Irish Twins

I remember when Heather told me we were pregnant for Perrin. It wasn’t planned to happen so soon. I was sitting at my desk with a fresh cup of coffee when I got a text message with a picture of a positive pregnancy test. 9 months later, we had our first child, a beautiful blue-eyed baby boy. It was an experience! A month later, I mentioned one night that I’d like another son someday. Fast forward to the next month, turns out someone was listening to me, Heather was pregnant again. This was....different. If you read some of my other articles, you can learn more about the obstacles we had to overcome with Jace and the worst hospital I’ve ever been to.

It’s been 2 years since Jace, (the youngest) was born, and let me tell you, they are 10 months apart and sometimes it is a lot to handle. I will also tell you that them being so close has been a blessing. They are very close to each other and you can see it when they go to day care. Perrin and Jace will be plain hateful sometimes, but it warms my heart to see them defend each other. NOBODY messes with Perrin’s little brother, and Jace will straight up bite anyone that hurts Perrin (we are working on that). They always think of each other when we go to the store, for example, when Perrin and I went to the store last week and I let him pick out a toy car, he said “Jace, truck,” and picked one out for his brother. It means so much that they are so close, as I am not with my brother. He chose a different path. It has been hell for us as parents sometimes, as soon as one finishes a phase, the other starts it. Jace is a little more advanced for his age, but I firmly believe that is because his big brother shows him how to do everything. They chastise each other and they take care of each other. It makes me sleep better at night knowing that when I leave this earth, that they will have each other to lean on.

I was terrified at first, didn’t think I was going to be able to pull this off. I was worried about them turning out like my brother and me, but they are so much better than us. They are sweet but they stand tall with hard hands. They will not let anyone mess with them. They always think of each other, and rarely bicker with each other. I feel sorry for anyone that crosses these two little men.

If I had it to do again, I would change nothing. My boys have more than parents, they have each other. Nothing can compare to what I watch happen every single day with these two. Having them this close together was not a plan, but it has been quite easy for us. We have had to wean Perrin off of things a little later, and wean Jace a little early on some things, but for the most part, we are getting all of the stages of having a toddler taken care of at one time instead of having to start it twice.

Perrin tries to lead Jace, and not in a bossy way. He tries to LEAD and not do it in a way that is condescending, it appears that he wants to teach Jace how to do things instead of just having him do whatever. It’s something special to watch these two. I’m sure it’s not for everyone, but I’ve learned to love it. I have two young men that teach me as much if not more than I teach them. They’ve shown me something I’ve never witnessed. A bond that can not be broken by anything. Regardless of how angry they are with each other, they would kill for each other. If one cries, the other one comes running.

To those parents who are expecting their first Irish twin, good luck. Your lives are about to change and you will witness a love greater than you’ve ever seen.Jace and Perrin, 1 month and 11 months old. Photo Courtesy of Dailey's Photography

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