The Olney Family

2008-11-08T15:50:00.006-05:00

Look what I figured out how to do! Is there any problem Google can't solve?

2008-10-31T00:49:00.003-04:00

Happy Halloween

Let The Feeding Begin!

2008-09-15T22:06:00.019-04:00

In Lieu of a Baby Book

I'm very proud of the fact that I've been journaling almost daily about the twins for a year now. Not online, of course. Don't worry, you haven't somehow missed over 300 blog posts. I'm talking about my DayMinder.

Journals have always intimidated me. Those big, blank pages just staring at me. My nightstand is littered with journals containing only 2-5 entries. I'm pretty good at journaling while traveling, but that's finite. I know that I only have to keep writing until I get home. I don't write because I like to write. I write because I want to document life and revisit it later. I look forward to rereading my words but can honestly say that I've never anticipated the act of writing itself.

But the girls' short lives were moving swiftly by and I was already losing track of new teeth, words, etc. The baby books I was gifted at the shower are nice but too prescriptive. Where was the place to write in the twins' first hug? Their first squabble over a toy? The funny, nonsensical ramblings of a toddler? The baby books were just too basic, too fill-in-the-blanks-oriented. So journaling it must be. Grr.

The answer came last September and led me to my trusty local Staples to purchase a weekly view DayMinder. It's perfect for me. Just a few lines per day and it only cost $8 so if I wrote once a week (or less), I wouldn't feel bad about wasting money and paper.

Turns out that I've written almost every day since. I love it. That finite space inspires me and I'm no longer at a loss as to what to write. Perhaps someday I'll move up to a real journal but not anytime soon. I've just purchased my second DayMinder and have already reveled in writing two weeks' worth of cuteness in it. When I do want to write more, I can elaborate in the extensive Notes pages in the back of the book or blog about it (which I've been trying to do this summer).

But alas, the DayMinder has no room for pictures. Problem solved long ago. Before the twins were born, I knew that I wanted a summary album of their lives. One childhood, one album. I found two cute albums that hold 200 photos each. 200 photos = one photo per month for 16 years. Math gurus will notice that there are eight remaining photo slots in each album. I devoted those pages to pregnancy and ultrasound shots. In the end, Mika and Allison will each have an album devoted to their childhood through their sweet 16 birthday. I call them their "growing up" albums.

There will be other albums, to be sure. With almost 7,000 digital pictures on our computer alone (not counting pictures taken by grandparents and other family members and friends), we have A LOT of pictures to use creatively in a lot of different spaces. I already have plans for Best of 2006, 2007, etc, plus any number of themed albums and have been busy tagging photos accordingly in Adobe Lightroom. Look for the public debut of those albums around 2014 or so. For now, the DayMinder and Growing Up albums are available for anyone to peruse in our foyer. Happy reading!

2008-09-10T22:33:00.002-04:00

We went to Auntie Beth's for dinner tonight. Allison spotted a large vent on the floor and promptly stood on it. "I'm on the scale. I want a sticker when I leave!"

Mika joined in the act by immediately walking up to Allison and examining her with an imaginary stethoscope.

"Am I okay, Doctor Mika?"

"Yes, you're okay Allison. You all better!"

2008-08-15T21:17:00.004-04:00

Summer storms have been rolling through lately. Allison and Mika can't decide if thunderstorms are exciting or scary. Here's a few recent conversations on the matter:

(A few days ago)
Allison: I was talking to thunder!
Me: Really? Did thunder say anything back?
Allison: Yes. Thunder was talking to me!!
Mika: Thunder has big hands! Thunder lives in the sky!
Allison: Yes, thunder lives in the clouds in the sky.

(Today)
Allison: Thunder all gone.
Mika: Bye, bye thunder!
Me: Yes, the thunderstorm is all gone.
Mika: Thunder is all gone to the clouds.
Allison: Thunder is asleep in the clouds.
Daddy: Where does thunder live?
Mika: Delaware!!!

2008-08-13T14:20:00.007-04:00

Baking Brownies

2008-08-10T22:30:00.018-04:00

More Firsts

Today the twins spent the day with Mom-Mom and Gad. Good fortune was with them. Even as the areas all around them experienced terrible storms, Bear was spared.

They made their first foray to Lums Pond and loved every moment. They went for a long walk through the woods to the pond, where they saw canoes, kayaks, a nice sandy shoreline, and plenty of wildlife. Turtles (Gad's favorite) were out, along with groundhogs and a blue heron.

They found a new playground (maybe not brand new, but certainly new since the days when Mom-Mom and Gad used to take me to Lums as a little girl) and spent a good 45 minutes frolicking amongst the toys. A long walk back to the car wore them out; they nearly fell asleep during the five-minute car ride from Lums to my parents' house.

Gad says he got some great pictures. I'll post them when I get them.

Dinner was interrupted by a hellacious hailstorm, the twins' first. Ice bullets up to one inch in diameter poured down and covered most of our deck. It looked like it had snowed, except that the noise was horrendous. Mika was curious and wanted to watch at the window but Allison was a little nervous. (She's been timid about loud noises lately.) She didn't cry, but had no interest in looking outside. She just wanted to cuddle on the couch with the blinds closed.

After the storm died down we took Allison to the screen door so she could see the torrents of water flowing down the street. She overcame her fear completely when Jason ventured outside and came back with hailstones for the girls to play with. They were fascinated with the little ice cubes: how cold they were; how they melted so fast and became water. We had to replenish the supply of hailstones four times since they kept melting in the girls' hands.

