and Little Matthew Rolls
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When you have as many kids in a family as we do, we can't even go to the grocery store without a flurry of questions, which we truly don't mind answering, by the way. Add to that the fact that we have a set of twins, more questions. Now, and possibly the largest reason we are approached, is that the twins look so different. Visually, Charlie has an odd shaped head with scars and a shunt; but Matthew, on the other hand, has a beautiful, round head, albeit, rather large. Matthew is the larger of the two, but the quietest. Charlie is our talker and will gladly introduce himself to anyone and make sure they know that his head has been fixed. And, let me take this time to say, if you have ever seen someone and thought "what is wrong with him/her", we would rather you ask us a hundred questions as to staring and elbowing the person next to you so they could stare too. You know who you are, we've all don it. We just have a greater appreciation for those brave enough to approach us and ask what ever is on their mind. What's the worst that can happen? You might find out that you have far more in common than meets the eye.
Needless to say, having these websites, we get lots of questions, mostly pertaining to Charlie, but then there are the basic, "I was just wondering" questions. So, as silly as it sounds, and it does sound silly, I've added this page just for fun.
1. Why did you create this web site?
How could we not share our story. My goals are very simple:
- Encourage those facing insurmountable obstacles
- Give HOPE to the hopeless
- Support those in need
- Guide people in the right direction to get the information they need
- To educate, educate, educate
- Inspire people to get involved with a charity
- Meet and befriend other families like ours
- Form a "support network" for families with special needs
- Possibly make someone smile and maybe even laugh if they feel so inclined
2. Are Charlie and Matthew identical twins?
No, they are fraternal.
3. Which one is the oldest, Charlie or Matthew?
Charlie is older by about 15 seconds. Looks can be deceiving, Matthew is much
larger than Charlie, sometimes even giving the impression that they aren't even
twins.
4. Do twins run in our family?
Yes, fraternal twins run in your maternal bloodlines, so we were undoubtedly
destined to have twins. In fact, when I told my Grandmother we were going
to have twins, she said "it's about time". I honestly thought my Grandma and
my Mom were trying to scare me away from having sex, but the jokes on me.
Just for the record, identical twins are not hereditary, they are just a lucky
fluke of nature.
5. Did you get pregnant with IVH or other outside "help"?
No, it was completely spontaneous.
6. How do you manage 5 kids?
It amuses me that people are so shocked to find out we have 5 kids. We didn't
set out to have this many, it just happened. I suppose God knows what we
need more than we do. Luckily for us, I am able to stay at home and manage all
things "kid" related and otherwise. Having said that, it is tough! Some days are
worse than others, but overall, I take pride in being 'Mommy" and love all of
my children without end. Everyday is a new challenge for us, but I wouldn't be
completely honest if I didn't say that I complain from time to time. Then reality
hits me when I remember what the twins have been through just to live, and
everything becomes amazingly clear. We are blessed, even amid the chaos,
we are blessed beyond measure.
7. Do Charlie & Matthew have any unique "twin" behaviors?
You often hear stories about twins who have their own language, or need to
sleep together, or even finish one another's sentences. Needless to say, as a
mother of twins, I have been asked this same question over a dozen times. The
answer is yes, although, it isn't anything you might imagine it is. So, for all of
you who are interested, here it is...
When you have as many kids in a family as we do, we can't even go to the grocery store without a flurry of questions, which we truly don't mind answering, by the way. Add to that the fact that we have twins, more questions. Now, and possibly the largest reason we are approached, is that Charlie is obviously "different" from his twin. He has an unusual head shape, lots of scars and a nice large bump, which would be his shunt (very noticeable), even more questions. And, let me take this time to say, if you've ever seen someone and wondered "what is wrong with him/her?", we would rather you ask us a hundred questions as opposed to just staring and elbowing the person next to you so that, they, may stare too. You know who you are, we've all done it. We just have a greater appreciation for those with enough courage to approach us, and who knows, you might find us extremely interesting, and friendly, and nice, and caring, and considerate......
