Fresh Air...

...how sweet it is.

Delicious

Kellen's personality has been in full bloom the last couple of weeks. Gosh, he is so delicious I could just eat him up!!! Here are some of my favorite pics over the last few weeks.


Kel's new kissy face!

Pee-ka-boo!

Aaron was throwing his dirty laundry out of our closet last night (yes, he does have a hamper. And no, I dont know why he has not been using it!), and Kel was fascinated. When Aaron turned around he realized Kel had one of his shirts on! We dont know if Aaron threw it and just landed perfectly around Kel's neck or if Kel put it on!! But cute, cute nonetheless.

Baby Got Back!

SUPER-BABY!!!!

Brother steals SUPER-BABY's cape!

And he is off! This kid hates clothes!!!

Our First Haircut!

We had another first today...a haircut. Paxton's wig was OUT OF CONTROL!!! Kellen's hair is literally perfect. But they both got a trim today and look adorable. We played at Davis Kidd after and I felt like I was chasing different children!!!

Moms, can you relate?

You spend hundreds of dollars on toys just to have your kiddos snub them to play on your furniture? And there used to be cute candleholders in this space...BROKEN! And do you see those fingerprints on the window behind them...I IGNORE them!!


But they are so pround when they climb through, you continue to allow it...even when you know you shouldnt.


OR, when the outside of your house looks like this and you cant go outside...

...you resort to playing dress up EVEN if you are dressing your boys up in your accessories!!!


OR, when your kiddos get so dirty at dinner you just swipe the shirt off and dont bother replacing!!


I know I am not alone on this!!!

swaddled in love...

A very good friend of mine is a NICU nurse at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital here in Nashville. And I know all the twin mommys out there have a special place in their heart for the NICU and the nurses that nurture our babies when we couldnt. Here is a post from her blog, which is private, so I wanted to share. If you are interested in donating email me at courtneynash10@gmail.com. Here is Scarlett's post:

As we all know I am a nurse in the NICU. I have "runs" of good days where I witness nothing but the endless love and hope parents have for their babies. I think of the neonatal ICU as a roller coaster. The ups and downs is enough to make even the most hopeful parents nauseated. Lately, I am guilty of bringing my work home with me. I have taken care of so many babies where their little life has been full of more challenges than my 28 year old mind can comprehend. Some of the babies stories are more complicated than the typical preemie course. I have told David multiple times that if I could bring babies home from work that need love our house would be full of babies. I think my fellow nurses do a great job at fostering love whenever possible....whether it be immediately following a surgery or in the last moments when parents can't find the strength to be present. I have noticed that simple things such as normal, sweet blankets put in the incubators help moms and dads forget for a moment about the diagnosis and focus on the baby. That is why last year I started a blanket drive "Swaddled in Love" for the babies around Valentines Day. The goal was to receive donations of blankets that are perfect for swaddling. We gathered over 300 blankets. The blankets stay in the NICU and are used from patient to patient (sterilized of course!). It is a great way to give back to the babies and families by offering a soft blanket to be comforted. This year I am going to have our Second Annual Swaddled in Love Blanket Drive. If you are interested in donating a receiving blanket, contact me.

I'm ready for SPRING...but for now SNOW.

Nashville is getting slammed with a slow moving snow storm. 6-10 inches and 1/2 inch of ice before it ends tomorrow. Ugh. Tooks some pics outside today, can anyone spot Simon?!!!!!!!!

Two Bugs in a Rug!

Ummm...is there anything cuter than seeing your twins cuddling on the couch together?? I dont think so!

Boston and One and the Same by Abigail Pogrebin

I departed this past Friday for my first weekend away from the twins. A fun-filled weekend spent in Boston with my best friend, Stephanie. My husband surprised me with the trip, I was hesitant but accepting…he is now in the running for husband of the year! The flight from Nashville to Boston is five hours; I wanted nothing but to read a book! I love reading, but time do so is running on empty these days. I chose One and the Same by Abigail Pogrebin. I must say I chose the perfect book for my Boston escape, being away allowed me to really hear what I was reading. Further, guilt for leaving never crossed my mind because I was constantly mulling over our approach to twin parenting.

One and the Same offers a view of twinship that covers the spectrum, from the pitfalls to the rainbows, written with the insight of a twin. Pogrebin marries beautifully twins’ testimonials with factual information relating to multiples. If you choose to read this book, which I highly recommend, you will laugh out loud, shed tears, and come away with focused vision on the challenges of being a twin in adulthood. Pogrebin does not necessarily offer solutions to the difficulties of raising twins, but a parenting lesson was learned through each story she shared. I know I will be a better parent to Kellen and Paxton for having read this book.

One particular paragraph stood out to me, I read it several times, and then stamped GUILTY on my forehead! The paragraph reads:

“Labels or personality styles are assigned to each twin and scripted by the mother and family quite early,” Rothman writes, “likely as a means to soothe their own anxieties.” Joan Friedman agrees. “The labels are created in order to convince yourself you have a separate attachment. And if you don’t do the work and really have the separate attachment, then you’ve just created sort of a myth that helps you define one child in relationship to the other. . . . That’s the difference between being known and being noticed. If you’re not known through your attachment to your parents, then you’re noticed because you’re like your twin or you’re different from your twin. It’s not about who you are, but how you compare to this other person.” Being known versus being noticed.