We finally coaxed Allison and Mika away from hailstones and the (very wet) kitchen floor in order to get ready for bed. From our bedroom window, Daddy spotted a partial rainbow in the sky. Mika exclaimed, "Orange and blue in the sky!" Allison was excited to see their first rainbow too. It was a lovely end to such a big day.

2008-07-25T22:40:00.007-04:00

Happy Birthday, Baby Daniel!

We are very excited to welcome Mika and Allison's cousin, Daniel Parker Gallagher, to the world. Baby Daniel, Mommy Beth, and Daddy Mike are all doing well.

Jason took the day off work on Friday so that he could rush to the hospital as soon as Daniel was born. We loaded up the girls and took them to Babies R Us and Toys R Us to pick out gifts for Daniel. They settled on a blue plush monkey rattle and a BIG stuffed dog a la Uncle Brian.

Mika really knows how to shop. Her arms were full with toys for Daniel and herself, then she started to pile me up with stuff. Fortunately, she was agreeable to putting most of it back. Allison found a play-doh kitchen set and said "ple-ease" in the most adorable voice that I just couldn't refuse.

We finally got the call we'd been waiting for at 7:30 pm and Jason rushed out the door to greet Baby Daniel.

I put the girls to bed, grabbed a basket of laundry, and headed down to the basement. I was putting clothes in the washer when I hurd a thud from above. I didn't need to wait for the screams before I knew what had happened. I ran up the two sets of stairs to find Allison at her bedroom door, screaming and crying.

"I FALL! I FALL ON THE RUG! I FALL ON MY HEEAADDD!!!"

Although the girls have been jumping in their cribs and leaning on the railings for a while, this was the first fall. Allison calmed down after a few minutes in the rocking chair. Her head had only a small lump so I put her back in her crib and said good night. Both girls laid right down with no interest in jumping.

I made a couple quick calls to Jason and my Dad, both of whom felt I should keep Allison awake in case of consussion. So into the room I went again, about 10 minutes later. Mika looked at me as I took Allison out of the room but put her head right back down and went to sleep. It was 9:00 by now, an hour past bedtime. The poor kids were so tired.

I think putting Allison down for 10 minutes then coming back was the best route I could have taken. Had I taken Allison out of the room immediately, Mika would have screamed bloody murder until she got to come downstairs too. Giving her time to settle down and start to fall asleep worked like a charm. We'll just pretend that was my intention all along.

So Allison got some late evening alone time with Mommy. I can't say that I really minded. It's so rare that I get to spend time with either of them one-on-one. We cuddled on the couch and watched an episode of Word World.

I hopped online and found out that the no-sleep-for-a-concussion thing is a myth. Turns out that it all stems from the fact that you need to monitor the patient and make sure that they're alert, responsive, and easy to wake. But like most other ailments, sleep really is good medicine. I guess somewhere along the telephone game of medical myths, "make sure the patient is easy to wake" got turned into "don't let the patient sleep." If you do fall asleep with a concussion, chances are very slim that you'd fall into a coma, and definitely not a permanent coma. So now we all know. Let's stop spreading this falsehood, eh?

I checked Allison's eyes for signs of uneven dilation and kept her talking about our day, the fall, all kinds of stuff, to check for lapses in memory and slurred speech (all signs of a concussion). She was perfectly alert and happy the whole time. Except she refused to keep the ice on her head. She hates that stuff. Nothing unusual there.

When I put her down for the third time, I told her that I'd check on her later. She was happy to see her crib and laid right down. I did go in around 3:00 am and wake her. She was slow to wake, but who isn't at that time? She seemed fine and we both went back to sleep, finally.

--Kaylee

2008-07-18T22:00:00.005-04:00

Mika's Big Day

Growth can usually only be seen when looking back over a longish stretch of time. But occasionally it presents itself in-progress so that you can see the child changing and evolving right at that moment. Friday, July 18 was such a day for Mika.

The day started ordinarily enough. It was my Friday off (generally referred to around here as a "Mama Day") and we ate breakfast and went immediately to the park before it got too hot. Both girls headed straight to the swings. This in itself is a bit unusual, as Allison generally avoids the swings or only swings for about 30 seconds before toddling off to the jungle gym to play independently while I push Mika. But today for the first time EVER, Allison wanted to swing longer than Mika did.

While swinging, Mika had spotted a girl playing alone; her mom was reading on a bench nearby. Mika decided she wanted to go play with this little girl and told me she was all done swinging. I pulled her out of the swing and set her on the ground. She grabbed my hand and tried to lead me over to the little girl. I explained that I had to keep pushing Allison and that she should go over there on her own.

Mika was torn. Allison was used to entertaining herself while I pushed Mika on the swings, but Mika had never experienced the same. She was certainly accustomed to me dividing my time between the two of them if they didn't want to play on the same toy. But I'd never told her to go play independently at the park.

She stayed near my legs for a couple of minutes, watching the little girl run from toy to toy. Finally she summoned the courage (I actually saw her take a deep breath -- so cute!) and walked up to the girl.

I heard her say, "Hi, I'm Mika." The girl introduced herself as Crystal. Crystal was quite a bit older (I found out from her mom later that she's six) but she was open to playing with my two-year-old Mika. She patiently showed Mika how to correctly hold the two-person rocking airplane they were on. Mika and Crystal were inseperable until Crystal's mom decided it was time to go home. I was so proud of Mika, making a friend all on her own.

