Austin

FYI, check out the new, permanent link to our photo album website, at the right of the page.

My college friend, Carolyn, was married a few weekends ago, in Austin. It was the boys first trip out of town! The hotel set up two pack n play cribs in the room. They even had pillows and mini hotel sheets on them. The top sheet was even folded down. So cute! Carter and Nolan slept just fine in the hotel so that was a relief!

I have to say that I cannot find any of the pics I took from this trip! I'm so upset! There were seriously some great ones! Makes me feel ill!  I just know I downloaded them but can't find them on my computer now. And they are no longer on my camera.  So frustrating! So I stole a few from some friends on facebook.

Two of my college friends just had baby boys. Ryder (between the twins) was born in December and Tristan (far left) was born in February.  It was so fun to have all our boys together!

We brought so much stuff, our hotel room looked like a nursery!  Jessie was wonderful! She watched 3 babies while we enjoyed ourselves at the wedding.  Here she has them all calm for a few moments. There were a few times she was pretty stressed with all the crying! It was a good thing that  Tristan's grandmother stopped in to help some!

The wedding was beautiful! Carolyn was a gorgeous bride!

Maybe my pics will appear soon!

Busy Boys

Here's the picture link.  We've added a May album.


A couple of weekends ago, we went to a lake house with the boys. They LOVED being outdoors for so long. They were so good!

Their cousin, Hawthorne, continues to love on these boys! She adores them!

Jessie is continuing to do a great job with the boys! Her boyfriend, Albert, flew in from NYC for a long weekend. It was his birthday weekend and Jessie took him out and about in Dallas.  And of course, he got to spend some quality time with the boys! 

It was also Mother's day recently. Let me tell you. If you are thinking of having kids....DO IT! Mother's Day is awesome. In my opinion, there are few things better than feeling appreciated. My day began with babies waking before I wanted to get out of bed, so they joined me there. We snuggled for a while and they were in such great moods! Brad came in later with yellow Tulips and a card with the sweetest note! Tears! The words "good job" go such a long way. Then he fixed a yummy breakfast while the boys and I lounged. Albert and Jessie were so incredibly nice to surprise both Brad and I with a couples massage that afternoon. They sent us out with directions to an unknown place.  It was WONDERFUL!  That evening, we grilled out and enjoyed s'mores over the fire pit.  It was an absolutely perfect day.

Recently, some of my college friends finally got to meet the boys! Thanks for having the brunch, Kristin!  We had a fun afternoon and the boys definitely loved all the spoiling!  It was also great to meet Alice, Hilary's daughter, only 3 weeks older than the boys.

On a sour note, what is up with all the spit up lately?  Sometimes, it is just a little...comes up with the burp. But then sometimes, just after they finish a bottle, they decide they don't want to keep it all down and out comes a couple of ounces! Gross! It has gotten in my hair, down my shirt, on the floor. We go through so many burp clothes it is ridiculous! I'm over it now and just put on my junk clothes as soon as I come home.


But it will always be fun to dress the boys and take pictures! 

It is so exciting when we catch the boys becoming aware of each other! They are FINALLY looking at each other and taking some interest.

They boys are absolutely joyful in the mornings! They eat lots and lots during the day and Jessie plays with them lots and teaches them lots! In the evenings, they can be fussy. There are some good nights, but usually when 6:30pm hits, they become quite needy. Nolan LOVES bedtime. You set him down in his crib and he turns his head and falls right to sleep. Carter screams for about 3 minutes (Nolan doesn't budge) then he passes out, too. I think overall, they are good with bedtime and we are pretty lucky.


Both boys have a great time on the tummy mat. They have gotten lucky a few times and actually grabbed on to one of the awesome toys hanging over them. So cute. They'll then hang on to it like their life depends on it!

They still hate tummy time, though!  We continue to work on it! They can lift their heads pretty well on the boppy now and when on your chest. And they can sit up in their bumbo seats. But, when lying flat on their tummies, they just don't want to lift their heads! We'll get there!


Recently, we did a video chat with my mom, my granny and my cousin, John! It was so fun! It was so wonderful for my Granny to get to see my house and see the boys in real time!  I can't wait for her to really meet them. 

We had some outdoor time for a photo shoot with their new bumbo seats. They don't realize it yet, but they are really loving the bumbos!  It looks like Carter is pouting while Nolan lectures him about his lack of drool control during photo shoots. 

