23 lbs! Below is the link to her story.


http://www.wftv.com/family/16667676/detail.html

A Very Long Week!

Below is Bob's post from his work blog. I just haven't had time to write one of my own about the girls 1st birthday and our move.

Also here are two recent pictures on the girls. Do you know who is who? :)

After a little more than a week away from work, I’m back. Sadly, it wasn’t much of a vacation, but at the same time it will be a week that will stay with my family for the rest of our lives.
If you’re a reader of The Couch you know my our daughter’s turned a year old on May 30th. A great day of family, fun, and tears of joy. That was followed up by a larger get-together of family and friends on June 1st which included a little alcohol and a turn on the slip-and-slide (Roger, it will make a return appearance this summer!). When the festivities were over on Sunday, so too was our time at our first house.

Kelli and I closed on a new house on June 2nd ending a very hectic four-day period. While the move wasn’t geographically a long one, it was still something very big for us. We were leaving the house where our lives together really started and where we became a family.
Luckily, that’s where the house will stay. In the family. My brother-in-law Gordon will do what he wants with it and move in sometime this summer. Hopefully long enough into the summer that I can finally clear out the attic and garage. Regardless of when it’s finally clear of our belongings, that house will always be full of our memories. They weren’t all good ones, but they were all ones Kelli and I went through together, so it’s nice that piece of us remains very close.
As for the new house and the move, it was a very long week capped off with a very warm Saturday. After four days of painting bedrooms and bathrooms (mom, couldn’t have done it without you) Saturday’s heat wasn’t what we needed. Roger (Kaitlyn’s Godfather) is a firefighter at Camp Lejeune and mentioned the term “Black Flag” which basically means the weather is too extreme for training at the base. We were moving during “Black Flag” conditions, and believe me, I’m no Marine. The fact that we moved in the 100-plus degree weather proves I’m not smart enough. All in all it was a good day and couldn’t have been done without Roger, Gordon, Mike, Kate, Corina and my wife Kelli.

Another chapter of our life is begining.

Daddy's Letter to the Girls

Madison and Kaitlyn

Today is the first anniversary of your births; and so much has changed in a very short 365 days.

When your mom and I learned that we were having not one, but two children, you were immediately referred to as Twin A and Twin B. But now, you go by many names. At first we teased your grandparents by telling them you were going to be named Paris and Brittney, two pop references I hope will have disappeared by the time you’re able to read this. Your given names of Madison and Kaitlyn bear no family significance, which now seems fitting because despite being ‘identical’ you both have truly become individuals in your first year of life.

Mads, Madzooks, Madzilla are just some of the names you’ve picked up as our first born. But Madison, ‘mad’ would be the last word I’d ever use to describe you. Day in and day out you’re quick to smile, laugh, and seem to enjoy the moment. By doing so you’ve touched the lives of so many; and so many that we don’t even know. Both you and your sister were a traveling circus in your first year. No matter where we would go people always had to stop to see the girls. It was irritating at first, but what I grew to appreciate was how people’s spirit seemed to be lifted, if just for that moment in their day, when they came in contact with you, and it still fills me up with pride.

Kaitlyn. My little bug. I’m not sure where that came from but it’s stuck and it’s been the only other name you’ve had. You’re my little fighter. One day we’ll explain to you the reasons we didn’t think you were going to make it, but you proved everyone wrong. You’ve caught up with your ‘big’ sister and challenge her, and us each day. Even in your first year you show a strong will, which I know is what brought you through the rough times before you were born. You’re inquisitive but at the same time timid. You’re quiet yet playful. You are a true mix of your mom and dad. I think the best of both of us.

Over this first year you’ve gone from fragile little babies who had to be fed through a syringe a milliter at a time to girls that are eating solid foods, holding their own bottles, taking first steps and trying to put together a language. You’ve come so far. Your mom and I should have taken the hint when you were born at 34 weeks and came straight home. There will be no holding you down.

But not everyday has been cotton candy. You’ve had your share of ups and downs. A five-week cold that led to sleepless nights and a faucet for a nose. A ‘female’ issue just before your first birthday. Visits here and there to the doctor just to put our minds at ease. But over the months of watching you grow we’ve been told time and again how fortunate we are to have such healthy and good girls.

As you continue to grow life will no doubt throw many things your way, and while I want you to experience everything, know that in one way or another I’ll always be there for you to help you find your path.

Until I met you both I didn’t know what it meant to truly love someone or something. Thank you for filling my heart.

Happy Birthday babies!

Daddy

Double Blessings

It has been a long time since I have updated our blog. Our family has been so busy both personally and professionally. Bob's been busy covering both college and high school baseball playoffs (UNCW is the NCAA tournament!). He also resigned his contract with WECT. My company reformulated our flagship product and I have been driving up and down Coastal NC promoting it. We also bought a new house which we will close on the day after the twins birthday party. But, most of all we have been busy with our babies, or should I say toddlers!

I can't believe that tomorrow I will no longer have babies but toddlers. Madison and Kaitlyn are turning one. This time last year I was crying to Bob because we thought and the doctors thought these girls were heading to the NICU. Instead, as I am sure they will do many more times in their life, they tricked us all. Besides Kaitlyn needing to be fed once through a tube, they were 100% healthy despite coming six weeks early. Here it is a year later and I am still crying. This time they are happy tears.