When we got home, we had a snack then went upstairs. I explained to the girls that the time had come for them to start napping in the same room. Up until now, Mika had slept in a Pack'N'Play in the office. I've been suggesting the idea for months so it wasn't a sudden move at all. I was still surprised though by how receptive they were to the idea. They helped me dismantle and put away the Pack'N'Play and said "bye, bye" to it. I didn't expect them to nap at all that day, nor for several days after. Much to my surprise, they settled right down and went to sleep. I didn't hear a peep. They even slept longer than usual!

When Jason got home we discovered that there wasn't much in the way of dinner fixins in the pantry. I spotted a couple near-black bananas and decided it would be a breakfast-for-dinner night: we'd have banana pancakes and sausages.

Jason took the girls out back so I could cook in peace but Mika didn't want to stay outside for long (the mosquitos love her). Figuring it'd be better to involve her in cooking than plop her in front of the TV, I gave her super-special permission to stand on a chair at the kitchen counter. This was the first time I'd tried to have either of the girls cook with me and wasn't sure how it would go.

Mika turned out to be a fantastic assistant chef. She helped me measure and pour ingredients, then stir it up with her own special spoon. She was very attentive and well-behaved. About this time Allison came inside and joined us. They were both fascinated by the pancakes on the griddle and kept poking the pancakes with their spoons. Jason put Jack Johnson's "Banana Pancakes" on the stereo and the twins danced in their chairs.

Finally, the pancakes were done. Both girls were very excited to climb into their highchairs for dinner. When Mika's plate was put in front of her though, she burst into tears. She didn't want to eat her creation! When she saw Jason and Allison devouring their pancakes (I was in the kitchen still working on the next batch) she reluctantly took a bite. "Delicous!" she exclaimed and soon cleared her plate.

Mika showed courage in making her new friend, flexibility in changing her nap routine, and the ability to follow directions and engage in grown-up activities when making pancakes. I couldn't be more proud of her.

And speaking of pride, here's a photo of Mika from a couple months ago, looking pretty darn proud of herself. She's quite the climber; have I mentioned that?

2008-07-14T21:47:00.002-04:00

Just a Couple of Cute Pictures

Allison

Mika

2008-07-12T23:30:00.009-04:00

The Story Behind the Scar

My dad's cousin Betsy and her son Thomas were driving through town so we arranged a family brunch at a local restaurant. My parents (Mom-Mom and Gad to the twins), Uncle Brian, Aunt Kathleen, and my cousin Allison were all there. Jason couldn't make it since he had to teach that afternoon.

All was well until the food arrived. In their infinite wisdom, the cook or the waitress (I don't know which) put a piping hot pitcher of syrup on Allison's plate of french toast. (Note that this was a KIDS MEAL that I had ordered, not an adult plate of french toast.) Being the typical two-year-old, she immediately grabbed it and tried to drink it. As she tilted it back in preparation for a nice long sip, the syrup spilled down her arm and the screaming ensued.

I went into zen mode. Knowing that Allison would never calm down if I started screaming at the waitstaff and manager, I instantly forgave them all. My family was baffled but followed my lead. Allison was calmly eating french toast and fruit within five minutes.

I'm still not mad, even a month after I write this. (This all happened on July 12 but I'm writing on August 11.) I know it was a mistake. The waitress was just a high school kid. It was Saturday brunch in a diner, and the place was hopping. As a former waitress myself, I know just how crazy it can get. She was trying to distribute huge amounts of food (3 waitresses helped her carry it all out; I have no idea which one put the plate in front of Allison) to this rowdy group of 10 as quickly as possible so she could get to the next task. She was probably thinking three steps ahead just like I used to. Grab the plates and go, go, go.

I did pull the waitress aside near the end of the meal and told her that I wasn't mad, that Allison would be fine, but that she should never, ever, EVER do that again. She assured me that she had learned her lesson and I believe that she did. That's all I need.

Yes, it was negligence. But would it have helped to make a scene? To scream at the manager and possibly get this girl fired? Allison would still be burned and my heart would be full of anger. I chose peace instead. Allison's burn was very red and developed a couple small blisters. Possibly she will have a scar forever but it's already fading fast. At the very least, we now have a surefire way to tell these twins apart!!

Which reminds me of a funny moment during brunch. My cousin Allison arrived late and sat down at the end of the table. Uncle Brian challenged her to guess which twin was which. After only a moment's hesitation, she called down the table, "Mika!" and waited to see which girl responded. A simple solution, but no one had tried it yet on the girls. Most people just make a random guess, figuring they have a 50:50 chance of being right. Allison, as usual, just went straight for Occum's Razor. She's so clever.

After all the excitement, it was no surprise when the girls fell asleep on the way home. Which of course meant no nap that afternoon. Which was really a bummer because we had a late night planned. It was Jocelyn's surprise birthday dinner, about an hour south of us. The dinner was at six, meaning we didn't get home until around 10:00 that night. That's by far the latest that the girls have ever been up, let alone without a nap.

But they're extroverts and draw their energy from crowds. The twins had a blast and were their usual social selves. We managed to get out of there before the birthday cake was cut so that a sugar high didn't keep them up until midnight. They slept until 8:30 am the next morning, which was soooo nice for Jason and I. It's so sad that 8:30 (heck, 7:30) feels like sleeping in now.

