Look how they’ve grown! Twins that captured our hearts celebrate first birthday

Premature twins pictured on the front page of The Sunday Post last February are preparing to celebrate their first birthday.

Our touching snap of tiny Innes and Blair Lowden clasping their mitts together went viral and was shared around the world.

Now, a year on, the brothers are a gurgling picture of health.

They have amazed mum and dad Laura and Craig with their cheeky antics, soaring to a bouncing 19lb and passing every baby milestone with flying colours.

“They delight us every day with their progress,” said Laura, 33, of Duddingston, Edinburgh.

“Innes is crawling at a rate of knots and Blair isn’t far behind him.

“They grow bigger every day and always seem to need to need larger baby clothes.

“The bond between them is amazing to watch and it’s lovely to see them play together. When Innes makes off Blair seizes hold of the toys for himself.”

Last February we told how the brothers were born weighing little more than 3lb and rushed to intensive care, where doctors feared they might not make a full recovery.

But as soon as the twins were reunited and were side-by-side, they reached out across the incubator to each other, forming a brotherly bond that will never be broken.

“They have hardly been out of each other’s sight since,” said mum.

Senior banking analyst Laura was stunned when she discovered she was expecting twins at just six weeks pregnant.

“I was unwell and doctors carried out a scan that revealed two babies,” she said.

“I went from fearing there was no baby to discovering there were two!”

The adorable duo were born 10 weeks early by emergency caesarean section when Laura went into labour.

Doctors were amazed when they left hospital just five weeks later after sailing through intensive and special care.

“We are indebted so the wonderful work of the hospital team,” said Laura.

But their route to health was not smooth.

Both boys had to have surgery for hernias last May and then caught the lung infection, bronchiolitis.

“Seeing them ill again brought back all those early worries which we experienced when they were premature,” Laura added.

“But they fought through that too, and have never looked back.”

Dad Craig, 33, an investment manager with Aberdeen Asset Management, said: “Each day has been a joy . . . hectic, but we wouldn’t swap it for the world.

“Our boys have a wonderful bond, which was evident from the moment they were reunited outside the womb.

“Our lives changed completely when they arrived and we are loving every minute of it.”

And the secret to their lovable grins?

A healthy appetite, says mum.

“Both boys have great appetites and wolf down anything put in front of them,” said Laura.

“Fish curry is their favourite!”