Wombmates

Our twin daughters, Eliza and Arielle, were born on October 6, 2004 at 4:31 and 4:44 am, respectively, and even though those 13 minutes felt like the longest minutes of my life, since that day I have felt like the luckiest human in the entire universe to be blessed twice over with the opportunity to be their mom.

I remember laying in my hospital bed that day with my knees bent up so that i could prop each one wrapped in their blankets against my thighs and stare at them endlessly. Eliza peeped out of the blanket with a bald head of wispy blond hair and wide, curious blue eyes darting around the room. Arielle wanted to sleep more, but her beautiful brown eyes twinkled and smiled sweetly when they slowly opened.

I actually remember in that moment forecasting 18 years ahead to this day, when they would be graduating high school and likely leaving each other for the first time as they headed off to college… and here we are….in the blink of an eye….Eliza is heading to the West Coast and Arielle to the Midwest. As excited as we are for each of their new adventures, like many parents sending their kids off to college, this moment feels overwhelming at times. Not only are they leaving our house, but we are watching them leave each other for the first time to forge their own paths and start lives on their own. They will no longer be introduced as “the Goldman girls”. They will no longer say good night to each other at bedtime (as they meet in their shared bathroom), unless they choose to call each other across time zones. Staying connected is now a choice I hope they will forever choose.

The girls have always called each other “womb-mates” in a silly nod to their original bond in my belly. And now as they head off to have actual roommates for the first time, it seems that their appreciation for their original womb-mate is greater than ever. As their mom who wants nothing more than for this bond to remain a priority to them no matter how many miles come between them, I thought this Tiny Tags necklace to wear close to their hearts would be a special gift. I want for them to always have it as a keepsake reminder of the incredible relationship they are lucky enough to have as twin sisters.

Even though it feels like my heart will be beating outside of my body in two different time zones soon, I hope these necklaces help to keep their hearts connected forever. To their mom, that would be a gift just as special as the day they were born. 

- Deborah