2008-07-11T22:45:00.004-04:00

Mika and Allison and the Tale of the Underwater Dragon

After lunch today Mika asked me "Read a book, Mama?" I agreed and she grabbed my hand and led me from the kitchen to the foyer.

"Sit on the ground," she ordered, pointing toward the rug. It was about this time that I noticed she wasn't carrying a book and had led me to an area well away from the bookshelf.

"But don't we need to choose a book?" I asked. "Sit here on ground," was her insistent reply.

So I sat.

She immediately turned around and plopped herself down in my lap, thrusting into my hands the two puzzle pieces she had been carrying. The pictures faced away from us.

"Read this," she said, indicating the blank puzzle pieces staring up at us. She leaned back against my chest, clearly settling in for a nice long sit.

So I read.

2008-07-08T22:41:00.002-04:00

Robots, Babies and Monkeys

So now the girls' imaginations are really starting to shine. They like to pretend that they are either robots, babies or monkeys. Allison prefers being a robot. When she is "Robot Allison" you must address her as such in a monotone, robot voice. Everything she has is a robot this or a robot that (even Daddy turns into "Robot Daddy"). She has a shirt with a frog in a hula skirt. When I asked her what she wanted to wear one morning, she replied, "robot hula frog". Mika, on the other hand, likes to be a baby, and will insist that Mama carry her upstairs at bedtime cradled in her arms. Both of them have toy baby bottles which they will carry around and "drink" from. I think that they are excited that their cousin Daniel is on the way! They turn into "two little monkeys" when they are on a bed, and must jump and play accordingly. We just hope they don't fall down and bump their heads.

Recently, Allison claimed that she was a robot monkey! Now we're really in trouble...

Unrelated, here is a link with some twin shenanigans. Enjoy!

2008-06-29T22:32:00.007-04:00

Happy Birthday, Dear Mama

The following conversation was repeated at least a dozen times (maybe even thirty?) this weekend:

Mama: Can you sing me a song for my birthday?

Mika: Happy birthday to you AllisonMika, Happy birthday to you*

Allison: No, it's Mama's birthday. Happy birthday dear Mama!

Mika: (with a big cheesy grin) Happy birthday dear Mama, Happy birthday to you.

*They usually skip the first two lines of the song. And who can blame them? It's a bit redundant.

They are actually having whole conversations! I guess it follows that words grow into sentences, which in turn become paragraphs and dialogue. That's the whole point of language, after all. But to actually witness the whole process is beyond cool.

And they even gave me presents for my birthday. Allison pooped in the potty yesterday and Mika peed in the potty today. Okay, not the most exciting presents I could have received but they at least showed foresight if not thoughtfulness. (Cleaning a poopy potty chair was not on my birthday to do list.) I much preferred the choclately kisses I received after snacktime.

Operation Romantic Bedroom Makeover is under way. Jason and I have cleared out the room and set up camp on the futon in the library. Spackel and sanding is scheduled tomorrow, then painting will begin on Tuesday.

I think Mika's head is going to explode when she sees the pumpkin walls. The combination of her favorite activity (painting) and her favorite color (orange) might just send her over the edge. We planned to do all painting while the girls were out of the house, but we may have to find a way for them to contribute. Mika wants so badly to help with this project. How can we say no?

2008-06-24T20:49:00.006-04:00

Corn on the Cob!

2008-06-23T20:51:00.006-04:00

The Very First Firefly

Allison and Mika met their first lightning bug this evening. They didn't seem very impressed at first, since neither has the attention span needed to watch a bug for 5 whole seconds. Daddy persisted ("Keep watching... keep looking at it... hey look back over here... oh you missed it, look again...") and eventually they saw it light up.

Fortunately it's a cloudy evening so it wasn't nearly as bright in their room as it normally is this time of year (yes, the poor lightning bug had found its way into our house and has probably by now found its way into Rambler's belly). Also fortunate that I learned to change diapers in the dark 'lo those many months ago. The girls delighted in seeing the firefly light up the twilit room as they got ready for bed.

We chose Eric Carle's The Very Lonely Firefly as our goodnight book to commemorate the occasion. It's been a while since we read it and the girls (particularly Allison) were enthralled with the book. After Jason finished reading it, she grabbed the book and proceeded to read it aloud to us again.

Night, night lightning bug.

2008-06-21T16:03:00.009-04:00

Summer Solstice Resolution: Blog More!

So we have better things to do than blog... like spending lots of time outside taking fantastic pictures!

Allison and Mika are talking in sentences now and quickly becoming wise little smartasses, just like their parents. We're so proud.

Dinner conversations lately have centered around near-constant reminders that forks are not toys. After what seemed like the 10 millionth reprimand, an exasperated Mika said "We know, we know" and proceeded two minutes later to play a delightful fork drum solo on the dining room table.

Today's fave YouTube video is Kiwi! The girls can narrate little kiwi's every action but are blissfully unaware that the bird is plummeting to his death. All for the best, I suppose.

See you next season.

2007-12-27T21:06:00.000-05:00

New Year's Resolution: Blog More!

Of course, you know how New Year's resolutions turn out, but we really mean this one. Really! And I plan on losing 50 pounds and finally writing that screenplay. So, Happy Halloween, Happy Thanksgiving, Chappy Chanukah, Merry Christmas, and have a great New Year.

