Updates From The Thorson Family: Week 28

"This week your babies are 28 weeks! Any premature births from this point on have a very successful survival rate. Babies skill of the week: blinking. Yes, along with the other tricks in a growing repertoire that already includes coughing, sucking, hiccuping, and taking practice breaths, your baby can now blink those sweet little eyes."-What To Expect When You're Expecting

Hello Friends and Family,

From the Little Ones: This weekend our parents took us to the beach. We overheard them saying that this was their last chance to 'get away' before we change their lives forever, but we thought this was funny, since we were with them the whole time. We could tell that they were having a wonderful weekend. We could feel Mamma's happiness and the food that they ate was delicious for us too. We are able to taste everything that Mamma eats and wow, the clam chowder and garlic bread from that place called Mo's was really good. We also tasted some chocolate and snacks that we're sure we'll love when we get to eat it on our own.


One of our favorite, yet most peculiar, moments, was Friday morning. We heard the wonderful sound of the ocean that sounded a lot like the sounds from inside Mamma. We could hear Mamma and Daddy talking and having a wonderful time. For a while they stopped and just stood and we could hear the sounds of the ocean really well, they must have been close to the waves. It was a peaceful moment. Then, all of a sudden, we experienced the most wild ride we've ever had. We were being bounced around back and forth, bumping into each other. We had no clue what was happening! We heard them yelling and screaming and laughing about the wave that snuck up on them. They must have been okay. It was quite the wild ride though. We liked it.


From Kealy: Thursday I took a glucose test to see if I have diabetes, which is common check up during a pregnancy. At our appointment today the test results were good. We heard their heart beats today and the doctor said that our little boy was being active. The girl has been moving around too, but she's a little shy. Next week we have another ultrasound to see the weight of the babies making sure they are growing. They are about two in a half pounds according to the books.

Ryan was talking with the babies and they started moving as he was talking. It's really fun to see them move when they respond to our voices and our touch.

From Ryan: Today Kealy and I went to the pumpkin patch for the first time ever together. It was a beautiful fall day and we enjoyed every minute of it. We went out into the pumpkin patch and found some beautiful pumpkins that we are going to paint this weekend, one of our favorite fall traditions.


Oh yeah, and when we were leaving the pumpkin patch, down the road just a few hundred yards, I noticed something out of place. There was a camel walking around in a field. On closer inspection, we noticed that this property had more than one exotic animal! There were camels, wallabys and this zebra. Not something you see every day.


in Christ,
The Thorson Family

27 Weeks: The First Baby Shower...The Last Getaway

Hello Friends and Family,

This past week was an exciting time for us. The babies are continuing to grow and move around and we can feel and SEE them more and more frequently. We are 'settling in' to the fall season and getting ready for the Arrivals! We have a dry erase board with a list of things we want to accomplish by the 36 week point, just in case the little ones decide to come in December.

This past Saturday, our sister Michelle threw Kealy her first baby shower. The shower attendees were mostly women from our college ministry and church community and they had a wonderful time together. One of the games was a diaper raffle, where for every package of diapers the guest brings they received a raffle ticket. Consequently, we received two months worth of diapers, including this diaper cake!

After the shower it was fun to take the gifts home and organize them and put them into our nursery room. It is taking shape and fun to have a place to 'get ready' for the little ones. We LOVE our themes of ladybugs and turtles intermixed as the babies will be sharing a room together.

One of the funnest things the last few days has been to 'watch' the babies. At times when they are really active we can actually see them moving around. It is fun, having multiple ultrasounds thus far, because we can tell who's moving when. The boy is definitely taking up more space than our daughter, but she'll move around just as much.


This weekend we're taking a chance to 'get away' one last time. We have a chance to spend a few days near Lincoln City and so we are going to get away and enjoy just relaxing with no responsibilities for a few days. It will be nice to spend time together, continuing to enjoy one another and talking about how much life will change in the upcoming months.

Here's a fun photo series of Kealy's 'progression' over the last few months.






in Christ,
Ryan and Kealy Thorson

26 weeks!

