For some reason, twins are a spectacle for people. Most often, people will ask if the boys are twins. Others are braver and get straight to the brass tacks of what they want to know. Just when you think you’ve heard it all, someone will say something that makes you go, “wow, that’s the first time I’ve heard that one.” Usually those are the days I fondly refer to as, “a complete shit show.”

Are they twins? Yes, they are indeed twins. They are two boys wearing matching outfits (see why I don’t feel guilty about this below) and they are the same age. Definitely twins.

Are they identical? No, they are fraternal, and yes, I am sure. One looks like me and one looks like Ryan. So I can still dress them in matching outfits and we can always tell them apart because they look nothing alike.

Do twins run in your family? Yes, twins run in my family. My maternal grandparents (Nana and Papa) both had twins on their sides…Nana’s brother had two sets of fraternal twins and Papa had two sets of fraternal twin siblings. I know, it IS so crazy!

You have your hands full! Yes, yes they are, but our hearts are fuller (insert smile). You should see how full my hands are when I am attempting to wrangle two very active and independent toddlers to do something they don’t want to do, while simultaneously dodging kicks and head throws, AND trying to find something, ANYTHING, to distract their attention…generally not something you just unload on a completely random person, so the first sentence is a much easier response.

Double trouble! Ah, this is a classic. You’re right, they can be double trouble, especially the time when they decided to scoop out a hand full of Desitin and do a little taste test (I didn’t get a picture of that, I was busy calling Poison Control instead). Or when they realized they could climb on things…right now, they like to stand on our coffee table (well, Jack’s legs are too short to get up there himself, so he usually needs a little boost). Instead of ranking the mishaps on a scale of 1-10 or whipping out my phone to show a gem like this, I use the stock response, “double the fun!”

I bet you’re not getting much sleep! I am a self-proclaimed sleep dictator. We, (by “we” I mean that I kind of forced Ryan and everyone else), followed a pretty strict nap and nighttime schedule. The boys have never been champion nappers, but they do well during the night. Of course, you can’t explain all of this to a stranger in line at the grocery store, so you just smile and nod.

And my personal favorites: Did you breast feed? Did you have a c-section? Believe it or not, I have been asked both questions by total strangers. Talk about getting all up in my business. Back off, woman! No, I did not breast feed and yes, I did have a c-section. More on those topics later.