We have come to believe that the twins are super geniuses. We may be biased. They have mastered so many things before the age of two. I never thought this kind of learning was possible. They repeat everything we say, so we have to be extra careful about watching our potty mouths. They both can sing. The first time Mika sang "twinkle twinkle little star" to us, we both welled up. Although some of the words were missing, she got all of the notes right and was as cute as is humanly possible. Both of the girls know their numbers and will (on occasion) count to ten. They both know some shapes and all of their colors. They are even learning letters.

For Halloween we dressed them as Thing 1 and Thing 2 from Dr. Seuss' Cat in the Hat. As the girls are becoming more independent, they are also getting harder to photograph. We do not have a decent picture of both of them together in their costumes. We went to a Halloween parade with Heather, Kyle, Simon and the usual entourage of family and friends. They loved the bands, but the parade was longer than expected and they got a little bored being told to stay in one place. Kaylee took the girls to a couple houses in the neighborhood while I manned the door. The girls got little pumpkins which they treasured.

Thanksgiving was also a blast. We went to (Jason's cousins) Curt and Denise's house for the last time . It was bittersweet. They have been hosting Thanksgiving for their family for years, but since they are moving, we'll have to start a new tradition. The girls were wonderful, especially since they didn't have a nap. They just thrived on everyone's energy and, of course, the food. While we were eating dinner, we got some unexpected, wonderful news. Beth and Mike are having a baby! We are so excited that the girls will have a cousin. We also went down to Dover for Thanksgiving with Kaylee's side of the family. We had a great time there as well. The girls got a new little phone that they now love.

Christmas was amazing as usual. The girls now have every toy known to man. They also have a full wardrobe until summer. Most of all, the girls got to see a lot of family and friends. We had three days of partying and the girls were very good. They got a little overwhelmed at Mamie and Bampa's house. There were just so many new toys and so many people! Christmas day we went to Mom-mom and Gad's house. Again they were overwhelmed with presents and family, but they handled it much better. By the time we exchanged gifts with our friends the day after Christmas, they were expert present openers and knew what to expect. They know who Santa Claus is now, but they LOVE Frosty the Snowman. We watched that stupid cartoon about 30 times.

The family is doing well and we expect a great new year.

Halloween

Thanksgiving

Christmas

Fun at Home

You can tell how much the girls love getting their toenails clipped!

2007-11-25T21:32:00.001-05:00

Sorry we've been so lazy!

We'll have our next post up with photos from Halloween, Thanksgiving and, at the rate we're going, probably Christmas!

Hang tight!

2007-09-30T16:46:00.000-04:00

It’s been ages since the last post.

Where have you been?

Mika hugging Allison

Mika

Mika

Mika Again

Allison

Allison and Mamie

Uncle Mike reading to Allison

Mika with flower

Allison with leaf

The Girls with Simon

Gad and Girls

We’ve had lots of fun adventures with the girls in the last couple months. They have grown since the last post. They are definitely toddlers now. They are talking up a storm and running all over the place. We can’t keep track of all the words they know!

Everyone is doing well. I have been back to school for web design, but I am taking a semester off during the winter. This is our busy season at work, so I’ve been putting in lots of hours (hence the belated post). Kaylee has been busy too. She is taking on little projects around the house while I study or work. The girls usually spend weekends at Kay and Kevin’s house (“Mom Mom” and “Gad” to the girls). This gives us time to clean around the house and sometimes relax. The girls still act very much alike. They follow each other around and are even playing with each other sometimes. Marti (who is now called Mamie) has caught them playing hide and seek and tickling each other.

I gave the girls their first haircuts! It wasn’t that bad. Mika was an angel, but Allison was a little more distressed. Now they have bangs and lots of curls. As of this entry, I will already have to cut it again!

The girls got to meet their Great Uncle Harvey (Randy’s brother). He came up from Texas to see his baby brother and to meet Kaylee and the twins. Randy is pleased that he has been dubbed “Bampa”.

"Bampa", Uncle Harvey, Allison and Mika

We went to Val and Jack’s beach house a couple times. The girls wanted so badly to jump in the water! I had to hold Allison back.

They absolutely love water of any kind. They love being in the pool and taking baths. Apparently they saw the ocean as a big bath and couldn’t understand why we wouldn’t let them go in.

Allison

Mika

The other twins in the family, Joan and Jane, came up from Florida to meet the girls. We had a fun day together with them and my side of the family.

The twins (all four of them)

Star, Perry, Dre and Matti came over for a play date. Imagine two sets of twins running in all different directions. It was chaos, but it was beautiful. They love playing with kids. They still think that every kid is a baby. They will point to a three or four year old and say, “Baby! Baby!”.

Allison, Mika, Dre and Matti

Allison sizes Perry up

We all went to Luke’s first birthday party. I think that’s the most children they’ve ever been around and they did very well. Allison was giving one of the little girls there, Abby, kisses. Luke was very cute and a lot bigger than the last time we say him (at the girls’ birthday party).

Of course, they get regular visits from Jen, Liz and Nick. I think that both of them are in love with Nick. If he’s visiting, they have to be near him always.

Allison at Liz and Nick's

Mika and Nick

We have so many family and friends that help us every day. We don’t know what we’d do without all of you. We can’t count how many people are in love with Allison and Mika. They are very lucky to have all of you.

**Updated repeatedly in an attempt to correctly identify the babies in the pictures above. Even we can't tell them apart!

2007-06-21T21:37:00.000-04:00

Happy Father's Day!

Yes, finally! Here are the pictures from Father's Day!

