Apr 09 2009
Telling the Identicals Apart
Five weeks into my pregnancy I found out I was having quadruplets. Since we transferred three embryos during our IVF procedure it appears all the embryos “took” and one split, creating a set of identicals. But who are the identicals?
Everyone wants to know who the “twins” are. I don’t have twins. I have quadruplets. Because Tortilla and Cakes are the only two with the same blood type, I have always presumed they are the identicals. Identicals, not twins. You see even though they are identical to one another they are fraternal to Roo and Sue-Sue, so you can’t call them twins. Some people have commented that I have two sets of twins… one fraternal and one identical. That categorization still doesn’t work because, again, four babies at the same time.
Now, let’s get back to the topic at hand. How do I tell Tortilla and Cakes apart. Oh, it can be tricky. From day one there have been subtle differences. For the first year or so Tortilla’s face was slightly rounder. Cakes was more vocal (as in she cried loud and hard when she wanted something). Call it a mother’s instinct… I could usually tell them apart, even as infants, but sometimes I would have to put them side by side to figure out who was who. When our volunteers came over I would put Tortilla and Cakes in different colored clothing. Looking at pictures from a few years ago I now have trouble distinguishing between the two. Thank goodness I was good about cataloging those photos and putting names and dates on the back!
Cakes and Tortilla, as identicals, clearly have pretty similar features, but they have different personalities and different tastes. Tortilla is extremely sensitive. If she knows she hurt your feelings, she’ll start to cry. Cakes is up for adventure and is the one most likely to be dancing on the coffee table (or encouraging her sisters to do it). They both would like to live in party dresses and party shoes, but Tortilla prefers pink… Cakes likes yellow and orange. Cakes loves vegetables. Tortilla would rather eat candy.
They have quite a strong bond. When we moved in to our new house their beds ended up being together. Often times Hubby and I would check on the girls at night and find Cakes and Tortilla sound asleep with their feet sticking through the slats of their cribs so their feet were touching one another. I still find Cakes near the bottom of her bed most nights so she can be near Tortilla.
Their bond has affected the bond between Roo and Sue-Sue. Since Cakes and Tortilla often pair up, Roo and Sue-Sue pair up as well. If Sue-Sue is sad and needs her blankie it’s usually Roo who brings it to her. Yet all four of them are close and have a bond very few will be able to immerse themselves in.
Stephanie at Ask Me Anything wants you to, well, ask her anything. Among her credentials she’s a scientist, an engineer, a rocket scientist and a mathematician. So I took her up on her ask me anything philosophy and posed these questions: how identical are identical twins (ok, I called them twins in this question but I didn’t want to make it complicated)? Do they share the same blood type and fingerprints? She confirmed Tortilla and Cakes are the identicals. Want to know what makes them identical? Well, I think I’ll have to direct you to Ask Me Anything .
7 Responses to “Telling the Identicals Apart”
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Good point, Sadia. They look the same, but are still individuals. That’s been the hardest struggle for me with all four, regardless of how they look. People tend to view them as “the quads,” rather than little girls with their own likes and dislikes. (I would love to be around though if you ever tell someone your daughters are monozygotic!)
For me having quad is so cute. It’s interesting knowing their differences as an individual. Mothers can always tell who is who between the twins, even i guess if your 4 girls are identical, you can still identify them. If I see your Cakes and Tortilla i guess I can’t tell who is Roo and Sue-sue.
My nephews are triplets and two are identical (although right now they don’t look that much alike!). It was harder to tell them apart when they were babies but now that they are almost 9, it’s much easier.
Dubster: You’d definitely know who Roo is because she wears glasses. She and Sue-Sue are not identical so it’s a lot easier to distinguish them.
Jayewalking: you’re right… as they get older it’s much easier to tell them apart, but I still have my moments… to the point where all my girls will correct me when I’m wrong. I think they think I’m joking.
Stephanie: I understand to a degree where you’re going with this. Our personalities and mannerisms are what makes us individuals, regardless of whether we’re “identical” to someone. The things Tortilla and Cakes say and the way they say them help me distinguish between the two. However, put them in the same outfit and it may take me a moment to figure out who is who. Once they’re personalities started to develop, though, things became a tad easier.