Maria and Chris Jones-Elliot were thrilled to learn that they were expecting twin girls, already having an adult son and daughter. The couple had picked out names for the babies – Amy and Katie – and had expected them to be born in September. However, Maria went into labor prematurely at 24 weeks of pregnancy and gave birth to Amy on June 1, weighing only 540 grams. Meanwhile, Katie stayed in the womb until August 27, 87 days after Amy’s birth, weighing 2550 grams at birth.
Despite the significant time difference between their births, both twins were allowed to go home around the same time. While Amy had put on weight, she was still visibly smaller than her sister. Their birth story garnered media attention, and they even set a world record recorded by the Guinness Book of Records.
As twins born on different days, Amy and Katie each have their own birthday and receive congratulations and gifts on both occasions. By their first birthday, Amy had caught up to Katie’s development, but their personalities differed greatly, although their appearances became increasingly similar.
Now aged 8 and 7 respectively, the twin girls are preparing to enter the second grade of elementary school and excel academically while helping each other out. Their parents ensure that their names are on their schoolbags to aid their classmates and teachers in telling them apart. Despite being born 87 days apart, there are many differences between Amy and Katie that their parents can easily discern.