We had a wonderful time at Grammy and Grandpa Olney's house. The twins were as cute as could be. Granddad Bender showed up to join in the fun. We set the kiddy pool up and the girls loved it! We had little turtles that shot a stream of water and they loved getting squirted! Allison took a nose dive in the pool and went all the way under water. Surprisingly she didn't cry at all. They had a great time with everyone and are looking forward to celebrating Father's Day with the Benders next weekend.

Fathers day passed and along with it passed a milestone. Kaylee did not nurse the babies on Father's Day and hasn't since. So far, the girls have been very good about it; we have had minimal fussing. It has been bittersweet I think for Kaylee. I just want to say that I am very proud of her. She made a commitment to breastfeed and when we found out we were having twins, she kept that commitment. She kept going through feeding two babies at the same time. She kept going through 8 hour, non-stop feeding sessions. She kept going through babies crying to be first. She kept going through countless times pumping. She kept going through all of the hurdles one must go through to successfully breastfeed twins. Through her dedication, she has given Allison and Mika a perfect start. Thank you Kaylee! We love you!

Anyway, I started talking about feelings and junk and I got sidetracked. The only update that I have is that I think Allison said "Mika". She was watching Mika get out of the car with Mommy and said "Ka!" a couple times. I think that counts.

Since this a Father's Day post, here are some pictures of the girls showing off the traits they get from me.

2007-05-13T22:02:00.000-04:00

Mika on Mother's Day

Allison on Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!

Today is the second Mother's Day for our little tykes. What a difference from last year when we were proud if they managed to hold their heads up for a few seconds! We saw Jason's family yesterday and Kaylee's family today. Allison and Mika delighted in showing everyone their latest feats.

Learning to walk has definitely taken a backseat to learning to talk. Both girls happily say shoe, balloon ("baaooon"), ball, hi, bye-bye, wahoo, no, and of course the old favorites ma-ma and da-da. Mika even said something yesterday that sounded suspiciously like "granpa." There are probably others that I'm forgetting. "Ba-ba" continues to have a multitude of meanings.

Their mimicry skills are amazing. They can parrot back to us almost any sound we make. They even can make a bunch of sounds that we can't, like that crazy tongue-rolling thing that Mika enjoys so much.

On top of what they can say, they understand A LOT of what we say. They've started using a bunch of signs to tell us when they're hungry, want more, and are done. They even say thank you! Such polite little sweeties.

They are making progress on the walking front. They can stand quite steadily on their own and take a few steps before someone notices and starts making a big fuss. As soon as you notice they're walking, they'll sit down nonchalantly and refuse to try again until you're otherwise occupied and not paying attention. I really think they want to perfect the walking thing privately, then proudly march across the floor together like little experts.

There's a lot of "theys" in this post. But Mika and Allison really are identical in so many ways!!! Both show the same hesitance to walk, both love to talk and sign. The differences in their personalities are more subtle. This identical twinning thing is so bizarre to watch.

This year has been the biggest roller coaster of our lives. As I hugged Allison today, so many emotions and memories rushed to the surface. I don't care how cliche it sounds, being a parent really is the best experience in life. I'm so thankful that I'm a mom to such beautiful, loving little girls. And I'm thankful to my mom, mom-in-law, grandmom, and grammy-in-law. I'm lucky to have four beautiful role-models as I cross the threshold of my first year of mommyhood. All four of you have taught me so much about motherhood, about love, about support and experience and just plain winging it.

Thank you. I love you. We love you. Happy Mother's Day.

2007-04-20T21:54:00.000-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Today Allison and Mika turn 1! It's hard to believe that the girls entered our lives one year ago! As Kaylee said, "It's been the longest year of my life, but it's gone by so fast!" It's definitely been the longest year of the babies lives (feel free to groan).

The girls have grown so much this year. They were so small when we brought them home. I remember that they didn't even fit into the car seats; Now we have the next size up. We have gone through clothes, food and diapers like crazy. Speaking of crazy, we were both getting there in the beginning. When the girls started sleeping regularly, wow, that was awesome. Nothing gets rid of crazy like eight hours of sleep a night. We were so happy when they started solid food that they were such good eaters. They have yet to dislike a food (unlike their parents). And every time they learn something new we have such a sense of pride. There are lots of firsts to come and we can't wait!

The picture above is Mika (left), Mommy and Allison (right) on the girls' first birthday.

Updates

Mika took a few steps a couple weeks ago (Allison is still hesitant). They each have eight teeth, although they won't let us look in their mouths very often so they may have more. They both love music and will dance when they hear something they like. When Allison hears the itsy bitsy spider she wiggles her fingers in the air trying to do the hand motions that go along with the song. Both of them will raise their hands above their heads when asked how big they are. Both of them wave hello and bye-bye (Mika has even been known to say bye-bye). And of course, they both laugh a lot!

We are all so lucky to have family and friends that help us out with every little (and big) thing. Allison and Mika have so many people that love them! We are very blessed. If it wasn't for YOU, I don't know how we would have done it. Thank you!

Here are some birthday pictures as a token of our appreciation.

Allison (left) and Mika (right) have their first taste of fudge!

Allison is very excited that it's her birthday!

Mika on her birthday

Let me out of Baby Jail!!!

They are so alike!

2007-03-04T11:36:00.000-05:00

No new posts in a while, yadda yadda yadda, sorry.

