The Olsen Baby Guide to Falling Asleep

Ashley

Ashley (left), Elysha (right)

Elysha

1. Sharpen fingernails when Mommy isn't looking.






2. Dramatically fall onto your back when Mommy is looking.






3. Whine softly until Mommy picks you up.






4. Dig your face into Mommy's neck. Stick your bum as high in the air as you can. Try to wiggle as much as possible while in this position.






5. Continue to whine softly, sneaking the word 'Dada' into your dialogue as often as possible.






6. Slowly fall to the side. If Mommy tries to stop you, arch your back and try to look at the floor.






7. Snap up when Mommy least expects it. Do this in a way that your head will violently collide with her nose.






8. Look up and smile innocently.






9. Close your eyes.






10. While drifting into oblivion, reach both hands up to Mommy's face. Open and close hands continually, with as much fingernail contact as possible.






11. Once you are asleep, Mommy will try to put you in your crib. Be sure to wake up as she sets you down.






12. Smile and consider it a successful nap time.

Sleeping Woes and Weeping

Once again, we are back to the subject of sleep. Every one told me how easy it is to let a baby "Cry it Out". I was a little scared to try it. I had heard horror stories of babies choking as they got sick from crying so hard. But I had heard so many testimonials of how fast it works; that within a couple of days, their babies slept through the night and were happier. So I tried a mix approach: I let them cry until they were too upset to calm themselves. I then went in and gave them their Binky's and talked to them until they were calm, after which they would go to sleep.


I felt awful! If anything, I slept less! I stayed awake long after they fell asleep thinking about how my actions were probably causing long term neurological damage. I had a constant prayer in my head the whole time they were crying, asking Heavenly Father if He could please not let them die, or have traumatic associations with bedtime. I have taken too many child development classes.

Three weeks later, aka last night, after being awake for 2 straight hours stressing, I decided that it just wasn't going to work. It was as if I had only taught them to cry all night rather than sleep. So I spent all morning reading articles about alternative 'sleep training' methods. For any of my fellow sleepless moms, I have my two favorites listed here:


http://www.babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=451.0 An interview that discusses a pick-up/put-down method that stops your baby from having sleep associations.


http://www.babycenter.com/0_baby-sleep-training-no-tears-methods_1497581.bc -- no tears methods (I like Hogg's method the best) great article on a few different sleep training methods.

I decided that since my babies are together all day long, and have been even before they were born, that maybe they don't feel comfortable when they are alone and can't see anyone else. So tonight, I put them at different ends of Elysha's crib. I let them sit in there at first, playing with their stuffed animals.





Elysha invented a fun new way to play peek-a-boo with Ashley. She would look at Ashley, smile mischievously, then scream "Ahhhhhh!' as she did a nosedive into her giraffe. She would then pop back up, waiting for a reaction from her adoring sister. Ashley was in hysterics, she thought it was so funny! She started to copy her, screaming and diving into her lion. I was just waiting for them to do it at the same time and bonk heads.


I then sang a song, read them a story, and put them in their cribs. They were content. I was content. I will let you know how it goes from here, but so far we are off to a good start!

I Live By the Helicopter

Every one who really knows me will tell you how wonderful I am with directions. I can maneuver myself across foreign cities with ease. I can tell you which way is north with my eyes closed. Feel free to laugh now. The truth is, I have always struggled a little with finding my way around.

For instance, there was the time I was in Junior High School. I spent most of my free time with my best friend, Carly. So, naturally, I invited her to come to my dad's house with me one day. Her mother was kind enough to offer to drive us (after Carly begged her). I insisted that I knew exactly how to get there. After all, it was only fifteen minutes away and I drove there about twice a week.

However, as soon as we got in the car, I realized that though I rode to my dad's house twice a week, I never really paid attention to where we were going. We simply began at my mom's house and ended at my dad's. I decided that I knew how to get there from the 'helicopter', but not from Carly's house (which was down the street from my mom's). The helicopter was located on an air force base in the middle of nowhere. But I didn't know it was an air force base at the time, I simply knew there was a helicopter.

To make a very long story short, we drove all around the city looking for a helicopter. After about an hour, we wound up at a store with a missile out front. I was exasperated! Did she really think I was that stupid that I wouldn't know what a helicopter was? Keep in mind I didn't know how to get to my own house. Anyway, for years after that my dad would lovingly remind me which way my room was, or give me step by step directions to the kitchen.

This last weekend, I once more felt as if I was that junior high girl who didn't know how to get to her house. I lived in Salt Lake City for 18 years. However, after only two years away, I had forgotten entirely how to get around. I was going to meet my family at Toys R Us on State Street. This was easy, right? I mean, State Street is a main road, I should have known exactly how to get there. So I jumped onto Redwood Road and started driving.

For those of you who don't know the Salt Lake Area, Redwood Road and State Street are parallel to each other. So I drove for awhile... ending up at the airport... grasping at air to figure out where I had gone wrong. This is why it is good that I live in a small town. I can't get too lost when it only takes five minutes to get from one side to the other.

The Adventures of Two 5-month-old Babies!

Oh these girls are so funny. I could just sit and play with them all day, because they are always willing to put on a show for anyone willing to watch. They giggle and coo at people as they walk by, thinking maybe they can distract them into playing instead of getting something done.

They are growing up so fast! They play with stuffed animals now. They can eat up to 8 oz at a time plus rice cereal. And they have began to throw things. You know what I mean:

They reach desperately for a toy.

You give it to them.

They throw it on the ground.