And can you believe it.....They are sleeping from 8:30 pm to anywhere from 5 to 7 am! CRAZY! We feed them then put them back to bed and they'll sleep until 8:30 or 9am! I really do feel like myself again. Thank you babies! But now that we can typically count on them to sleep longer, we are going to bed later.  We are pushing it!


I am seriously looking forward to the next three weekends!  We are busy and these boys are traveling!  Austin, then Nashville, then Kentucky! They'll get to meet so many more friends and family. I cannot wait!

3 months old on May 3!

Time is absolutely flying!

Here's the link to the picture website.  I've added more pictures to the April album.


We don't go to the pediatrician again until they are 4 months old so I'm guessing on their weights. I think Carter is around 13 lbs. and Nolan around 11 lbs.


They continue to surprise us every day and every night.  =)


Each of them have had 9 hours of straight sleep at night; they are just not consistent with it.  Brad and I did discover that if they wake up before 3am, we can give them a passie and get them to sleep another 1-3 hours! Carter still battles bedtime, but usually after 10 minutes of serious "I don't want to go to bed" screaming, he does pass out and sleep well!  Here is a pic of Brad reading to the boys. Looks so pleasant!....if only every night was like this. I don't think this has happened again since!

Nolan is becoming a better eater so I think the acid-reflux (if that's what it was) is finally settling.


The boys did great at daycare...or maybe I should say Carla did great taking care of them! It can be tough when they both are crying at the same time!


April 24th, my sister, Jessie got here. She has completed over one week of being the best nanny ever!  She said she was so nervous Sunday night that she could hardly sleep. She'd only held the babies as newborns, when all they did was sleep and look around silently!


By this point, she really knows their behaviors and is working on getting them on a twice-a day nap schedule so they aren't just taking cat naps all day.  She is doing a great job feeding them at the same time, giving them tummy time, soothing them, changing them and entertaining them! Go Jessie!


Today it was clear that the boys love her...Carter, at least. He was on my lap and she leaned in and he just smiled like crazy!

Speaking of smiles, they are smiling much more now and cooing in delight when they like something! It is so wonderful! It makes us completely forget their fussy times!  Brad seems to have the skills though because he captured them on camera in the morning.  Here's Carter, followed by Nolan.

Now we are totally working on getting these boys to lift up their heads and chests when they are on their tummies. Carter is really strong with his head and legs and loves standing. Nolan is a kicker and in the last week has gotten much stronger with his head, too.  These are some big heads on little bodies! Baby proportions are crazy! No wonder is is so tough for them to learn that strength.

You can really see Carter's herniated belly button here. Both of them had it for a while but Nolan's has completely gone down. Carter's has gotten a little smaller. It is common in premie babies and in twins but is not a big deal and typically goes away near 4 months.


This past Saturday, Jessie, myself and the boys completed the Heels and Hills 5K. No, we did not jog the whole time. We walked some and jogged some. Seriously after mile one, I already felt my thighs tightening up. My muscles are still not even close to what they were before bed rest!  Well, I could barely jog a mile before anyway.   But we are on our way! 

I was so glad to have a double jogging stroller to use! It was an early mother's day gift from Brad, Jessie, Albert and the boys. Perfect!


A few nights ago, we went out for mexican food. I ate so much....I mean it was a little ridiculous. Anyway, we learned a good lesson the next day. Babies and Mexican food do not go well together. Each of them filled their diapers like it was their job and both overflowed a couple of times. Once while we were in Old Navy the next day. Awesome!  Brad was a champ and changed them both in the restroom there. We had thrown out 3 long sleeve white onesies so far this day so we went ahead and replaced those with some new Old Navy ones!  We haven't had much luck getting poo stains out of their clothes!


And what is up with these boys and the TV!  They are just fascinated by it. I guess it is the flashing lights and changing colors.  We have to limit the TV time!  Here they are in Daddy's green chair!

Carter looks sooooo much bigger than Nolan here. I really don't think they are that far apart in size....it is a little distorted from the way they are sitting and because Carter can hold his head up so well.


I can't lie...I LOVE going out with the babies and showing them off! So many people just love to see babies...especially two of them at once...and twins! But the timing still has to be just right so they are happy when they are out and about!

Welcome to the real world

March 31:

All visitors left.

I started back to work after being out for 5 months.

Brad started his new job.

The boys started daycare.

And apparently I stopped uploading pictures and updating my blog!

Welcome to the real world.

Whew! We are really in go-mode!  I'll share some fun things first, then give you a day in the life breakdown.  First, here's the link to our photo website.