The big news of late is that they're NAPPING! Yes, for reasons known only to them, Mika and Allison will now go down quietly for a nap. We put them down at 9:26 am when they appeared tired. Heard a few coos, a little talking, but that's been it. No tears, no screams. Kitty Rambler was even trapped in the office where Mika sleeps in the Pack N Play. Rambler was crying and scratching at the door to get out, but Mika DIDN'T WAKE UP!!!

It's been over two hours and they're still sleeping. I'm so excited I want to shout from the rooftop, call everyone I know to brag, but I'm afraid of breaking the spell. So I'm typing as quietly as I can while Jason snores peacefully nearby. He's excited too, just celebrating in his own way.

No pictures of the sleeping beauties right now, and the recent playtime pix are still on the camera downstairs. But in honor of the occasion, here's a picture from the last time we caught them sleeping at the same time (about 10 months ago).

BTW, we need a babysitter for a few hours around lunchtime on Saturday, March 24. Anyone game?

2007-01-29T21:06:00.000-05:00

Happy 2007!

I know, it's almost February. What can I say? We're lazy.

The Olney family has been having a very good year so far. Allison and Mika loved Christmas and want to thank EVERYONE for their fun toys, new clothes and all of the love! They have both grown so much. Even since Christmas! So many milestones.

They are both cruising right now. While they have only stood up on their own for very short periods, they can get around a room just using any table edge or seat cushion (or each other). We have to keep everything at least a foot away from the edge of any table. The girls also climbed Mount Upstairs. They both went up all 15 steps with Mika in the lead and Allison a very close second. Needless to say 2007 is the year of the gates.

They met their first dog, Duke; Uncle Brian and Aunt Kathy's retriever. All three of them were very excited and had a great time. Allison and Mika had a taste of their own medicine as Duke slobbered all over them.

We have been experimenting with new foods. Cheerios are a hit, although getting them into their mouths doesn't seem to be a priority. They have had some of Mommy's and Daddy's food too and love it.

They got to visit Simon (and Kyle and Heather). They all had fun playing together. Mika had so much fun that she decided to stay up while Simon and Allison took naps. Of course we had a good time too.

Hope this year finds you well too. Hopefully the next post will be before their birthday.

2006-12-25T13:05:00.000-05:00

They're Identical!

With much fanfare, the results were read aloud. There is more than a 99% chance that they are identical!

(We all knew it all along!)

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-03T19:25:00.000-05:00

They Can Crawl!

That's right! As of last Friday they can crawl. They both figured it out on the same day (which strengthens the case that they are identical). They do much better on carpet than on hardwood. But they still manage to slide forward on slippery surfaces.

I guess that we need to find some time to baby-proof the house.

Tonight Kaylee was feeding Mika. I was holding Allison and she was a little fussy so I sat her on the floor with a toy. She slowly crawled her way to Mommy with little sobs! Once she got to Kaylee's feet she was content. She wanted Mommy and so she went to her. I think that's the first time either of them has done that.

Well, thats all I have right now.

The answer to the twin test? Allison is on the right and Mika is on the left!

Cheers!

2006-11-19T21:15:00.000-05:00

Busy, Busy Babies

It's been awhile. The last month has flown by! We have been thinking about the blog, much as we've been thinking about cleaning the bathroom. But as you can imagine, the time just gets away from us.

The family is great! Allison and Mika are thriving. They both have sprouted two razor-sharp teeth. They can both get on their hands and knees and rock back and forth, but neither of them has managed to crawl yet (at least not forwards). They have become very mouthy babies. Allison loves to scream while she's eating. She has a big smile on her face while she's doing it, so we can only assume she's not crazy. Mika has taken to repeating, "ba, ba, ba, ba..." (which I happen to think sounds like "Da, Da, Da...."). She also likes to have conversations that are just her and Mommy or me saying "Ei" or "Ah!" back and forth. They still look very much alike. The only defining features between them are that Allison has a slightly bigger head and a little curl of long hair in the front. For Christmas, we are planning on getting a DNA test to determine once and for all if they are identical or not. They have both started eating meat and a lot of other new kinds of food. The only food they have really snubbed: green beans.

Anyway, enough of my rambling. Here are the pictures:

Allison

Mika

and...

Twin Test 3!

See you soon! I have to go clean the bathroom...

2006-10-14T12:02:00.000-04:00

Foods Mika and Allison like:

Apples

Pears

Bananas

Carrots

Sweet Potatoes

Butternut Squash

Pumpkin

Broccoli

Peas

Rice

Oatmeal

And of course, that nectar of the gods... breast milk! They also enjoy grabbing whatever food we're eating and drooling all over it. So far they've sampled chocolate donuts and an asiago cheese bagel this way. Yum!

Foods Mika and Allison don't like:
TBD

Whatever the food, mealtime can be pretty messy around here.

2006-10-13T18:08:00.000-04:00

Twin Test Two

2006-10-12T18:13:00.000-04:00

Rolly-Polly Babies

Lots and lots of news! The girls have taken two big trips, one downstate and one to PA overnight and Kyle and Heather stopped by with Simon. They've also both been rolling around like crazy. We'll have to baby-proof soon!

A few weeks ago, the girls went downstate to their great grandmother and great grandfather's (Mom-mom and Pop-pop's) house. It was a long drive there and back, but the girls were very good. Of course grandma and Granddad Bender were there as well as Great Aunt Tracy and Cousin Jade. Everyone was very excited to see the babies and they were excited to be in a new place. They weren't very good with their naps (but then, they never are). We stayed a few hours and had a good dinner. Sorry, we don't have any pictures, but I know Grandmom and Granddad do - maybe they can send some along and we can post them later.

