First Birthdays

Since the babies seemed to be doing well after their shots last Friday, we managed to make it to our friends Jon and Tracey's house Saturday morning to celebrate their daughter Callie's 1st birthday. The twins first birthday party!!! They did pretty well, but tired out quickly so we headed home to nap the afternoon away. 

{the birthday girl callie}

{loved her cupcake}

{james}

{impossible to take a good picture of the two of them together}

{after her mini melt-down}

Tuesday was my 27th birthday and my first birthday as a mommy... CrAzY!!!! Looking back, I never would have imagined my life looking like it does. I am so glad that the Lord tell us in Isaiah, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." He knew exactly what I would need at this point in my life. And now, I couldn't imagine life looking any differently. An unbelievably selfless and loving husband, two adorable children, and an incredible family and group of friends. 

During the day, my sweet friend Christina, who just had a baby girl several weeks ago, treated me to froyo at Yogurt Mountain, and then Mattie Rose, James, and I walked over to Carter's to find something for them to wear for pictures next month. While we were there, two women decided to load up some shopping bags with goodies and book it out the front door using their five-finger-discount. One of the women was pregnant and fell during her escape. I have been trying to pay more attention to opportunities where the Lord is trying to speak to me. And typically, my judgmental flesh would have been annoyed with the shoplifting, but my first inclination was to pray for her and her growing baby in utero. We all need grace...

Tuesday night we went over to my mom and Mike's for dinner. Mom made my traditional birthday dinner of crab legs, and then I opened some gifts!

{new rain jacket from kyle - lost mine in el salvador last year and never bought a new one - and funny story, the afternoon before i got caught in a monsoon leaving babies r us and called kyle to complain about needing a new rain jacket. he had bought it two weeks before. why i love him. please excuse the lack of make-up and grooming ha.}

{my new obsession - the frye paige riding boots in gray- ask and you shall receive! never thought anyone would take me seriously, but my mom and mother-in-law gifted them to me! can't wait for cooler weather}

{my sweet family after dinner - james was tired}

{birthday loving after bath time - the best birthday present i could ask for}

The rest of the week was rather enjoyable as well with a CAbi party at mom's Wednesday, lunch and consignment sale with some friends on Thursday, and a trip to Target and Pottery Barn Outlet on Friday. I am thoroughly enjoying my time home with the babies and keeping the house running!

I hope everyone has a relaxing weekend and enjoys the cooler weather! Looking forward to a walk around the neighborhood once James and Mattie Rose wake up from their nap! 

2 Month Check-Up

Yesterday the twins had their two month doctor's appointment. I knew they would be getting their shots so I tried to mentally prepare myself not to cry. I was feeling pretty good about it until the nurse stuck them and they turned bright red and had that horrible silent cry where they are so mad that no noise comes out for about 5 seconds. Kyle held Mattie Rose's arms down and I somehow ended up doing the same for James. Not something I wanted to do...

Dr. Hanson said they look great and that Mom and Dad were doing a great job (so nice to hear when as a new mom you often second-guess every decision). P.S. If anyone is looking for a pediatrician in Memphis, Dr. Hanson at Laurelwood Pediatrics is fantastic! The whole group is fantastic! They are incredibly smart, reassuring, easy to access, and absolutely love on all the kiddos!

{mattie rose and james waiting - they were hungry and mad, but i wanted to wait to feed them so we had an as accurate weigh-in as possible}

{james on the left and mattie rose on the right}

{love those double chins}

{playing in the mirror}

{mattie rose}

{james}

{sweet baby james post shots}

{mattie rose post shots}

And now for the stats:

WEIGHT

       James: 10 pounds 5 ounces, 20th percentile

       Mattie Rose: 8 pounds 14 ounces, 8th percentile

LENGTH

      James: 21.75 inches, 26th percentile

      Mattie Rose: 21.25 inches, 23rd percentile

HEAD CIRCUMFERENCE:

      James: 37.5 centimeters, 19th percentile

      Mattie Rose: 37 centimeters, 27th percentile

So they are still small but growing nicely considering how early they were and how small at birth! Proud mama!

James is now wearing size 1 diapers and Mattie Rose is still in newborn. James' newborn size onesies are a little too snug now, but his 0-3 months clothes still swallow him a little. Mattie Rose is still fitting comfortably in her newborn sizes and a few of her 0-3 month clothes. I hope she hurries up and grows a little because we have lots of cute summer dresses that I would hate to go to waste :) 

We go back to the doctor in two months to get the second round of the same immunizations. Hopefully I will leave my tears at home....

Early Birthday Dinner

This past week, the McShans were in town so Ramona could have some dental work done by her favorite dentist :) While they were here, they took us out to dinner at J. Alexander's to celebrate my birthday a little early! We snapped just a few pictures while we were out. It's so difficult to get pictures of the four of us together, so we took full advantage of having them around.

