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Twin Tuesday: Gavin & Radin

By Dawn Sailors In Featured Twins

Happy Twin Tuesday! Todays featured twins are Gavin and Radin, the sons of Ashleigh and Barrett. Ashleigh writes a blog called Pack of Peppers (love the name), where she documents life with twins, as well as giving some tips for other moms of multiples. I’ll let Ashleigh tell you a little more about her babies, but first, are those not the cutest little ties ever?

 

Are your boys identical or fraternal? Do twins run in your family?
Our boys are identical. Twins don’t run on either side of our family, so we were definitely surprised! Our doctor said that there’s no known cause for identical twins- the cells split spontaneously, so there’s no way we could have been prepared!

 

When did you find out you were expecting twins and what was your reaction?
We found out at our first doctor’s appointment, which turned out to be at 5 weeks. Our reaction in one word: shocked! The screen of the ultrasound machine was facing away from me, so my husband actually found out first when he saw two little dots on the screen, but he didn’t know if he believed it. It took us both a few weeks to get used to the idea, and then we were beyond excited.

 

How did you go about picking names?
Picking one name is hard enough- two seemed impossible! We wanted them to have some element that connected them. We also wanted to establish that they’re individuals, so we made sure that they started with different letters. The unifying element we choose was to name them after musicians because music is so important in our lives- my husband is a drummer, and we own a music school.

Gavin is from Gavin Rossdale of Bush, because “Glycerine” was the first song I ever head my husband sing. It was at a talent show in high school (we’ve been together for quite awhile if you couldn’t guess :)

Radin is from Joshua Radin- one of our favorite artists, that we’ve seen together live. One of his songs, “Sky,” was the song we left the church to during our wedding right after being pronounced man and wife, so it will always be special!

 

What is the hardest part about having twins?
There are two main things that come to mind: 1) It takes a lot more planning when you have two infants- what they need, how you’ll mobilize them, will the stroller fit the location, etc. 2) Everything we do takes twice as long as it used to because every person we pass has to stop us to chat and ask a bunch of questions. I tell my husband that I feel like the circus. Almost everyone that stops us is being kind, but they don’t realize that we’re on a schedule- these babies eat every 4 hours!

 

What is your favorite part about having twins?
I joke now that having just one child at a time is so “inefficient,” but having twins as your first children feels like an instant family. You get to experience two sets of smiles, coos, and kicks at a time! I’m most looking forward to seeing how they interact with each other, because I know they’ll always have such a special bond.

Thanks again to Ashleigh for letting us peek into her family! I really love the meaning behind how they each were named. So unique and special. Be sure to visit her blog and see those boys in their monthly ties! So adorbs.

Happy Tuesday!
-Dawn

PS~ If you or someone you know would be interested in being featured on Designing Dawn as part of our Twin Tuesday highlights, email me!