More Pictures

One thing we have already learned is that they like to spend time in the same cradle. Caleb is on the left, Joel on the right.

Caleb on Left, Joel on Right.

Caleb on Left, Joel on Right

Caleb on Left, Joel on Right

If a picture is worth a thousand words then this clearly describes Kiera's thoughts about having some competition for mommy and daddy! We thought this pic was so cute and she got over these feelings pretty quickly!

It's a boy...times two!!

We just wanted to let everyone know that our family has officially grown as of 9:40 this morning. Caleb Dean was born first and Joel Ryan was only seconds behind. Caleb weightd 5 pounds 15 ounces and was 19 inches long. Joel weighed 6 pounds 2 ounces and was 20 inches long. Both of them have very blonde hair, just like Kiera did when she was born. They both are very healthy and didn't need to spend any time in the NICU. Sheri is also doing very well. She is feeling really good and did great through the whole process. Sheri's Dr. decided on Wednesday to schedule a C-Section for this morning because she had made it to 37 weeks and Baby B looked like he was going to go breach. Sheri was very relieved to hear this news and it was nice to finally have an end date in site. Here are a few pictures to wet your appetite. We will post more in the days to come.

Kiera, Caleb, and Daddy

Joel Ryan

Caleb Dean

Still no babies...

Well, we made it to 36 weeks without any problems. I was hoping I wouldn't have to post the next months picture, but here we are. We are now praying that any day these two babies will decide to make their way into the world. As of Wednesday, one was 5 lbs. 3 oz. and the other was 6 lbs. 3 oz. (with about a 1 pound discrepancy either way), so they are easily big enough to function on their own. The ultrasound showed them pretty scrunched up and cozy in there! Where they find the room, I do not know. I thought about making some extra cash in my final days and being Santa Claus somewhere. Just give me a beard and a red suit, I don't even need to be stuffed! My life is getting extremely difficult. Getting dressed, sleeping, sitting, eating, all the normal tasks are very hard to do. I am overall very uncomfortable and incredibly sore. But, the babies are doing great, so we keep focused on the goal to receive a great reward at the end!

Ryan's parents and brother came over for Thanksgiving yesterday. We ordered a meal from the local grocery store which turned out to be pretty good! We weren't sure if we would be in the hospital, so we didn't want to spend too much time preparing. We had a very relaxing day together and enjoyed lots of food and fellowship. We have so much to be thankful for and praise God for his awesome blessings!

A pregnant woman's Christmas List...

Okay, I know it isn't quite Thanksgiving yet, but since I really can't do anything but sit, I figured it was time to enjoy a little humor at my expense. As I see the TV commercials and talk to people about Christmas shopping and what everyone wants for Christmas, I got to thinking about what exactly I would like this year....

1. Be able to put my socks on without tipping over (I don't even go out of the house to bother with shoes)
2. To wear a shirt that actually covers my stomach completely
3. To bend over and pick something up that I've dropped...and not have to hear Kiera come running and without question pick it up for me
4. Climb the stairs in under 5 minutes and not be huffing and puffing at the top
5. To roll over in bed without Ryan wondering if I've gone into labor
6. To actually get out of bed without needing a crane and a lift
7. Eat dinner at the table without Kiera commenting "Mommy, you need a big bib"
8. Eat dinner without getting stuck under the table
9. Oh to wear a winter coat...and have it close in front!
10. Wear clothes made for a 5' 7" person rather than clothes of a 6'3" person...namely my husband. I don't think either of us ever thought we'd see the day.

Yes, carrying twins has been quite the challenge and experience. We are almost at 36 weeks and only have 2 to go. Everything is going great. I've had a few contractions here and there and basically do nothing anymore. The babies are about 6 pounds each and are more than welcome to arrive anytime!!! In all seriousness, our greatest and most sincere Christmas wish is this:

~To welcome 2 healthy babies and celebrate the gift of new life at such a special time as Christmas! God has definitely blessed us with such a great pregnancy and we pray that the next 3 weeks go smoothly.

Thanks so much for your support and prayers. We hope to have news soon!!!!

First Snow

We had our first official snow the first weekend of November. We didn't get very much but Kiera had a lot of fun playing in it. By now it has all melted away and Kiera is eagerly awaiting more snow and "Christmas Time" so we can turn our Christmas lights on!



This is what happened when we came in the house to warm up after being outside in the snow. Kiera decided to pick up one of Sheri's books, get comfortable, and give it a read. I wonder where she learned this?

Hodge Podge

We are posting a variety of pictures from the last month. We aren't so great at getting things up weekly. Hope you enjoy. I'll start from the top:

Sheri 8 months pregnant...even I couldn't believe how much I had grown in the last month. Compare the size from the previous blog entry and you'll be amazed! I am a little worried where these babies are going to go in the next month. On Wednesday they were 4 pounds each and should start gaining a half a pound a week! Yikes! I am definitely hoping for 2 turkeys to arrive for Thanksgiving rather than Christmas! We are so thankful they are doing well and growing strong.

The next picture is of a baby shower our church gave us. Because our church is so big and someone has a baby almost every week, they only throw showers for twins. We were pretty excited about this as there were some larger items we needed yet. It was a success and we feel so blessed by all the outpouring of support and generosity. Thanks everyone!

The next couple pictures are of Ryan and Kiera "carving" a pumpkin. We decided to skip the mess this year and go with a princess potato head that sticks in the pumpkin. Kiera loved it and did it over and over until the pumpkin literally fell apart!

We took Kiera to a local apple orchard/farm to pick her pumpkin. They have a little animal area there with ducks, rabbits, and horses as well as train rides, pony rides, and apple/pumpkin picking. We took a horse drawn hayride out to the pumpkin patch to get our pumpkin. Kiera had a blast and it was a beautiful day! She was a little unsure about getting a free apple from the live scarecrow!

Long Overdue...

Well, this post is definitely long overdue ( no pun intended). I notice that it has been almost two months since we wrote anything!!! We sure have been busy! Kiera and I took a trip to WA to see my family...a road trip mind you (2 adults and 3 kids). My sister and I went together and had a fun time driving out there together and the kids did great! It was lots of fun to hang out with the family. Now we have just been busy with church activities and day to day stuff. We included some pictures of Kiera and some of her cousins (who she LOVES hanging out with! ). Ryan was in charge of putting a festival together to kick off the new year and that's why the kids are riding in the train. Kiera could have ridden in that all day. She loved it! Now that all our traveling is done, we are quickly preparing for the twins to arrive. So far everything has been going great and I have had no problems. I am 28 weeks now (7 months), look 9 months, and feel about 13! I included two pictures of me. One is of me 9 months pregnant with Kiera and the other is as up to date of a picture as you can get (today). So, any guesses which is which???? Sadly, the bottom one is of me right now! Quite the difference in size! I no longer fit in any of the clothes I wore with Kiera my ENTIRE pregnancy. The scary thing is that I still have 2 months to go!!!! Where are these babies going to fit??? Maybe I have a hollow leg....I am definitely slowing down and have boycotted cleaning my home or doing anything that involves bending over or getting on the floor. A twin pregnancy definitely takes it out of you! I told Ryan that if I had started with a twin pregnancy, we may not have had any more children. What a difference it makes and a toll it takes on a person! As of my ultrasound today, Baby A weighs 2 lbs. 10 oz and Baby B weighs 2 lbs. 8 oz. People deliver 6 pound babies!!!! Yikes!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are just so thankful that everything is progressing well and it looks as if we should be able to make it to 38 weeks (my doctor won't let me go past that thankfully). We appreciate your continued prayers and will try to update more frequently.