Half Siblings With Same Sperm Donor Meet

After a shy start, the children took to one another, and began an animated new friendship. The uncommon new family began finding common ground. As the Jacobsons and the Walkers flipped through photo albums, the resemblances between their children were clear.

"She looks like Hilit there," said Terri Jacobson, examining a picture of Maddy. "When you see the baby picture it's very similar."

Meanwhile, Mara examined a baby picture of Maddy's newfound half sister.

"I think they look a lot alike when they were babies," she said.

Maddy wanted to know if the twins bit their nails. Yes, they both did, the Jacobsons said.

"Mine are ugly," Jonah added, making everyone laugh. As the parents compared notes, they also realized that their children share some of the same unusual quirks.

All three like eating the butter, jam, jelly and sugar packets off of restaurant tables. The trio — like the donor — are also athletic.

"And I don't come from a family of athletes," Terri Jacobson said. "And they have the same personality and spirit."

They all like baseball and sports, the children said. Hilit says that she looks like Maddy in her eyebrows, eyelashes and chin.

"I look like Jonah from the nose down," Maddy says. "And I look like Hilit from the nose up. And we all like sports and we're all really hyper."

Telling Kids the Truth

Terri Jacobson says telling children the truth about the circumstances of their birth was important to the family. At age 3, the twins knew there was mom, dad and the donor.

"We have been open and honest with them about their conception from day one and I think that that we've been able to raise children who have a very strong sense of self because of that," Terri said.

Mara Walker also explained to Maddy that she when she was single she had wanted a baby so badly that she went to a special bank for sperm, not money.