Identical of Fraternal?

The results are in.
 
 
(Cruiz, Cannon)
These adorable shirts were custom made by Stitcheroos, one of our sponsors {here}. I’ll probably dress the boys in them every time we leave the house, just so I don’t have to answer questions :)

They are identical!

Cannon and Cruiz are Di/Di twins, meaning the boys were in separate sacs and had separate placentas (easiest set of twins to carry). Being di/di and identical means the egg split during day one or two after being fertilized. I was probably the most excited about the results because being identical means I don’t have a higher chance of having twins again… which means I just might be able to talk Pat into another baby in the future! :)

How the test worked - For the twins 1st Birthday my parents paid to have the twins tested. My mom decided to go with this company {here}. The company sent us 10 cotton swabs and a tube to put them in for both boys. We swabbed the inside of their cheeks before bed with four cotton swabs, and the next morning used four more. They sent two extra in case something happened to the others. I placed the swabs in the separate tubes and sent them back to the company.

In the beginning I thought the boys were fraternal, at birth they looked very different and I had been told so many times that identical di/di twins were incredibly rare, so I didn’t think twice about it. After awhile, when they evened out in weight, they began looking much more similar and I noticed they had too many littlie similar characteristics that their siblings didn’t have – both allergic to milk protein, both had dimples, when I cut their hair it grows faster much faster on the left side than the right, and quirky personality traits. Then my SIL encouraged me to take a picture of both boys and put them together. When I couldn’t see Cannon’s different head shape I honestly couldn’t tell the difference. (Cannon on the left, Cruiz on the right).

   I began researching, and I found this.

“Additionally, some soft tissues of the head and face tend to be influenced by the limited space in the human uterus which was primarily designed for one fetus. Therefore, head shape can be quite different between infant identical twins although these differences may only be transitory.” – proactivegenetics.com

After I read that statement and few more things, my guess was they were identical. I was actually really surprised how happy I am that we tested. It is sooo nice to be able to answer people when they ask if they are identical or not. When I used to say, “We’re not quite sure.” most people didn’t understand. And like I said up above, Pat might be able to be talked in to trying for a girl way down the road :)

Here’s an interesting video on twins, which will explain a lot of question a lot of you might have.

Thanks mom and dad, it was definitely fun Birthday present!

12 Months

Dear Cannon & Cruiz.

It’s hard to believe this was the very first picture taken of the two of you. I nearly fainted when the US tech told me I was having twins.
And who can forget your dad's reaction?

What a journey it’s been.
Forgive me as I cry just a little as I write this. I’m not sure if the tears are due to how hard it’s been, or the fact that your first 12 months are now a blur.
Either way, lets celebrate big today,
because we made it!

(Cannon on the left, Cruiz on the right)

 

It’s hard to believe one year ago today I was giving birth to the two of you. I was literally begging the Doctors to take you out of me, and now the two of you literally own me. Born at 35 weeks & 2 days, our 4 & 5 pound babies are now thriving busy little toddlers who can destroy our house within seconds.

As I went back through pictures the emotions all came rushing back as I remembered…

The exhausting three weeks spent in the NICU.
Cannon, you lasted 10 days, and Cruiz, 21.
    

Becoming master feeders/swaddlers.
Seriously, your dad rocked at the swaddling, you never escaped when he swaddled.
  
Seven months of colic.
I’m not sure you’ll ever be able to make this up to us :)

Nine months of sleepless nights.
Hungry stinkers are what you were!

And more importantly,
it is amazing how easy it was to fall in love with both of you.
There were times I wasn’t sure why God would send anyone two babies at a time, (I was a little irrational at times) and now, there are times when I wonder the exact opposite. Having twins is wonderful, and it’s simply amazing watching the two of you interact. I hope you continue to be the best of friends.

             

Happy Birthday Boys.
It’s difficult to express how much you mean to us.
Here’s to many more years of sweet chaos.

Get ready to party, because tonight, your party is for the entire family,
a sweet reminder that we all survived :)

Love, Mom and Dad

July 16th

At the first of the month, I found myself at my in-laws house with my boys. My SIL Cara and I spent the day together, while our husbands went golfing. Later that evening, Pat had a city council meeting, and more family members showed up with their kids. I was attempting to feed the twins, and simultaneously keep an eye on Ledger as he ran around with cousins. As the older boys gravitated outside, it became very obvious I couldn’t keep an eye on Ledger while feeding both Cannon and Cruiz.

I panicked, it was too similar to the night we left Preslee. I told Ledger he had to come in, which led to a meltdown, he didn’t understand why he was the only kid who’s mom wouldn’t let him go outside to play. Shortly after, I knew I couldn’t do it by myself, so I packed up my kids as fast as I could and cried all the way home.

It was a horrible way to start the month, and left me with an abnormal amount of anxiety. 

Today marks four years since Preslee passed away.

Sometimes I’m not sure how we’ve made it this far without her,
but it’s our life, and we’ll continue on the best that we can.

And though most days I try to not let my grief consume me, I think it’s safe to say every once in awhile it’s okay to sit and cry, tune out the rest of the world, and surround ourselves with the little things that remind us of our daughter, and today is one of those days.

We miss you Monkey,
more than you know.

 

Red, White, & Blue

We had a wonderful hot 4th of July. On the 2nd, everyone camped out at my parents house (The twins and I went home) and Ledger loved every second of it. He thought roasting marshmallows and sleeping with Dad in a tent was about the coolest he’d ever seen.

On the 4th, we made it to the Rexburg parade. (First time in years) Ledger had a blast with cousins and Uncle Mark and even tried a few pieces of candy. We spent the afternoon at my parent’s house, and later that evening went to my Grandparents for a BBQ.

This was the first year Pat and I could relax a little bit with Ledger running around next to a huge pond. He finally communicates and understands well enough, that after we put a life jacket on him, he was golden.

           

On the 5th, we had a Wightman Family Reunion. We kicked it off with running in the Color in Motion 5k which was an absolute blast! We will run in another one for sure. My mom watched the kids, and who knows how I got a clean freak child, but Ledger begged me to clean myself from the minute the race ended all the way home :)

We spent the rest of the day at my parents house. Four out of my mom’s five siblings and all their kids came. The little kids spent the afternoon in the water, and for dinner, dutch oven was served.

   

Each person decorated a ping pong ball and raced it down the waterfall. (There’s multiple levels) My aunt Janeen won, and Cannon took 3rd! 

  

We also spent a lot of time at Patrick’s family. Our boys had so much fun playing with cousins they zonked for about two days straight!

        

Hope you all had a fabulous 4th of July!