Where Growing Up Is Double The Fun

There is an unsolved mystery on Bonnie Brae Drive in Newtown. It’s nothing to be alarmed about, unless of course you are worried about having twins.

Three sets of twins live within a house of each other on the Bonnie Brae. One of the homes has had two sets of twins born within five years. It is not in the water, as some might say, because all of the families have town water. So the mystery remains unsolved, but the mothers of the children find it unique to have three sets of twins living so near each other.

Debbie and Dan Holmes have six-month-old fraternal twins, Eli and Hanna, and also have four-year-old Lily. Amy and Richard Brady have two-year-old fraternal twins, William and Rebekah. Celeste and Peter Vodola have three-month-old identical twins, Veronica and Angela, and also have Mary, 6, Rebecca, 4, and Joanna, 3. None of the couples used any fertility treatments.

The Holmes twins were born on November 13 and were carried for 40 weeks. The Brady twins were born on March 23 and were carried for 37 weeks. The Vodola twins were born on February 9 and were two months early. So time of year could also be ruled out as to why Bonnie Brae is a popular twin street.

All the mothers say that their twins have different personalities. Hanna is mellow, while Eli feels the need to be close to mom. Rebekah is more social in public, while William feels more open at home. Of course Veronica and Angela are different, but mom has not put a finger on unique qualities about them yet.

“I really expected to think of them as one person,” Mrs Vodola said. “But since they were born I don’t do that.”

Having multiples is a lot of hard work; none of the mothers deny that. But they do believe the twins are worth it.

“People say, ‘oh a lot of work.’” Mrs Holmes said. “But it’s a blessing.”

Mrs Vodola remembers when she moved to Bonnie Brae that Mrs Brady was talking to her about the fact that the only thing she knew was being a mother to twins, whereas Mrs Vodola had three other children before her twin daughters were born.

“The thing about a twin pregnancy is you don’t know you are going to get twins,” Mrs Vodola said. “You don’t know you are going to get a hard blessing.”

Mrs Holmes feels with twins she has learned her strengths and weaknesses as well as becoming a more confident person.

“It’s such a powerful experience to be a mother of multiples,” she said. “I have a lot more confidence than I used to have.”

Challenges are definitely part of the daily routine, especially with double the work. Sometimes it is difficult to feed two babies at the same time. Parents also need at least two of everything.

“The hardest part is the financial end,” Mrs Brady said. “And certain things you need double, like diapers and car seats.”

Attention is one things all three parents admit they receive a lot of when they go into public.

“It’s like you are famous when you take twins out,” Mrs Holmes said. “My errands take a little longer, but I love it.”

The mothers are left baffled as to why twins are popular on Bonnie Brae Drive, but love the playmates even if they do come in twos.