(repeat indefinitely)

They also shriek, gnaw relentlessly on anything they can reach (including each others feet), and give a kind of open mouthed kiss. Both of them can now sit up alone if someone holds onto their legs. Ashley has also learned how to roll over! I just can't believe how every day they have each learned something different and new. I know that it won't be long until I wonder what happened to my cuddly babies!

Going Camping

At the beginning of this month we went on our first family camping trip! It was the Olsen family reunion and we couldn't miss out on the fun! So with our new tent, -15 sleeping bags, and two suitcases full of baby stuff, we set off! Abigail and Jacob even carved us a sign out of a rock for our tent!


I can say with complete confidence that I don't think Ashley and Elysha got cold. Their snow suits didn't exactly fit, but they kept them warm! Every time we put them on I just thought of A Christmas Story: "Mom, I can't put my arms down!!" I would pull their arms to their sides, and they would pop right back up again. (Don't worry, they didn't sleep in these) Thank you Grandma Carol for the warm clothes!

For one of the activities we had a road ralley, where each family was to find locations close by using GPS. It was an adventure! We went everywhere from Cove Fort to buried ghost towns to lava flows. We ended up here with Mator! I had a blast, though I think Ashley and Elysha were probably a bit sick of their car seats at the end of the day.

Daytime was fun with lots of people to play with the girls, and lots of distractions. But as nightime fell... Well they weren't happy campers. They fell asleep quickly both nights. Our tent was warm, they were bundled up, and they probably figured that they would wake up at home in their crib. When they woke up and we were still in the tent, they started to doubt. It was immediate, actually. One moment, they were peacefully asleep. The next moment, they were SCREAMING. Christian was wonderful, and would hold and try to comfort one while I fed the other. At night, Christian talks to our babies like little adults. "Now Elysha, you are ok. I understand that you don't want to be here and that you want to eat. Crying like this will only make you feel worse." He is, of course, perfectly calm. Me on the other hand... I revert to my childhood at night. I whine a lot. "Honeeyy, just eaaat. I am tryyying to make you happyyy." We were teased immensly on our parenting skills after that.

I Don't Mean to Brag... Well Actually... Yes, Yes I do!

This post is kind of more of a scrapbook. The girls are changing so much every day, so there is a lot to tell!

This picture of Ashley won't turn the right way, so you might need to crank your neck to see it right...

We have begun the stage of copy cats. When we hold Ashley, she will do everything she can to imitate what we are doing. Christian likes to click his tounge while he is holding her. She will scrunch up her face and move her tounge all around trying to figure out how to make that amazing sound. All of this practice has helped her to create new funny faces. This is her 'blowing through her lips' face.

Ashley has also moved into her own crib! For awhile, they loved to sleep next to eachother with their arms around eachother. But after they began to scream directly into eachothers ears, claw at each others faces, and pull the blankets off of each other, I figured it was time for them to have some independance. Around the same time, their Grandma Olsen - Christians mom - made them some winter quilts. When their beds were all set up, I let Ashley try it out. She even matched!

They still love to talk to each other. When they can't see eachother when one of them is talking, the other one will usually look around for her sister. Elysha will laugh at Ashleys funny faces, and Ashley is always happier when she has Elysha next to her. Probably because she likes to be laughed at.

Elysha has decided that she wants to be an only child. Yes, she loves Ashley. But when they are laying next to eachother and I pick up Ashley instead of her.. oh I usually regret it. She frowns all the way down to her chin and lets her lips quiver as if I just broke her heart. The best part is that Ashley usually laughs at her when she does that. Elysha loves to play with her dad and have her one-on-one time with him.

One of Elysha's favorite games to play is peek-a-boo. We will cover up her face and she will flail her arms and legs all over. And every time we pull the blanket away, she startles like she never expected it. Then she will giggle... then screech until we do it again. A few days ago, she literally was not happy unless she was playing peek-a-boo. She was so tired, but she refused to give up. She fell asleep under the blanket.

They both hate to sleep. They will fight it until there is no other option. Elysha will start getting tired, her eyes will droop, then she will suddenly screech to wake herself up again. Ashley wants to play all the time! She doesn't want to cuddle with me, she wants to play. This results in her falling asleep in strange positions and places as she finally passes out.

My family came down to visit last weekend. The girls loved having them here, and I did too! They got lots of attention, and it was good for them to spend time together.

They both loved playing with Jordan. He would sit and talk to them and they would just giggle and laugh at whatever he did.

Their grandma loved feeding them and taking care of them. I think they liked it too! I know I did! It was so nice to be able to relax and know that the girls were having fun too.

Never Ending Tummies

As soon as 7:30 hits, life becomes just a little more chaotic. Ashley and Elysha suddenly realize that they are dying of hunger. They scream and eat and scream and eat for two hours, until they finally pass out of exhaustion. So we decided to try a new tactic last night. We went to the store and bought some rice cereal and baby spoons!

We have our experience on video! Enjoy!

They were actually pretty good at eating for the first time! Elysha got it all over her, but she loved it and (as you probably saw) would screech so that she could get some more. Then she would suck on her hands to get it to stay in her mouth. Ashley learned how to swallow it pretty fast, but made that exact same face of disgust with each bite! She would make a face, smile, and open her mouth for more.

We gave them baths and put them to sleep, and skipped the entire two hours of despair that I normally face. I had high hopes of sleeping through the night, but I was still getting up every two hours. I guess they just wanted to watch the reruns of the end of the utah game at 3 in the morning. Oh well, maybe after they learn how to swollow, they will sleep better!