Cupcake Lessons

Each birthday party I have a naive belief that my experience as a professional baker will help me create a wonderful cake or cupcakes for the party. Each year, I am so wrong!

Maybe it's that I rarely have time in all the preparation to bake a cake from scratch, except I know the mixes are just as good. I have at times rightly blamed my cake pans which warped during the baking. Other times it has been a glazing or frosting recipe that just didn't cooperate.

This year I had one small issue and one big issue, the cake flavor and the cupcake liners! Kaia really wanted carrot cake cupcakes. I needed a mix, since her party was less than 2 weeks post surgery, but I couldn't find one! I went to 2 different stores looking, and decided that I wasn't going to anymore stores. I had planned on 2 different flavors, so instead of carrot I bought strawberry cake mix and a chocolate mix. Afterward I learned that the spice cake can be used and the carrots added, also I heard that Albertson's carried the mix Kaia wanted. Luckily she decided that strawberry would be ok.

I found a good deal on the Reynolds Foil Baking Cups. The nice thing was, they were separated with paper liners. So I was able to use foil for the strawberry cupcakes and the paper for chocolate. Silly me, I made the mistake of reading the package. It claimed that there was no need to use a cupcake pan. I thought this was wonderful. I'd be able to cook the cupcakes faster by baking more on a large cookie sheet. I quickly loaded up all the foil liners with strawberry cake mix and put them in the oven. I quickly regretted reading the package when I looked in at my baking cupcakes. You don't NEED a cupcake pan, as long as you don't care what they look like.



The cupcakes were flat on top, and many had baked dents into them. At least all the chocolate cupcakes that were baked in my non-warping cupcake pan (a Christmas present from my aunt) looked good.



They looked better frosted, but were still very difficult to frost as the tops never developed a nice browning to keep them from falling apart. The birthday girl didn't seem to mind though.



I hear the strawberry cupcakes tasted good too. I tried a bite of one, realized they taste like strawberry milk, and quickly gave the rest of it to Mo.

Overall I wasn't happy with the baking cups. Not only should they be used with a cupcake pan, but as you can see from the photo, they separated from the cupcakes too easily. I wanted a pretty sugared edge, but between the flat tops and the peeling liners, it just didn't have the pretty factor I hoped for. There is always 2010, and that year I'll have 3 separate children's parties to throw. Maybe I will have reached my full potential by the boys' first birthday.

Lessons Learned

Bryce looking just like he was laughing at us! 21 weeks

Brendon with his hand up to his cheek. 21 weeks

These past 3 weeks have gone by in a blur. In so many ways we are lucky that from the time of diagnosis to surgery on the boys was just days apart. I've realized now that waiting could have been agony. I'm also so thankful that we were able to have the surgery done, I've heard from other women that weren't good candidates for the surgery, and then on Sunday a friend told me that one of her patients has kidney disease. A young patient that will likely begin to need dialysis soon. When she asked the mom what happened, the answer was Twin to Twin and she hadn't had surgery.

The boys continue to look great at check ups. We have one this week, and one next week, and then I'm back in town with Dr. Rowles! I'm eagerly awaiting that day. That is the day when we no longer spend full days driving to Seattle, we will no longer watch all of our income go into the gas tank, parking fees, and fast food lunches, and I won't have to sit in the scary bunny-boob-bikini art room that is University of Washington Medical Center's Maternal Infant Care Clinic. picture to follow if the waiting room isn't packed full of people



I believe that God had a plan in all of this. Just like He had a plan for me to get pregnant, and then to really throw Dana and I off with twins. He had a lesson for me, one that I've never wanted to learn. The most important lesson I'm taking from all of this is that I don't have to be so independent.



My stubborn independence permeates my life. Some time ask Dana how many times I've actually cried because I was scared, or upset. Unless it's tears of frustration, even Dana and the kids don't see me cry. I just don't cry in front of other people, maybe I fear it shows weakness.


I don't like to ask for help. I don't ask for help carrying a box, or moving furniture, I just do it. When finances have been tight or non-existant, I've juggled and moved things to squeak us by, anything to keep from having to admit that I might need help. Even when it has come to prayer requests, I've always felt better asking people to pray for others, and not me.