The boys had their 2 month appointment nearly 2 weeks ago. Carter weighed 12 lbs. (I bet he is 12.5 now!) Nolan weighed 9.5 lbs (hopefully he is over 10 now!) They are growing so fast it is incredible. It is literally right before our eyes! Each morning they look a little bigger to me! Carter is in the 50th percentile and Nolan is in the 20th. They've come a long weigh (get it? hahahahaha!).  Carter was in the 10th and Nolan in the 2nd!

Nolan is having some issues eating. Sometimes, he'll take a 4 oz bottle like a champ. Then other times, he'll have 1.5-2 oz and start freaking out. He'll cry like his tummy hurts but like he is still hungry. We'll try to get him to drink but each gulp seems to cause him discomfort. It isn't every feeding though. Their Dr. is having us give him something for acid reflux. After one week, using it, I can't really tell if it is helping yet. 

Personalities: 

Carter is pretty mellow. He loves to be held. He loves to be spoken to. He has a short attention span. He is not happy in one place for very long, unless it is in your arms! He hates bedtime; he really fights falling asleep at bedtime, though he will just pass out suddenly during the day! But he really loves listening to me read books. He loves staring up into Brad's eyes when being held. He loves following us across the room, with his eyes. He does not like tummy time on the floor mat, but loves it on the boppy!

Nolan has a very long attention span. He will lie on the tummy mat for over 30 minutes, just cooing like crazy! He loves to play! Often, he'll sit anywhere we put him and just stare at something of interest.  He used to not like to be held on your chest, and always wanted to face outwards to look around, but now he loves it. He is also the bounce master. When in doubt, just bounce and this boy is happy! 

Both babies LOVE stroller rides and car rides especially with the windows down and music up. They generally love being outside.

Two nights ago, I was responsible for Carter. Well, when I heard Nolan stirring, I got confused and thought I had him so I got up (probably too soon before he was really hungry) and fed him. This was around 2:00 am, which was REALLY good that he slept that long. As I was feeding him, I remembered I was supposed to have Carter and was kinda jealous because Carter was still passed out and Brad was getting to sleep longer! Anyway, when I got back in bed, I told Brad my mistake and went to sleep. I woke up, hearing Nolan again at 5:00 am. This was typical. Then I looked at Brad and said, "Oh my gosh! Carter hasn't woken up at all to eat! It is a miracle!" Brad said, "No, I fed him at 3:30." Well, that was still quite incredible....the longest span of time either baby has gone.  So the next day, Brad and I are discussing how great last night was and he tells me that he actually woke Carter up to feed him! WHAT!!! WHY??? He said he woke up, realizing how late it was and was worried. So he asked me what I thought and I guess I told him to feed him. I have NO recollection of this! I really don't think I would tell Brad to wake the baby! We totally got such a kick out of this because for so long, all we've wanted was for the babies to sleep, sleep, sleep and when they do, we decide to wake them! WHAT?!?! ha ha!

So the next night, we are both all excited to let the babies sleep for a really long time. WHATEVER! They both woke every 3 hours again! This is crazy!

Tonight, we fed them at 7:30 and will wake them at 11:30 for a "dream feed" then hopefully they'll sleep until 6:00. That is what books and many other mothers of twins say has worked for them. Wish us luck!

So in the past few weeks, we've taken lots of pictures! Here are some good ones!

I'm obsessed with these outfits. Thanks Sarah K!

Easter! The church we tried was not so great but Carter and Nolan sure looked adorable!

And Brad and I totally coordinated with them. (Yes, I forced it.)

Okay, the truth: We left church and were starving and didn't have brunch plans. We just wanted a sandwich so went to Jersey Mikes. Well it was closed. The babies started screaming for food, so instead of heading to another restaurant, we just parked the car and held them and fed them their bottles we brought. We were in this vacant parking lot. The weather was so nice and the boys were so happy after their feeding so we just had a little photo session right there! Whatever and whenever!

Good Times: Tonight, Friday, we both came home from work and were just exhausted. We decided to take the boys for a car ride to pick up some dinner.  After aimlessly driving for a few minutes, we finally decided on Jason's Deli. We got our take out and headed home. Suddenly, I think we went over the edge. We both laughed about absolutely nothing the entire way home. We were completely delirious!

The boys are really getting the hang of "tummy time." Carter can hold his head up for quite some time. I seriously think he started holding his head up in the hospital the day after he was born! This picture doesn't do it justice though. He seriously sits up with his head up high!