{kyle and james}

{my birthday carrot cake - delish}

{mattie rose helping me blow out the candle}

{"ooo mama, give me a bite of that cake"}

{family photo}

[my sweet girl}

{making sure she was being heard}

{sweet baby james}

{his cheeks are starting to get chubby - i love!}

The babies had their two month check up with Dr. Hanson yesterday so as soon as I get pictures uploaded, I will update their stats!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

8 Weeks and Growing...

This past Wednesday, Mattie Rose and James turned 8 weeks old. TWO MONTHS! Though it's only been two months, it seems as if we have always had these sweet little ones in our lives. And on the other hand, it has only been two months. They are steadily growing, most likely weighing the same as an average full-term singleton baby. But to me, they are getting huge! James has definitely caught up to and passed Mattie Rose on weight. Which is totally evident in his cheeks, double chin, and quickly developing rolls in his thighs. Have I mentioned I LOVE chubby babies? I am secretly hoping they have more rolls than a bakery here in the next couple of months. 

They have finally figured out the difference between night and day. James is now sleeping just about six hours in a row with only a quick little wake-up to put his wub (pacifier) back in. And of course, Miss High-Maintenance Mattie Rose can only make it about 4-4 1/2 hours. Once I feed James and burp him, he goes right back to sleep. Mattie Rose on the other hand has been staying wide awake after, falling asleep only if she is snuggled up to me. I am trying not to let her get used to co-sleeping, but I don't have the energy in the middle of the night to be consistent. Plus, who doesn't want to snuggle with a precious baby girl?

During the day, we are eating every three hours. James can take down 4-5 ounces and Mattie Rose can get down 3-4 ounces. After we play for a little while, we go down for a nap and repeat until about 6:00 at night. I try to keep them awake from then until bedtime in hopes they will sleep a little longer through the night. We have bath time around 8:00 and then it's jam time (pajamas). They get another bottle after this while we read and say our prayers. Then it's a quick kiss and a snug-as-a-bug-in-a-rug tuck in!

This past week was the first for me to tackle mommy-hood independently. Kyle was super helpful when I got in a bind in the middle of the night, changing diapers or giving a bottle. The days were great and we were able to get back on a good schedule. I am always so worried about not spending equal quality time with each of them, but the Lord has really taken hold of my time this week and working it out to where I was able to spend intentional, individual time with them to engage their attention and pray over them!

Here are some photos from our two month photo shoot!

{james - see the beginning of those thigh rolls?}

{tried to catch the smile}

{sweet baby james}

{mattie rose posing}

{mom, just hurry up and take my picture}

{and then she fell over and started laughing}

{impossible to get two babies to look in one direction}

{james on left, mattie rose on right}

{get away from me brother :) }

{playing on the rug - mattie rose on the left, james on the right}

{full body comparison - can see how much bigger james is than mattie rose}

{and mattie rose has had enough}

{the selecmans brought us dinner one night and sammye kate did such a great job holding mattie rose}

{sweet girls}

We are attempting to take the babes to church in the morning for the first time. Pray for us and those around us. Ha!

World's Best Chicken

I have been on the hunt for VERY easy recipes since time is limited and the babies seem to cry the minute I try to be productive. So to Pinterest I have been turning. 

I came across a picture titled "World's Best Chicken" and duh, I clicked on it. Three ingredients, yes please!

{1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1/2 cup dijon mustard}

{season boneless, skinless chicken breasts with salt and pepper}

{combine the red wine vinegar, maple syrup, and dijon mustard}

{pour over the chicken and cook at 450 deg for 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through}

I served with brown rice and green beans. I wouldn't say it was the best chicken I have ever had, but it was pretty tasty and moist. Easy peasy. 

Enjoy!

Hotel McShan - No Vacancy

That's the sign that is going in the window starting tomorrow :)

We have had non-stop company since the babies were two weeks old, and it finally came to an end today. I have been so grateful and appreciative of all the help we have had, but I am excited to have time with just our little family and to learn how to navigate mommyhood independently. 

This past week, my grandparents Gigi and Poppy came to visit. Mattie Rose and James are their first great-grandchildren. And boy are they proud!!! Mattie Rose and James loved snuggling with them and listening to Poppy's great songs. 

Gigi and Poppy are my dad's parents, and remember my dad is a twin. Gigi and I have a very special relationship, one that's hard to put into words. And now that I have twins, it's just one more special life experience we share. 

On Friday, my cousin Rachel and her new husband Michael, as well as my Aunt Karen, came in town for the weekend. Rachel lives in Hattiesburg in D.O. school and is a short 4 1/2 hour drive away. She and Michael were married in March in New Orleans. And Rachel is my dad's twin's daughter. If that makes any sense. Anywho, they stayed downtown at the Peabody but we spent Friday afternoon and night and most of the day Saturday and Saturday night together. It was absolutely wonderful to get to spend time with them, and I hated to see them go :(

Here are just a few shots from the week/weekend. I am trying to do better remembering to keep the camera close. 

{poppy holding mattie rose and gigi holding james}

{james chillin' with his wub}

{and mattie rose with hers}

{michael and rachel relaxin' with mattie rose}

{poppy with his great-grandbabies}

{gigi and the babes}

{they were both so awake so we had a little story time}

{more story time}

{aunt karen holding james and rachel holding mattie rose}

{such a natural}

{i'm ready for them to have babies}

{after dinner at capriccio in the peabody}

{and a little playtime on sunday afternoon}

Please keep us in your prayers for nights full of good rest and for confidence for me as I start to tackle the days by myself!

Love to all!