Last week, I took Arlo and Huey to the market in the double pram. As I was waiting for coffee, a bearded, faintly glowing man said to me reverentially, “Twins! Such a blessing.” I was a bit taken aback, but I just smiled and said thanks. This was one time that I didn’t feel like spoiling the illusion. Usually, the question is asked somewhat quizzically: “Are they…twins?” I haven’t quite worked out how to tell the story in twenty five words or less, but I do take the time to spell it out, because I feel like we are a walking case study for how same-sex families are not only OK, they are also gorgeous.
It’s true though, the gap is narrowing, and if they didn’t look so different (despite having the same donor) there wouldn’t be a query, just an assumption of twindom. Where once only Arlo hit Huey, now Huey can hit back. Their gross motor skills are roughly equivalent. Huey can finally defend his toys, and does so, loudly and emphatically. And while Arlo is streaking ahead with three and four word sentences, Huey’s pronounciation is very clear.
More importantly, they adore each other. When Huey wakes up from his nap this afternoon, the first word on his lips will be “Ayo!” His first destination will be to deliver Arlo’s lovey to the living room where Arlo will be asleep on a cot mattress on the floor. Arlo doesn’t give two hoots about the lovey, but Huey is a card-carrying lovey lover and so thinks that Arlo will be needing his too. We’ll encourage Huey to wake Arlo up (because if he sleeps too long in the day we can’t get him to bed at a decent time), and Huey will most likely comply - life is more fun, if also a bit more stressful, when Arlo is there too.