Nolan does a good job, too, but can only hold it up for so long! =)

We had to do a little photo shoot in our SMU gear! Carter's got the school spirit. Nolan is not too happy about this.

Okay, so the smiles are for real now! If I put Carter's lips on my cheeks (Carter Kisses), he smiles. If we say "aaaahhhhhh ooooohhhhhh" he smiles! It is absolutely adorable! We were starting to worry that his chubby cheeks were too chubby for him to use his smile muscles!  I caught it on video but don't know how to load that on the blog.  I think Nolan smiled first but has slowed down since then. We can't seem to figure out that perfect tool that makes him smile. However, Nolan is the coo master and always makes this "happy baby face." He will lay on the tummy mat or really anywhere, and just make the most adorable sounds. And he has quite a long attention span for a baby. He is so happy!

Here are the boys with their cool onesies on. Thanks Dara!

Here's Dad with a very sleepy Nolan:

And Mom with a wide awake Carter:

Here's a day in the life of the Kowalski Family:

5:00 am - someone is up. Is it Brad's baby or my baby? Please let it be Brad's baby! We feed them both anyway and put them back down, hoping for another hour or two before we have to get up and get ready.

7:00 am - babies are stirring. We get up, shower, make coffee, I pump, do hair and make up. Thank goodness I picked out my clothes before bed! Brad sets up the boppies and feeds both boys on his own since it takes me so much longer to get ready. I throw some type of breakfast together for us since I'm absolutely STARVING  hungry these days! Brad showers and I get babies dressed.

8:25 am - out the door!  Brad takes the boys to Miss Carla's house and I head to work. Carla is amazing and loves these boys to death!  They love her, too! At work, I pump 3 times in the lovely nurse's office. It is awesome, let me tell you. Actually, it is quite relaxing. I totally check out for 10 minutes. Or sometimes I make a phone call or check some email and facebook on my phone. Ha ha! Brad is thrilled to have a 15 minute commute rather than 1 hr!

4:15 pm - I leave school most days at this time. Mondays I have to leave much later. Pick the boys up by 4:30, home by 4:45.

5:00 pm - I offer them some food even though they have usually just eaten an hour ago. They are usually in really good moods. They love to be lifted up by their bellies so they can hold their heads up and stretch their legs out!

5:30 pm - Brad's usually home. I try to head out for a long walk with the boys if I'm feeling rested enough! This gives Brad a minute to himself. But sometimes he walks with us.

6:00 pm - one of us makes dinner and the other entertains babies! Sometimes they'll nap a bit, but not at the same time and not often. =) I usually offer them some more food.

7:00 pm - one of us eats while the other entertains then vise-versa. They start getting a little fussy around this time.

7:30 pm - let the feeding begin. We beg the boys to take at least 5 oz. at this point! Everyone says you've got to "fill the tank" before bed to get them to sleep longer! But it can take an hour sometimes to get the 5 oz. down!

8:15 pm - bath time (every other night). We are trying a bedtime routine that effects all their senses. Smelly lotion, familiar classical music playing, very dark room. I started reading to them a few nights ago. I'm alternating nights to hold a baby and read while Brad holds the other baby. I'm not kidding you, they really do listen and I think they enjoy it! Last, we put them down and turn the sound machine on the "womb with the heartbeat" sound.

8:45 pm - hopefully we've left the room by this point. Sometimes we have to go back in and soothe Carter. Tonight was good though, we just went back in once! It is now time to finish the Biggest Loser episode that we've been watching for several days. Do the dishes, get the nighttime bottles ready, straighten up all the baby stuff everywhere, finish the laundry, and pick out my clothes for tomorrow! Notice I didn't say I had to work on any school work. I'm being so efficient at work these days, it makes me wonder what I was doing before!

10:00 pm - hopefully we are in bed by now. We pray that the babies sleep for a long time.  We've gotten some good stretches and some not-so-good stretches. We alternate babies that we are each responsible for through the night. I think we are still getting 6-7 hrs of sleep all together, broken up. That's not too bad I guess! The nice thing is that the boys wake to eat, and always go back to sleep. They get it! Nighttime is for sleeping!

5:00 am arrives and we do it again. Always counting down to the weekend!

The boys have their first trip coming up. They will get to meet their new cousin, Ronan! Memorial weekend, we are flying to Nashville. I hope they are good on the plane! We can't wait!

Other fun news: Our next door neighbors just had a baby boy, Ty! Our across-the-street neighbors are expecting a baby boy, Brooks, in May! Get ready for some serious kickball tournaments in the street!