Alums Raise Next Generation of Spartan Twins
Carlos Argueta
It has been over a year since Manchester welcomed the arrival of two special Spartans into the community. On June 25, 2018, twins Aubree Jo Marlatt and Adalyn Paige Marlatt were born to Leslie Marlatt ’13, assistant director of Career and Professional Development, and her husband Adam Marlatt ’13, a teacher.
While it has been a fun and loving experience for the new family, twins have also been a learning experience for the new parents. “It has been a whirlwind,” Leslie said. “These are our first kids. I do not know anything about kids, but twin life—I was very nervous about—but it has been a lot easier than I anticipated.”
Leslie and Adam were both shocked about the news. For weeks they expected to have only one child, but that all changed when the doctor performed the ultrasounds. “We went ten weeks thinking we are having one baby, then all of a sudden, we are having two, and it was just a great shock,” Leslie explained. With the young couple now knowing they were to have twins, the gravity of it all started to sink in. “Initially I was freaking out,” Leslie said. “I was very grateful and thankful, but I did not know how to raise one baby, so how am I going to raise two?”
The stress and shock soon went away as the community and family members stepped in to make sure everything was ready for the arrival of Aubree and Adalyn. “We had a huge village so we did not need to worry about everyday items for almost nine months, and we were well stocked on everything,” Leslie said. “We were just fortunate we had that village to go to.”
Fast-forwarding to today, Aubree and Adalyn are 19 months old. Filled with a lot of energy and life, they are starting to develop their own personalities. Aubree is a very outgoing kid who loves to interact with people and enjoys FaceTiming family members and friends. She also loves to read on her own and has started to develop a strong vocabulary. Adalyn is much quieter. She loves to be active by playing basketball with her hoop and playing with her toys, especially her kitchen set. “It has been fun watching them both grow not just as twins, but as individuals,” Leslie said. “Yes, they look very much alike, but they are very different.”
The young family also enjoys doing activities together as much as they can. Aubree and Adalyn love to visit Grandma as much as possible, and both enjoy being with the whole extended family. One activity the family enjoys doing is visiting the Fort Wayne Zoo, and getting to see and interact with all the animals. The zoo is a special place for the kids, and they are even exclusive card members so that they can visit as much as possible.
For the new family, times have been great for everyone. The twins are learning new things every single day at daycare. Leslie is back at Manchester entering her sixth year at the university as a staff member, too. Leslie was a student at Manchester, earning her degree in educational studies. “I love Manchester,” she said. “I am Manchester to my bones,I will stay here until they say it is time to leave.”
Leslie and Adam’s experience has been nothing but rewarding for the couple. They have given birth to two healthy twins, and it has been the most amazing gift they have ever received. After this experience, both Leslie and Adam try their hardest to help encourage, advise and support other first-time parents. “I would definitely say to every parent to hold on: the ride is going to be crazy, you are going to have some days that are amazing and some days that are going to be very hard,” Leslie said. “But ultimately, you can get through it, and even on the worst day, there is still something to be thankful. Just try your best, because being parents is the most beautiful thing to experience.”