The same....and different

When we were told there were TWO BABIES, my immediate thought was that I hoped they could be individuals. I did not give them rhyming names and I refused to dress them alike. It consumed me as to how I could make sure they were not always "the twins."  It even irritated me when people bought them identical outfits and referred to them as "the twins."  

I am not sure when it happened. But it did!  I started dressing them identically and could not stop. I would hyperventilate if anyone even suggested it.  My friend, Melissa, would tell me "could you at least put different shoes on them so I can tell them apart?"  I didn't see the point. After all, they are not identical. They are different. They look different. They act different. They are not the same! Right?!

I cannot deny that they have different personalities. From day one, they were "not the same." I tell people all the time that these boys could not be more different if they had been born to different people!  And that is just what I always wanted for them. To be "Zachary" and "Cooper."  Two little boys who just happened to grow in my belly at the same time. So why do I dress them the same? Probably because I am slightly insane, but that is another blog......

And so here we are. They started kindergarten this year (I know there should be a post about that, but it is still too emotional for me to put "out there," so it will come later. Maybe.). Each night of the first week, when I was getting their clothes out for the day, I had a nagging feeling that it is time to let them pick their own clothes.  So one night, in a moment of weakness, I asked Zachary if he wanted to pick his clothes for the next day. He jumped out of his bed with cautious excitement like he was afraid I was joking.  When I assured him that he could really pick what he wanted to wear, he immediately reached for the clothes I would never have picked for school.  I took a deep breath and told him it was perfect!  All the while I was thinking I could find something "similar" for Cooper to wear and we could ease in to them both picking their own clothes. Chances are that Cooper would not even notice.

I turned back to the closet to pick Cooper's clothes and hear "mama, can I pick my clothes?" I almost passed out.  He noticed! *curses* *curses*  *curses*   I really had no choice. It was time. He did not even look to see what Zachary picked. He reached in and picked his very own clothes. The ones he wanted to wear.

And now they go to school looking like they dressed themselves!  And I am just going to have to live with it.