Yes, There are Benefits

  There are issues with any sibling age gap, whether it's minutes or years.  The older can be jealous, the younger can't be left alone, they want to do different things, etc. There are also advantages: the older can help out, the younger takes long naps so you can get stuff done, they can play in the same room for a decent period of time.

It's hard to see the silver lining when that pregancy test comes back positive so soon after you just gave birth.  Believe it or not, there are advantages to having "Irish Twins" or "Two under 2".

1. Your older child will still need a lot of sleep, meaning you get to rest, too. 

2. Your older child will probably be too young to know what's going on, so you might not have to deal with jealousy issues. We could see on J's face when she realized baby E wasn't going anywhere, but she was so young she did't really understand what it all meant.

3. You'll cycle through your maternity clothes faster. You'll probably want to burn them when you're done because you're so sick of them, though.

4. If your kids are the same gender, you won't have to get all new clothes for the second one. 

5. You'll cycle through toys faster and won't have to worry about unsafe toys for the younger child for as long. 

6. They'll be doing a lot of the same things closer to the same time, meaning they'll be able to do more of the same things together. They can enjoy the same activities, shows and books. You don't have to worry about one being bored as easily.

7. You will be a rockstar among other moms. You'll hear "Wow" in a tone of mixed amazement, shock and awe from everyone. Even mothers of twins.

8. Your children will be best friends. Yes, they'll squabble and fight, but that's a normal part of sibling dynamics.  When one does something nice for the other one, your heart will melt and it will all be worth it.

I wouldn't have believed it that morning when I held that positive pregnancy test in my had, but I am glad things turned out this way. And if you find yourself in this situation, trust me, you will too.

No, They're Not Twins

  My girls are 13 months apart. If you want to get picky, they're a 12 months and 22 days apart; but at this point, who's counting?

No, it wasn't planned. We'd had some problems trying to get the first one, so I didn't think I needed to worry about getting pregnant again. Heh. I remember giving J, the older girl, a night feeding when she was a few months old. As I was rocking back and forth in the glider, I felt a bit nauseous. I still had a bunch of tests left over, so that next morning, I took one. It was the line-iest line than ever line-d. I went to show my husband, A, my hands shaking. He asked me what was wrong and I just showed him the test. He was thrilled. It took me a bit longer to adjust.

I wouldn't have believed it that morning, but having them back to back has turned out really well. Now almost five and four, J and E are great friends, when they're not picking on each other like normal siblings. They can entertain each other and play without me watching over them constantly. 

I wouldn't have believed it that day, but it really is great.