The next weekend, the girls went to PA for their Great Aunt Linda's birthday. An even longer trip and overnight. We were a little worried as they hadn't spent the night anywhere since we started them on their sleep routine. We had no reason to worry, the girls did great. There were so many people there for the party and there was a minimum of fuss (from the babies) even though they were being passed around like hot potatoes. They mostly slept through the night. Mika woke up once and sung herself back to sleep (even through the baby monitor she sounds cute). In the morning Aunt Linda helped with the babies, the family came over, we had breakfast and then left. The babies had such a good time and Aunt Linda was thrilled to see them on her birthday. Again - no pictures. Sorry.

Finally we get to last weekend. Kyle and Heather stopped by with baby Simon! Seeing the three of them interact was pretty cool. And look -

PICTURES!!!

Kaylee, the girls, Heather and Simon

Kyle and Simon

Well, until next time, see you later.

2006-10-04T18:16:00.000-04:00

Pictures

I know that we've become neglegent with our posting so here are some of our favorite pictures!

Here are the girls fresh out of the womb!
(Allison left, Mika right)

Here are the girls after bringing them home
(Allison left, Mika Right)

The Family
(Allison left, Mika right)

The girls in their Bili Blankets. They had a little jaundice, but these little girls are tough...

Hope you enjoyed the pictures. We will write soon about the girls' adventures in Dover and Pennsylvania.

P.S. To all those who have recent pictures please send us some.

P.P.S. Video coming soon?

2006-09-27T21:28:00.000-04:00

Mika's not the only one who wants attention!

Tonight Allison decided to serenade us with the soothing sounds of a veloceraptor. We kept checking to see if she was alright, but apparently, she just wanted to make that sound. Let me explain. The song starts by screeching, but while breathing in. This is followed by a note that Maria Carey would be hard pressed to reach. The finishing touch is the raspberry at the end (which I think is all wrong and doesn't go well with the composition, but will she listen? No! Anyway, I digress).

Both Mika and Allison have figured out the raspberry. Mika thinks it's done best with a mouthful of whatever mush she's eating at the time. Words are sure to come soon. Since the word they hear most from us is "burp" I'm betting on that.

Should we start bets on who's going to talk and walk first? Too competitive?
My money's on Mika with the first word and Allison with the first step.

2006-09-27T14:51:00.000-04:00

Not so much "we" time -- Mika wants more "me" time

Rush, rush, rush. Run in the door, shove boobs in mouths, shove mashed food in mouths, rush rush rush, off to bed.

That's the typical weeknight in our busy household. I've left many steps out so as not to bore you loyal readers (all three of you), but you get the gist of it. The poor babies get hardly any time with daddy and mommy. In an effort to get our 1,001 tasks done as efficiently as possible each night, we typically feed the babies together.

Lately Mika has been objecting to always having to share the boobs (whoops, I mean Mommy) with her sister. Last night repeated what has become an almost daily occurance: After nursing for a brief period, Mika started fussing and refusing to eat. Allison continued to nurse, then went to bed.

Mika was still hungry, so I attempted to nurse her again after putting Ali down. "Wait a minute Mommy," she seemed to say as she pulled away. She looked up and locked her eyes on mine. A soft coo escaped her lips as she gently reached up and petted my face. We spent at least five minutes together, gazing at each other in the soft light, exchanging sweet little love sounds. After getting her fill of Mommy's love, she finally finished off Mommy's milk and went to bed without a fuss.

It took a five-month-old child to remind me of the obvious: These girls need individual love and attention. When I'm so focused on getting them to bed on time, I forget that efficiency shouldn't be the primary concern. Loving each baby and cherishing every moment is all that matters. I'll never forget the sweet look on Mika's face as we bonded last night, and I'll do my best from now on to give both her and Allison the solo Mommy & Me time that we all need. Efficiency be damned.

2006-09-23T16:57:00.000-04:00

Pictures This Week

This is Allison waking up after sleeping all night, three nights in a row!

Here's Mommy giving Mika some well deserved raspberries.

Auntie Beth stopped by and got to visit with Allison for a while
(Mika was taking a nap).

More to come soon! Keep posting those comments.

2006-09-20T08:02:00.000-04:00

Five Months Old and Feelin Fine

Big news -- Allison and Mika turn five months old today! The girls celebrated by sleeping through the night. When asked to comment on their big-girl status, Mika responded with a hearty "Aaaeeeeeeee!" while Allison giggled and tried to blow raspberries at the interviewer (aka Mommy).

Mika and Ali declined photos this morning, as they were in a rush to get some breakfast in those empty tummies. A photo op is tentatively scheduled for this evening.

2006-09-17T19:34:00.000-04:00

THE TWIN TEST

As the twins get older, we've gone back and forth as to whether they are identical or fraternal. Let us know what you think! Look at these two pictures and tell us if they look exactly the same or a little different.

Bonus:

For people familiar with the girls, see if you can guess which is Mika and which is Allison

2006-09-16T00:59:00.000-04:00

Hello World!

As of April 20th we have become a family! That was the day that Allison and Mika were born. This blog is for all of our family and friends that would like to follow our progress as we raise twins!

We figured that this would be a good way to update out-of-towners and baby-phobics. In the last four and a half months we've had a lot of adventures and we'd like to share them with you!

Welcome to our blog!

2006-09-15T22:17:00.000-04:00