Yet in the last month, all of that has changed. I've asked for prayers for me and the entire family not just from my moms devotional group, and not just from church, but from the whole wide blogging world. I've asked for help with meals during my week of bedrest and for some to stock in the freezer to eat after a long day in Seattle. I've asked for help with childcare and grocery shopping. I've even had to ask for temporary help with finances and gratefully accepted cash to help cover trip expenses.



It has been a hard lesson to learn. One that I don't think I would have learned had the lives of our boys not been endangered. And it's still a lesson in progress, as I struggle to write this and hit publish post. But, I'm thankful that I am learning the lesson, and I'm thankful for the good that has come from this experience. Dana and I are more dedicated than ever to working together to bring these boys into our family safe and healthy!

Why I Encourage Used Gifts

One thing I have done for the past year and a half is include this phrase in the Evite for the kids' birthday parties: Gifts are not necessary. Second hand is welcome. Each time the kids have received one or two gifts that were either bought second hand, or were from the home. Many times it has been clothing, but this year for Kaia's birthday we got more.

I find that this breaks down a barrier for people. There is no need to spend a lot of money, and there is no need to buy cheap junk because that's all that's affordable. Often times the second hand gift is worth far more than what someone would buy to give new, because they don't have to buy. On Saturday, Kaia got some great second hand gifts!

1. My cousin, a teacher, gave her a great little cart with colored drawers to organize her art supplies. She also bought another under the bed style plastic tote and a few art kits. If I remember correctly the cost for the gift was less than $10, because the cart was one she'd had for her old classroom.

2. Kaia received a big box of art supplies from my sister-in-law and Dana's brother. They gathered up all of her daughter's leftover paper, a window cling kit, and plenty of lanyard plastic. All of which were no longer useful to an 18 year old.

3. One of the gifts included in that box of art supplies was a doggie deck of Uno. And Uno has become the new family game! We've played at least 2 games an evening since then. Dana and I are enjoying the time with Kaia, and she enjoys the attention. Mo has played a game, but he's passed most of the time because he gets bored.

Kaia enjoys these gifts just as much as her new Skechers, her new clothes, the new Taylor Swift cd, and all the other great art supplies. She also received her first gift card from Grammy and Papa, and she cannot wait to go shopping at Michaels for more crafts.

She also is enjoying her Gabriella costume from my brother and his family.

What gifts have you received that weren't new? Are you comfortable giving gifts that weren't bought new?

Kaia's Party and a Belly Photo

We celebrated a few days early, and here are a handful of photos from today. There's more to come...

All of the kids got to design their own crown. Even the little boys enjoyed decorating a pink sparkly crown.

Then it was airbrush tattoo time. Kaia chose the pink unicorn. I chose a something... sun maybe? I was convinced by Dana and my brother that it needed to be a belly tattoo. The boys seemed to notice the sound or the air hitting my belly, as they were moving my skin while Dana worked.


And that's your belly shot. 21 weeks and 1 day! You can even see my small incision from the surgery 12 days ago. It's to the left of the photo (my right side) and kind of looks like a little mole in this photo.

I'll post more of cupcakes and other tattoos later! For now, I'm exhausted!

Trampoline

Bryce face down

Brendan face down

The boys had their 1 week post surgery check up yesterday. I'm so happy to report that both boys are doing fabulous! I truly believe we have your prayers to thank for this.

Brendan has a visible bladder now and enough of an amniotic sac that he was able to flip himself and be breech with Bryce. It was fun to see the ultrasound with them both breech. They were kicking each other and pushing. Both of them can now use my bladder as a trampoline, and they are!







When Dr. Walker came in after the initial ultrasound, he did his own quick ultrasound. He found that Brendan's bladder was empty again, but that his amniotic sac had grown. He's become quite the little pee-er, and with his new roomier accomodations he's been less cooperative for the blood flows. You will also note that neither wanted a photo taken either. Both of them kept their noses to my back nearly the entire time. Bryce was also uncooperative for the blood flows, but his also looked great, and his sac had not grown any after they took out the pint. It was wonderful news, and made Dana and I feel so much better.




The staff at Eastside Maternal Fetal Medicine have been amazing, and I wish I could see them for all of my follow up appointments. Unfortunately, my insurance isn't game for that. They did send us off with warm handshakes, and a hug. We have also promised to send photos and updates (and the placenta after their birth, as part of the study).




Thank you to all of you that prayed for us and the boys. We still have 3 more follow ups, but both boys are doing great, and we can't imagine that changing. I look forward to visiting all of you and thanking you personally very soon.