In fact, we are so used to having people approach us that Charlie has began to introduce himself, shake hands and say how nice it is to meet him/her/them. Matthew refuses to speak to anyone, so teaching him is out of the question.
Needless to say, having this web site also brings up loads of questions, particularly about Charlie's issues. As silly as it sounds, and it does sound silly, I have added this page just for fun. Enjoy...
1. Why did you create this web site?
How could we not share Charlie's story. My goals are very simple:
Encourage those facing insurmountable obstacle 2. How do you explain how Charlie has overcome so much, despite the prognosis This is probably the most asked question we get. I never intended this website to be a forum for religion, but, if I'm being completely honest, you must know exactly what I believe to be the reason. In fact, I truly debated even adding this question for myself First, let me clarify a very important fact, there is absolutely no scientific and/or medical explanation for how Charlie has managed to "escape" the life that we were told was his future.
Give HOPE to the hopeless
Support those in need
Guide people in the right direction to get the information they need
To educate, educate, educate
Inspire people to get involved with a charity
Meet and befriend other families like ours
Form a "support network" for families with special needs
Possibly make someone smile and maybe even laugh if they feel so inclined
the experts gave him?
to answer, you know, being politically correct and all. I will tell you that I made up my
mind to include this one in church last Sunday. Our Pastor was speaking DIRECTLY to
me and gave me my answer. Wham! There it was, and so here is my answer.
My answer to this question is God, or Jesus or even the man upstairs. Whatever you choose to call him, he's the ONLY reason Charlie is doing so well. I don't even care what religion you are, you must recognize a miracle when you see one. I can tell you that
from the second the twins were born, hundreds of family, friends and complete strangers began praying for our boys. The Baptists were starting prayer chains, the Catholics were offering Mass and even the Atheists were questioning "who's in charge?", all in an attempt to help our fragile babies. It worked. Prayer, faith and the belief that God could save these babies, that's all it took. There is my answer. Take it for what it is.
I must also add, as I'm not giving credit where it is due, that I thank God daily for giving the physicians the knowledge and skill needed to save my twins. The doctors are truly amazing people, sacrificing more than we will ever know, to keep us all healthy.
So, to all the physicians out there: for your dedication, I thank you, we all should thank you.
I find this particular photo very moving and I have no doubt as to it's accuracy.... 3. Are Charlie and Matthew Identical Twins?
No. They are fraternal.
4. Which one is the oldest, Charlie or Matthew?
Charlie is older by about 15 seconds. Looks can be deceiving, Matthew is much larger than Charlie, sometimes even giving the impression that they aren't even twins.
5. Do twins run in our family?
Yes, fraternal twins run in your maternal bloodlines. Just for the record, identical twins are not hereditary, they are just a lucky fluke of nature.
6. Did you get pregnant with IVF or other outside "help"?
No, our twin preganacy was completely spontaneous 7. How do you manage 5 kids?
It amuses me that people are so amazed that we have 5 kids. What is so unusual about it? We certainly didn't set out to have 5 kids, it just happened. I suppose God knows what we need more than we do. Luckily for us, I am able to stay at home and manage all things "kid" and otherwise. Having said that, it is tough! Someways are worse than others, but overall, I take pride in being "Mommy" and love my children without end. Everyday is a new challenge for us, but I wouldn't be completely honest if I didn't say that I complain from time to time. Then reality hits me when I remember what the twins have been through just to live and everything becomes amazingly clear. We are blessed, even amid the chaos and disabilities, we are blessed beyond measure.
8. Do Charlie & Matthew have any unique twin behaviors?
You often hear stories about twins who have their own language, or need to sleep together, or even finish one another's sentences. Needless to say, as a mother of twins, I have been asked this same question over a dozen of times. The answer is yes, although it isn't anything you might imagine it is. So, for all of you who are interested, here it is..... The only thing that the boys do that I find remotely related to being a twin is that they tend to "bump" heads each and every time they are close to one another. I can't even sit them next to each other for any reason. They immediately lay their heads on the other. They have been doing this since they came home from the NICU and I still find it extremely sweet and wonderful. I used to think that they didn't have that "twin connection", but they do and it is much more than I dreamed it could be.