Excerpted from One and the Same by Abigail Pogrebin Copyright © 2009 by Abigail Pogrebin. Excerpted by permission of Doubleday Publishing, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Wow, powerful stuff. I am certainly guilty for reciting the boys’ differences and not who they are as individuals. How sad if Kellen and Paxton become adults only being “known” for how they compare rather than whom they are? The difference between the two is fine, but I find this concept of utmost importance in parenting twins. This realization will foster more individuality, separation, and parenting decisions that will hopefully lead to a healthy adulthood for our twins.

So in sum, Boston was fabulous. Stephanie and I, once again, hypothesized solutions to all the world’s problems and did so over yummy wine and fantastic Italian cuisine. I return to Nashville manicured, pedicured, massaged, refreshed and energized with a better perspective on parenting. Now that is a successful 48 hours!! Thank you to Stephanie for hosting me, and Abigail Pogrebin for enlighting me.

Surprise, Surprise!

I was cooking dinner last night, Aaron had not gotten home from work and the fellas were playing at my feet. I must have gotten wrapped up in what I was preparing because I suddenly felt a little tug at my leg. Not unusual, I looked down to give Pax a pat on the head...and found him in the drawer beside me. I HAVE NO IDEA how he crawled in there and I didnt hear him or see him!! I wanted to quickly pull him out but opted to grab the Nikon instead! Kel took the opportunity to stand up on his brother and start pulling his hair. These kids are too much!

On the Mend

Looks like we will survive this "prolonged viral infection", which in mommy's words means a really, really long cold. When all is said and done it will have taken the boys over 21 days to heal up. Needless to say, it has been a long three weeks.

Last week Kellen had to get a x-ray of his lungs to rule out pneumonia, as he was still running a 102 fever. He didnt have pneumonia (thank God), but his fever ran through Saturday night. He was pitiful. This is what he looked like most of the week, curled up in a blanket in my lap.


As a mom it was so hard because each wanted to be held, rocked, and loved on...without the other one anywhere near. Friday afternoon, when Kellen had a 102 fever and lay motionless on my chest while I rocked him, Paxton sat at my feet and screamed. Luckily, I have the MOST amazing husband that left work early to come hold Paxton while I tended to Kellen.

Also, we had snow flurries for almost three days straight. The boys only got to see the snow from a window. Too sick to let them play in 19 degree weather!!

Birthday Cakes & Ear Infections

The fellas have now been sick since Christmas Eve, Aaron and I have sworn off the nursery at church. They pick up something almost every single time we go, but this was a doozy of a cold. Now on our 13th day we are fighting ear infections. I wont go into the long story about all of the screaming and sleepless nights, but fatigue has taken over. Will Aaron and I ever sleep again?!!

But onto more fun stuff. As you know the boys celebrated their bdays on the 30th. Anyone who has spent time with these kids will tell you their personalitites are very different. I spoke to my Aunt Cissie on their bday and told her we had smash cakes ready to go. And we laughed because I said Pax will be head first into icing, and Kellen will probably ask for his to be sliced!! Well, I was right!!! It was so funny, Pax is definitley a leap before you look kinda kid and Kel is a test the waters slowly little man!!!! Any icing or cake on Kel's hands are a result of us pushing his fingers into it, Pax didnt need any help! All the pics below are from the birthday. Enjoy!

Dear Paxton and Kellen,

Happy 1-Year Birthday my angels! I cannot believe this day has come, you two are 1 year old today. Gosh, my eyes are already welling up with bitter-sweet tears. The four of us have come so far. We have nurtured you from newborns to healthy happy 1 year olds. That one sentence entails so much...many sleepless nights, questions about being good parents, trips to the pediatrician, prayers, 5 different bottle types, even more sippy cups, books read aloud, rattles shook, wiping noses and tushes, eating solids, saying no-no, singing songs, hugs and kisses and lots and lots of laughs. The pair of you are simply 'what life is all about' and mommy and daddy just cannot believe you belong to us.

My wish for you two in the coming year is to learn more about yourselves, the world, and each other. While having a twin must be tremendous, you must learn to be individuals. Each of you are incredibly unique from the other, I love you both equally, loving each and every part of your whole.

Paxton: When mommy was in recovery from delivering the two of you, you were handed to me first. You stole my heart. You were perfect, you are perfect. Your personality is large, and you have never met a stranger. You pose for the camera, with a smile as big as the moon. You are a charmer, flashing those big blue eyes with the longest eyelashes. Your laugh is a grunt, you can be sneaky, and love to play with anything that looks like a hammer.

Kellen: The first time I held you I am quite sure I could see a halo around your head. You melted my heart. You were perfect, you are perfect. Without question, you have the sweetest nature of anyone. That doesnt mean you dont have fight, you like to steal your brother's binky! You can be shy, but once you warm up your laughter will make a room stop. You would eat an entire dump truck of food if we would let you. You are extra ticklish, brilliant, and love to throw a ball.

Fellas, there are not proper words to describe the connection between a mommy and her babies. I could literally squeeze you so tight I could take your breath, but I quickly remember you are not a stuffed animal!! Happiness X Infinity = the year I have just experienced as a mommy. I love you so so much. Happy Birthday my loves and many, many more.

King of the Present!