Good Things Always Come in Pairs
In November of 2012, Abigail gave birth to gorgeous identical twin boys - Avery & Blake. The boys were fondly named after their hospital references, Twin A and Twin B; Avery being Twin A and Blake being Twin B.
In Australia, the odds of having twins is about one in 80, with around 30 percent of twins being identical. It is a phenomenon most of us won’t experience in our lifetime, but those who do say it is a surreal experience. Even Abigail and her husband thought the sonographer was joking when she told them that they were going to be having twins.
Not only are Avery and Blake identical twins but they are also mirror twins. Mirror twins are a type of identical twin, which means they mirror each other and appear as matching reflections when facing each other. They have the same physical features, but some are opposite, such as Avery being left-handed and Blake being right-handed; a phenomenon that is only seen in 25 percent of identical twins.
From the early days, even other family members struggled to tell them apart. Since then their mum decided to dress them in their own distinctive colours, so that everyone could tell them apart. Avery’s signature colour is Green and everything light coloured, while Blake’s signature colour is Blue and everything dark. From their name tags to their socks their signature colours are used; a handy way to ensure anyone could tell them apart.
Abigail says, “They have never shared an article of clothing”, as she never wanted to have those twins who were dressed in the exact same clothes. While their clothing is a similar style, it has never been the exact same. She prides herself on the fact that the boys are always treated as individuals, not as one person.
This was incredibly important to her as they are such different little people. Though they are identical, mum Abigail describes them as night and day. She says “They have completely different personalities; their similarities end at their looks.”
“Avery is two minutes older than Blake and he makes sure everyone knows it. He’s thoughtful, very mature, responsible, sensitive and reflective – he likes to sit back and watch – he’s an old soul.”
However, Blake is the opposite of this, described by his mum as “The young rebel – he’s cheeky, funny, confident, boisterous, popular and a boy’s boy.”
Their identical genetics do shine through at times, as Avery and Blake both took their first steps within an hour of each other and they both enjoy each other’s company. The boys both exclaimed that they like being twins as they know they will never be alone and will always have each other, no matter what.
