Confessions of a Twin Mom

1. Sometimes I go to Walmart just so I can see / talk to someone that isn't 1 year old.
2. When I am talking to people who aren't 1 year olds, I have a hard time not playing peek-a-boo or making strange noises to surprise them.
3. There has been the seldom (ha) occasion that I have let my girls eat off of the floor, simply because I don't have time to pick them up and put them in the living room and sweep the floor before they come back and start eating dirt out of my pile instead of food.
4. Yes, they have eaten dirt.
5. Ashley puts her finger in her nose like most babies suck their thumbs.  Sometimes I tape her fingers together to make her stop.
6. I get bored if they take naps for longer than 2 hours.  Once, I puposely turned up the radio a little bit louder in hopes they would wake up, just so I could have some entertainment again.
7. I already have nightmares about taking them to kindergarten and having to let them grow up.
8. We waste an incredible amount of food at our house.  1/3 goes into their mouth, 1/3 gets smeared into their hair and clothes, 1/3 gets thrown at each other or on the floor.
9. My house is a walking disaster zone.  I clean it several times a day, but somehow it always ends up looking like no one has clean it in days.
10. I am in for a lot more fun because... I'M PREGNANT!

I'm Not Fond of Fondant

Ashley and Elysha's birthday party is coming up on Sunday.  I thought, since I am going to have a lot to do Saturday, that maybe I would make the cake a few days ahead and freeze it. 

It was a good idea. 

My plan was to make a beautiful fondant cake from scratch to show off my crafty-mom skills.  The only problem is, I don't really have those. 

First, I made the cake.  I forgot to adjust the recipe to low altitude and the center fell in.  I made a double layer cake.  As you can see, the center of the top layer is perfectly even with the edges of the bottom layer.  This is the point that I knew this cake would be for Christian.

When I pulled the cake out, I realized my heavily applied Pam wasn't enough to keep the cake from clinging to the pan.  After violently shaking the pan upside down, most of it finally came out.  Hence, the huge hole you can see in this picture. 

Well, I thought, I can just make the fondant and try again on the cake later. 

Another great idea. 

I decided I wanted to make buttercream fondant.  It would taste just like buttercream frosting, so I couldn't see any downside.  I mixed up all the ingredients except for the powdered sugar.  I added the powdered sugar a little at a time.  I was supposed to put 2 lbs of the sugar in, but my the time I got to about a half a pound, I figured it looked about right.  I know a lot about these things, you know.  I tried rolling it out, but it stuck to everything.  So I decided maybe I should put the remaining pound and a half of sugar in. (I now know you are supposed to roll it between two sheets of plastic) I scooped the fondant back into the bosh and added a few cups of sugar. 

After kneading that in, the fondant was so dry that it cracked every time I even looked at it.  I finally decided this would make a perfect topping to my holy cake.  Or maybe I should call it a crumb cake. 

But, something good did come from this!  I used a cookie cutter to make little letters for their (now normal frosted) cake.  I figured that would be a whole lot easier than trying to draw letters with icing. 

Because their names both have the same six letters, I just had to make two of everything, something I am pretty comfortable with.

I just hope the rest of the party plans work out a little more smoothly (no pun intended).

I also hope Christian likes dry fondant and sunken cake.

What? First Steps and Fine Motor Skills.

Ashley and Elysha will be turning one in a few weeks!  I can't believe so much time has gone by so quickly.  They are changing so fast and becoming a little more independent every day.  They learn the same words around the same time.  They know Mama, Dada, yes, what, and Ashley can say Elysha (or something like it).
They have a new game they play in the car to keep themselves busy.  They can't really see each other in the back seat because of their car seats.  On Monday, on the way home from the farm, they were being unusually quiet back there.  Then I heard Elysha yell "Ah!".  Ashley quickly replied "Wha?"  (or What?).  They repeated this over and over for the remainder of the car ride, with some spontaneous giggles here and there. 

Then yesterday we were at home and Ashley was feeding herself some cheerios in her high chair.  I had just read a magazine article about how around 12 months, babies tune their fine motor skills and learn to use each of their fingers individually.  This helps them to pinch, pick up small items, and, unfortunately, pick their noses.  I looked up at Ashley and she had her finger in her mouth.  She slowly moved her finger up until it ended up in an unexpected place. 

The look on her face was priceless.  She was really confused as she explored the new hole in her nose.  How could she have neglected to notice something so important before?  I tried to tell her not to do that without smiling, but for some reason she got the idea I thought it was funny to poke herself in the face.  I'm not complaining, it's better than her thinking it's funny to pick her nose.  So, now she will poke her cheek and forehead and wait for me to laugh at her. 

Elysha took her first step a week or so ago, but she hasn't ever really walked on her own until Monday.  For the first time, she was able to walk from me to Christian by herself!  She was so excited, she was like a wind up toy.  She would stamp her feet and lean forward until we let her go, then she would shoot off, trying to get as many steps in as possible before she fell over again.  Ashley sat and watched her as if she were jealous and trying to figure out how she is walking without anything to hold onto.

I am excited to throw them a fun birthday party and see how much they are going to learn this next year!  Being a mom is more fun and more work than I ever dreamed, and I love every minute of it!

Baby's First Flu

I just realized why I have cleaned up spit up and dirty diapers every day for the last year.  All of that was simply a way to desensitize me so I could handle these last few days of throw-up and REALLY dirty diapers.

My sweet babies have the flu.  It is the first time and they are dealing with it fairly well.  Elysha got sick when Grandma Olsen was holding her at an Easter party two days ago.  It's a good thing Grandma has had 10 kids and has been desensitized a lot more than I have.  I attributed her sudden sickness to letting her eat chocolate that morning.  We took our babies home and let Elysha lay and stare at the ceiling.  That poor girl was sick all day!  Ashley, always wanting to be like her sister, got sick that afternoon.

I was so grateful Christian was there to hold them and keep a cool head while I ran frantically around the house changing Elysha's clothes, changing Ashley's clothes, changing my clothes, making bottles, changing diapers, scrubbing the carpets and basically worrying in general.  Finally, we set up the play pen covered in towels so if they wanted to play and we didn't get there in time, everything would be ok.  That play pen must be magic because they never once got sick in it.  For some reason, they only felt sick when one of us was holding them or when they were on the floor.

Elysha seemed better by that night, we figured it was just a 12 hour virus.  Ashley was still sick, so I had her sleep in the play pen and I kind of slept on the couch.  Christian said it was the best night of his life, he had our whole bed to himself and didn't hear a baby cry once!

The next day, figuring all was well, I fed them a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  They ate it quickly and happily.  I watched in approval, glad they were feeling better.  However, as I lifted Ashley out of her high chair, I realized my mistake.

I spent the next two days in clean-up mode, wondering how they are so happy through all of this and when it will stop.  I have literally gone through a half of a box of diapers in 2 days.  They giggle and laugh as I load the washing machine for the 5th time that day.  Maybe they just like to watch the clothes being washed?

I could never ask for better babies.  They just smile at me and are content even after two days of the flu.  Elysha learned to click her tongue and now does that instead of crying when she wants something.  She simply clicks her tongue and claps her hands and looks concerned.  I complain and joke, but I know I am lucky to have these girls!

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.