Nobody ever prepares you for the momentous events in life. I went into my first pregnancy with stars in my eyes and absolutely no concept of reality.

Once I found out I was expecting, I had two happy, healthy days before my condition deteriorated rapidly. The first shock was having morning sickness all day for the first 16 weeks. I should have kept track of how many times I threw up and then at least had my moment of fame on That’s Incredible or something.

When my precious twins were finally born, I continued to cling to my idea of what “should be” despite having had my expectations dashed again and again during the previous nine months.

Of our six children, only one was truly beautiful at birth, and that was Molly, the second-born twin. Even the nurses exclaimed over her delicate features and beautiful skin. As I snuggled down with my tiny ball of perfection, I breathed a sigh of contentment. "This was how things should have been all along," I thought.

Katie, my first born, was down in the neonatal intensive care unit at this point. “Nothing serious,” everyone reassured me. They just wanted to check her over. I hadn’t seen Katie yet, but as they were twins, I assumed they would look alike. I was even wondering if we would have trouble telling them apart.

About this time, a nurse poked her head into my room to announce that Katie was on her way, and all was well. When she returned and I held out my free arm to grab Katie, I could hardly conceal my excitement. Would she be an exact replica of my lovely little Molly? I peered into the swaddling blankets and then shot a furtive glance at my husband. Next, I checked her wristband, convinced that the doctor had made a mistake. But, no, the bracelet read, “Kaitlyn Elizabeth Eimer.”

I was stunned. Kaitlyn looked nothing like her sister. Molly’s doll-like features were serene and peaceful while Katie’s were contorted in constant motion, screwing up into the most fantastic grimaces I’d ever seen. Molly was fair with a beautiful complexion, while Katie was blotchy and wrinkled. But the clincher was her hair. While Molly had blond peach fuzz evenly dispersed across her fair brow, Kaitlyn had two clumps of black hair, one directly above each ear.

I was speechless. How could twins, of all people, look so different? Of course, no matter what Kaitlyn looked like, at birth or at any other time, my love for her wouldn’t change one single bit. Anyone who has been a parent can relate to that. I was just taken aback, as I often am, when my expectations and reality don’t meet.

This was further accentuated the next day. I was talking to a nurse and said something about Katie. “Now Katie,” she said. “Is she the one who looks like Mo?” “Mo?” I repeated, suspecting what was in her head but not ready for the truth. “Yeah, you know, with her hair and her silly faces she looks just like Mo from the Three Stooges!”

If I would have been more familiar with the Three Stooges, at least I could have corrected her and said it was really Curly that my daughter resembled. Instead, I managed a pathetic little laugh and said, “Yeah, that’s her.”

Although this comment was a tough pill to swallow, I rationalized that the nurse was a stranger and surely my family would feel differently. When my parents visited, I analyzed their every movement to see whether they differentiated between the girls, but they didn’t say a word, and each child got equal treatment.

The next week, however, my husband’s aunt and uncle came to visit. This aunt is a wonderful woman, but she does speak her mind. She picked up Molly first and “oohed” and “aahed” at her loveliness. Then the time came for her and her husband to switch babies. She reached out for Katie and gave a perplexed look. She was silent for a few moments and then began a long narrative on her own two beautiful teenage daughters. Finally, she paused and said in her most empathetic voice, “Don’t worry about Katie, Barb. Ugly babies almost always turn out to be beautiful later in life.”

How was a mother to respond? Should I be offended because she told the truth or just hope she knew what she was talking about?

Well, 12 years have passed, and I write this story only because I have to give my aunt credit for one thing – she knows her babies! Katie did indeed grow up to be a pretty girl. The black clumps of hair fell out and were replaced with beautiful, long blonde hair, and the only time she makes faces is when I ask her to help around the house.

Now, my husband and I are wondering if we could get the little baby look back for a few years when it comes time for her to date. Maybe I’d better give my aunt a call. I’m sure she would have an opinion on that too.

Want to see more?

• Two at Once: Becoming a Parent of Twins
• Twins: The Science Behind Those Dynamic Duos
• Big-eared Babies: Should You Play Crib-side Psychic?
• Talk about it!