There’s little bit of magic in being a twin. Having someone there with you from the very beginning to share your life with from the womb, even, is rare. Forming a special bond that nothing can seem to break, parents envision their twins doing everything together–learning to walk and talk at the same time, dressing them in the same outfits they got as twin baby gifts, going to the same school, and definitely having plenty of birthday parties together. Well, maybe not the last one.
See, there’s one Illinois couple who decided that having the same birthday was taking that twin thing a little too far. At the suggestion of their doctor, Brandon Lewis and Ashley Fansler decided to juxtapose their kids across the New Year’s Divide so that they could have separate, distinctive birthdays when a complication arose that required a C-section delivery. When presented with the option, they thought, “Why not?” Madisen was born at 11:59 p.m. on New Year’s Eve 2010, and her brother Aiden was born one minute later at midnight, 2011.
But, they weren’t the only ones ringing in the New Year this way. It seems that Christy and Marlin Alston of North Carolina were doing the same–celebrating the birth of a son and daughter born minutes apart. Ashton Parker Alston was born at 11.58 pm on December 31, 2010, while his little sister by two minutes, Alisha Rae Alston, was born at midnight on January 1, 2011. Thank goodness for both couples that their doctor’s timing was on point…and the little ones decided to cooperate. Any complication or unforeseen delay would have derailed their plans.
But, alas, all is well, and they’ll be in for a lifetime of marathon birthday parties that begin on one day and end the next. Hopefully, it won’t be too confusing when registering for school. One thing’s for sure, it definitely makes them unique. Isn’t it interesting that both sets of twins are fraternal boys and girls? Maybe in the midst of all of this planned parenthood, that’s the most natural coincidence of all.
If you’re like these couples, having a twin boy and a girl, you’ll appreciate these two baby gift ideas:
