XOXOXO

Our twins have never really been what you would call "bosom buddies" (ironic, I know). Sure they were womb-mates for 38 weeks. Yeah they have been 'rooming' together ever since. Heck, they pretty much spend all day everyday together and aside from the occasional hour or two here and there, they have never really been apart from each other. Despite this, they much prefer to play alone, to be independent, engaging strictly in parallel play. 

Fine. 

This is normal development for children their age. 

And yet....

So many other twin moms I speak to have ridiculously cute stories about how their twins laugh and chase each other around the house. Sweet stories about twins who will only fall asleep when sharing a crib and cuddling together. Heart wrenching accounts of twins who cry and protest when even the suggestion of separation comes up. One mom told me that when her son was admitted into the hospital for RSV, his twin sister was inconsolable and mourned for her brother the entire time he was gone.

I began to wonder if something was wrong with our set. 

Perhaps they hadn't bonded properly in or out of the womb.

My babies never chase each other around the house giggling from room to room. They never really shared a crib or cuddled during bedtimes. They don't get upset during afternoon errands apart. I don't even know if Nuala would notice that Oscar was gone.

And then something wonderful happened. 

They shared their first kiss.

And since then they have spreading their love all across the land.

Just the other night I spied Oscar trying to engage Nuala in some frivolous laughter and while she didn't take the bait (in fact she raised a skeptical eyebrow and then scampered off without a second thought) I have a renewed sense of hope that pretty soon they will be laughing hysterically at some inside joke that the rest of us simply don't understand.