Down Syndrome Awareness Day #8 - Twins, how to tell them apart

One question I have been asked time and time again is how do we tell the twins apart?  I often say that they look as different from each other as Camille and Elijah do to us.  This often gets nothing more than a giggle and a "Yeah Right!"

We have service providers who have worked with the twins for years and are able to tell them apart as easy as I can.  But if they move on to another case and don't see twins for awhile they go right back to square one.  

I must admit that photographs are harder for me to determine which boy is which sometimes.. Like photo #1 here:

Guess;

Through process of elimination I know that Isaac has a much rougher start with a double length NICU stay and more surgeries than Caleb so in this photo Caleb is on the left and Isaac is on the right. I say that because Isaac was a little smaller and this photo shows a chunky monkey on the left side.

Speaking of surgeries, my family was often caught pulling up boys shirts when they were little to look for the "Cheater Bar".  Isaac had developed NEC at two weeks old and had to have surgery to remove a section of his small intestine.  He then had a colostomy bag for several weeks before a reversal to fix it.  Thus the scar has become known as the cheater bar.  Isaas also had a broviac catheter placed in his neck in the NICU so he does have a few scars on his neck you can see if you really look.

Shape;

Another way to tell them apart is something that I found out after I had identical twins myself.  I had never really known identical twins well enough to put this theory to test, but I can say its true in my boys for sure.  The trick to tell identical twins apart is that one twin will have a rounder face (Isaac) and one twin will have a more oval face (Caleb).  Can you guess the photos above who is who?

Personality;

These boys are so very the same in so many ways and yet so very different in other ways.  Medically, they are very much the same.  One gets a cold the other is a day behind.  One needs a surgery to repair something soon enough the other twin develops the same issue and needs surgery.  Caleb is my comedian as you can see in photo #1 & #2 below... BUT WAIT.. as I was looking through these photos I see Isaac in photo #3, #4 & #5 below and see he is a comedian too.. ok, well...um, I'm stuck.

Actually Caleb is a little more advanced in his sign language and communication skills than Isaac.  Isaac is a little more aggressive towards peers and therefore stays to himself a little more around children.  On the other hand, Isaac loves adults and is known as our hugger.  He loves going around each Sunday at church and handing out handshakes or hugs.  

Rainbow Eyes;

Isaac has the most gorgeous eyes.  When he smiles they turn into Rainbows, see photo #2 below.  I love the joy you can see in his eyes when he is genuinely smiling about something.  I don't get as many photos of Isaac smiling as I do with Caleb so I treasure each and everyone of them.  These photos were taken spring of this year.

If you know my boys personally and can add how you tell them apart, please share.  I love hearing how others figure it out.  Also, thank you for someone asking how do we tell them apart.. If anyone else has a question I can answer I am always looking for blog post ideas.  Comment below!