People say to me all the time "I can't imagine having twins" or "Oh I would never want twins, too much work". But to me and Bob we consider it a double blessing and we would have it no other way. I love not only being a Mommy, but a Mommy of Multiples.

So as their birthday is just hours away I cry as I think what went through this past year and then some.......Dr Cooper saying, "there are two heart beats", telling our family on Thanksgiving, IV fluids and zofran to help with the nausea, Angela writing on the sonogram, "buy me pink", sharing many hugs and tears with Dr. Wright, a scare of Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome, BEDREST, daily BP checks, Bob rubbing the cocoa butter on my tummy, the kicks and hiccups from in the womb, Bob seeing my tummy "move" for the first time, Bob feeling the girls kick in my tummy, my HUGE baby shower, decorating their Winnie the Pooh nursery, the c-section with Dr Jones and Dr. Robison, holding them for the first time, nursing, bring them home from the hospital, walks around the neighborhood, their first Fathers Day with Bob in their pink dresses, bath time, trips to the beach, smiling, rolling, bouncing, laughing, immunizations, teething, their first Christmas, their first runny noses, "talking", their first road trip to Florida, crawling, swim lessons, cruising, their first steps, finger foods, high fives, my first Mothers Day.......and the list goes on.....

Like I said how did I get this lucky?

Walk This Way!

For the past ten months or so I always tell, sometimes cry to Bob that I am going to miss the girls big milestones because I am working. And yes, I have missed some BUT tonight I didn't ! My first born, Madison, walked to me. Yes, Mommy got to see it first. She took her first steps and I was there to see it. What a difference a year makes. This time last year on April 28th I was laying in a bed on the 3rd floor of New Hanover Regional Medical Center miserable! My BP has spiked and I was admitted. Now here we are 365 days later and that little girl who's heart beat I watched on the monitor and who kicked me constantly was walking to me. Below is the link to the video to Maddie walking! Kaitlyn has a cameo appearance in the video. I am a very proud Mommy tonight.

http://www.dropshots.com/bfankboner#date/2008-04-28/19:33:50

Oh My Girls Would Be Proud!

The weekend before last two of my friends from college, Jenn and Jordan, and myself surprised our friend Kate with a girls weekend. Kate is getting married in St John next month. We wanted to do something for her before the big day. During the day we went to the Spa and had massages and pedicures. We then headed downtown to YoSake for sushi and drinks. Jordan's husband, Tony, was nice enough to drive us down there. Unfortunately on the way there we went through an intersection and we saw the flash of a camera. No it wasn't the paparazzi, it was a traffic camera. I am sure Tony will be receiving a photo of his Prius going through a red light very soon. On a side note Bob has become an Al Gore want to be. He is very into be environmentally friendly. So I know he has Prius envy :)

We had a fabulous dinner and were even joined by our other friend and new mommy, Ashley. Ashley and I shared some of our baby body experiences with the non-mommies. We told them all the fun things that happen to your body before and after. We won't share any here though. But, all you moms know what I am talking about. Unfortunately, Ashley had to go home to take care of her new baby, but the rest of us headed over to Rum Runners. The disappointment of the evening happened there where we were unable to coax Kate onto the piano and had really bad tasting Bacardi drinks. After some time at Rum Runners we ended up at City Limits!!! Yes, City Limits, the home of Sue the Bull! And well as you can see from the photos, Jenn Schaar and I rode old Sue the Bull. Before we were about to ride the bull Jenn said oh your girls would be proud.....I think they would be more embarrassed then proud. Like Ashley said in her blog, it was a very good weekend!

Still Sick...Are You Kidding Me?

We are now going on a month of the girls being sick. Their poor noses are constantly running and they have snot on their face, in their hair, basically everywhere! At night Madison coughs so badly if you didn't know it you would think she has smoked for the past 40 years!

So we headed back to the doctor today. Turns out the amoxicilian didn't work and the girls still have ear infections. The doctor put them on a stronger antibiotic and gave them cough medicine. Yes, I know and my doctor knows they took cough medicine off the market for babies under two years of age. But, like he told us, he and many other doctors and parents have been giving it to babies for years. And believe me doctors use drugs for things and at doses "they aren't suppose to".

Oh and for all my fellow drug reps, Dr. Horgor said the antibiotic will continue to work even after they finish taking it because it has a long half life :)

Getting Old....

We just got back from our first family vacation. While I have alot to write about it, I am going to start with this quick entry tonight.

Last year, I realized it was TEN years ago that I started college at UNCW. This year I turn 30 and as my husband likes to point out to me I am a mother of two. It seems like yesterday I was at Clarence Fosters at Wrightsville Beach (side note it no longer exists!) or drinking Ernesto and Julio (yes we had very expensive taste in wine :) ) with my ADPI girls. We actually drank so much of this wine Courtney Kilpatrick suggested if I had boy twins I should name them Ernest and Julio. Now I enjoy getting in bed at 9 and reading because it's quiet. I have to plan in advance to go out and it actually becomes an "event". Patty refers to as girls night out (GNO). I think we need to change it to MNO....moms night out!

