Jocelyn Has a Spot, Nina Does Not

It is becoming apparent to the world at large that our baby girls are identical, and we are regularly asked how we tell them apart. Nina and Jocelyn are starting to look more and more alike as we cross off days on the calendar. Jocelyn is finally filling out with some baby fat, her legs finally have rolls and she's getting round in the face. Nina is on the move (backwards for now, but progress is progress!), so she's thinning down as she shakes that body. In some ways, they are meeting in the middle size wise.

Mommy and daddy can always differentiate between the two. We can even guess by weight in the dark which baby is which and listen to their different cries. There are a few others that have it down pat such as my parents and Peter's mother; however, most cannot tell the difference without being told. Not even their big brothers.

Samuel determines which baby is deserving of his attention day to day based on their moods and their attire. He loves holding the babies, and asks EVERY five minutes to do so. I'll say, "Which baby do you want to hold?" Samuel doesn't indicate the baby by name, but he'll answer with either what I call Man in Training responses or the Make Mama Proud responses. Man in Training responses include "I want to hold the baby that isn't crying," or "I'll hold the baby that won't spit up on me." Make Mama Proud responses include things like, "I'll hold the baby with the cute yellow pants." He's even taken to charming his sisters with, "My don't you look pretty today!" or "Hi sweet cheeks!" when he's in Make Mama Proud mode. All this affection is sugary sweet to witness, but ask him to play name the baby and he can't tell the little gals apart. Ethan is much the same in his regard for his sisters with less nomenclature and a lot more sloppy kisses. The solution? I've made up a catchy saying to help the boys tell the twins apart. "Jocelyn has a spot, Nina does not." Classy huh? But it works.

This adorable spot is actually a birth mark on the right side of Jocelyn's head called a hemangioma. Say that ten times. Eventually this stork bite will fade first to a gray, spongy brain looking matter, yum, and eventually all but disappear. And okay, it isn't really adorable if you consider the fifty or so people who have claimed that at least it will be under her hair if it doesn't go away. Or the fact that small children often ask us why we don't have a band-aid on her boo-boo, since it does resemble a bloody scab down the side of her noggin. Ugly or adorable, for now, it helps family and friends identify her.

Other ways to tell the girls apart are just their physical size. Now I know it's not nice to talk about a girl's waistline, but Nina's our champ. She was nearly 2 pounds bigger than Jocelyn before they started evening out. She fared better in the womb. She was our little nutrition thief. Jocelyn is on a race to catch up though....and if you don't believe me...this is where their personality differences come in. Drama, drama, llama. Jocelyn is definitely our girly-girl and you should hear her squeal if the bottle runs out. That's right, squeal.

They are so different in just about every facet of their busy 6-month old lives. They eat, sleep, chatter, cry and laugh different. Take eating for example. When it's time to eat, Nina gets down to business and gets the job done. She likes everything. Whether it's cereal, green beans or exotic mango, the mouth opens, the food goes in and she smiles. Jocelyn on the other hand delicately sucks on the nipple, daintily swallows and eats slower than a 350 pound giant tortoise walks. And she acts like every solid food will kill her if she swallows it. The faces are painful.

Nina isn't tentative about anything. If she wants it, she'll fight and struggle to wiggle her body to find a way. Jocelyn looks at things and basically says, "why bother?" or totally freaks out.

Jocelyn is cutting teeth first, and rolled over first. Nina is moving backwards first. Jocelyn whoops and screams while Nina mostly chatters. Jocelyn has a hysterical cry and Nina just sounds so sad when she cries. Nina's huge smile opens really wide up and down and Jocelyn is exactly the opposite with a big ol' horizontal smile. You've gotta see it.

Who would have thought that from the time they were this young these lyrics would be so true:

"Friends, pals, partners, chums,

But we're marching to different drums

We look a lot alike

But we are not alike

Two...two...totally...totally...utterly...utterly

Opposite...opposite, totally...totally, different...different

Identical twins!"