Well, while on vacation with my husband last week we were reminded of just how old we are becoming. As many of you know we spent four whole days by ourselves at Disney while my in laws kept the twins. One night before dinner we bought drinks before going to dinner. We asked a girl (maybe in her early 20s?) to take a picture of his us with our drinks. Bob said something like we want to prove we are drinking.....she said oh my parents do the same thing! What????? Do we really look and act that old....

And to think I thought I was a "hip working mom"....

We're going to Disney World!

Just in case you were wondering......

UNCW lost which means we are going to Disney World!

It has been a crazy week at our house. I had to go to Columbia, SC for business and my husband got to stay home with the twins who have double ear infections...lots of fun! The doctor put them on a Rx drug and they seem to be getting better. Thank goodness for pharmaceuticals :)

Its short and sweet tonight, I am exhausted and my husband is actually home with me which is rare. I think our big night will consist of watching Jon and Kate plus 8 which I DVRed...I love that family!

An Unfaithful Fan

I hate to admit it but I am picking the mouse over the hawk. Yes, I am cheering against my beloved UNCW Seahawks this weekend in the CAA tournament. You see if the Hawks pull off an upset and win then they heading to the NCAA tournament. Which means so is my husband. And, the NCAA tournament is when we have our Disney Vacation planned. So, this weekend I will be watching the scoreboard hoping that the boys in teal are on the losing end.

I know very selfish. But, some of you know my love or Bob says obsession with all things Disney. I have been planning this trip for weeks. I look at the webpage of the Resort we are staying at, The Yacht and Beach Club, everyday. I actually have itineraries planned for each day, dinner reservations made and of course outfits picked out. I know rides we need to go to first and what time the shows/parades are scheduled.

Bob just wants to know where sleep is on the itinerary. That is his idea of a vacation. Growing up in Orlando he just doesn't seem to love Disney the way I do. But, we did get engaged at the Magic Kingdom so I am sure it has a little special place in his heart...or at least I hope.

Did I mention this is just a vacation for Bob and I? Yes, we are going to Disney minus our girls. They will be staying with Grandma and Grandpa Fankboner.

You would think I would be better at planning vacations and yes, wedding around major sporting events. I mean I married to the sports guy. Just remember we are the couple who got married the weekend of the Final Four in NC when UNC-Chapel Hill was it.

Home Videos

With Bob as their Daddy the girls will never have your typical home videos. You know the ones that are out of focus, or that have "vom cam"? No, my husband actual edits video before he puts it on web. Some of you may think Bob is just a "talking head" on TV or better yet he only works the 6-10 minutes a day you see him on air. But the truth is he is actually a very talented videographer. See honey I do compliment you on what you do :)

I am experiencing some technical issues with the video I wanted to post, but hopefully I (actually Bob) can get it up tomorrow.

9 Months Later...

So...I have been wanting to do this for a while, but haven't found the time to do it. But, I guess I have a little excuse or two why my time is so limited now. It's two beautiful identical twin girls! Hopefully, I can keep this website updated so our family and friends, especially those who live far away, know what is happening with our new family. This will be my blog. I know someone of you may read Bob's Blog, The Orange Couch. I can assure you the only time this blog will include fantasy sports will be when I am making fun of my husband. On a side note though, if Bob actually played fantasy sports for money, we would have some extra dough in our pockets!

It's hard to imagine that this time last year I was a week into full bedrest...ugh. During that time I must admit I was miserable. Like I always say, I never had that pregnancy glow about me. To be quite honest my whole pregnancy, for lack of a better adjective, sucked. Between bedrest, several doctor appointments every week, preeclampsia, a funneling cervix and at one point being told we may lose one or both of babies to Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) it wasn't enjoyable. Plus, I didn't get to "model" a lot of my maternity clothes and I missed a company paid trip to Hawaii. At the time these things seemed so important.....

Fast forward to today and I would do it all over again for the two miracles that sit before us. It is crazy to think they came 6 plus weeks early and weighed a whopping 5 lbs and 4 lbs 7 oz. Now they are just over 17 lbs. Madison a little bigger then Kaitlyn, but she is the big sister ! They are sitting up, saying MaMaMaMa, DaDaDaDa, and BaBaBaBa (for our cat Bubba?), rolling everywhere, eating almost everything we give them (except yogurt) and they even took swim lessons at the YMCA. We are convinced Madison is going to skip crawling all together and go straight to walking. She loves to "stand" and walk around in her Sesame Street Walker. She has her two bottom teeth in. Kaitlyn has gone from the being the high maintenance child at birth to the one who plays on her mat by herself and is very happy. She is also the definition of Daddy's Little Girl.

Right now we are going through our first real illness. The girls and Daddy have bad colds. I feel so bad for the girls because they would feel so much better if they could just blow their nose! This past weekend it seemed everywhere you looked there was snot. Not very fun, but we seem to be getting better.


Well, that is it for now. Hopefully I will be able to keep this current unlike The Orange Couch.