Hello Everyone,
We had an appointment on Tuesday and got the results back from the ultrasound. The babies are doing really good and are in the 40th percentile for their weight and 50th is average for a singleton. We also got to hear their heartbeats nice and strong. Last Friday I went and got the flu shot that the doctor recommended. This next week I'll be tested for iron, glucose, vitamin D, and more. The Doctor wants to meet with us every two weeks now, now that we are in the third trimester and it's a twin pregnancy. They can come in 10 weeks which would be at 36 weeks and they would be healthy and full term for twins. Our goal is to have everything ready for them by the first week in Dec. because 36 weeks is Dec. 15. Crazy!!! We are so excited!

24 Week UltraSound and Back to Work!

Hey Everybody!

This past week we got to see our little ones again. We had a scheduled, in-depth ultrasound during our 24th week. Future grandma Dottie and Aunt Michelle joined us for the ultrasound. It took a little while to get used to what we were looking at, but once we did, it was wonderful to see how much the babies have been growing. After almost doubling in size since the 18 week ultrasound, they'll be doubling in size again until our 28 week ultrasound in October. We were able to see their faces and arms and the ultrasound tech was measuring their heads, bellies and femurs to check growth and health. At this point in the pregnancy, our little girl is 1lb 7 ounces and our little boy is 1lb 5 ounces.

These past few weeks has also begun getting back into our fall rhythm. We were both so thankful for all the wonderful things we were able to do this summer and the amount of time we got to spend together. We are cherishing every moment together and looking forward to the day when our little ones arrive. Kealy started her first day back at subbing on Wednesday. She is going to continue to work as much as she is comfortable with and the doctor allows as the pregnancy continues. We're both going for flu shots today to keep her and the babies safe. I am back in the full swing of school. It is funny however, how unimportant all of those things seem in contrast to this great new adventure that is about to begin!

We are enjoying being able to feel the babies kick more and more and they are so very active. They really like it when we sing to them and read to them, responding with multiple kicks every time their daddy says hello. During the ultrasound, it was fascinating for Kealy to both see and feel the babies kick at the same time! I cannot believe that there are TWO human beings growing inside of my petite wife!

We are so thankful for how well the pregnancy has been going so far. Both Kealy and the babies have got nothing but good reports and we are thankful for all of your prayers as we continue to enjoy this adventure of pregnancy. Please continue to pray for the safety and health of our little ones and their mother.

in Christ,
Ryan and Kealy Thorson

Here are some pictures from our most recent ultrasound. In them you can see the babies facial profiles and their heads 'snuggling' together.

(Our son's face and hand waving)

(Our daughter's face and hand waving)

(Snuggling together)

Babies Update!

Hey Everybody,

This first part of this blog was written at the end of July: Thursday was the 17th week of pregnancy. The babies are healthy and starting to move around a little in there. They had visitors watching them at the last ultrasound/check up their grandma(Tanya) and their great grandma(Carol) and great grandpa (Dorn). What a good time. The babies were moving around, moving their little hands. We could see their little heart beats and even their spin.

Aug. 18th we have a two hour appointment at the hospital to find out the gender of the babies. It has been really hard for Ryan and I to wait to find out, we are so excited. Ryan just got back from Mexico with eleven other people.

Today's Writing looking back:
August 18th come and we found out that we are having a boy and a girl:0) We are so happy! The ultra sound was really fun to see them move, kick and yawn. About fourty-five minutes into the ultrasound the tech had me puff out my stomatch to get a better look. Right as I did we knew right away that it was a boy! I laughed and cried at the same time, I've never done that before because I was so happy. Ryan couldn't stop smiling. Once they were done looking at the heart, spin, skull, and much more they went onto look at baby A. Right when we saw baby A she had her legs crossed, what a lady:0) It took the tech awhile to find everything that they needed because our little girl was hiding. We didn't know that the tech was looking for the gender and all of a sudden she said "I think it's a girl?" Ryan and I look at each other and ask "you think it's a girls?" both of us thinking what does that mean? We looked at different angles and it really was a girl:0) How perfect! A wonderful little boy and a wonderful little girl!

The next two weeks we headed to junior high camp and high school camp. Ryan spoke at the junior high camp and lead music and the pit crew at the high school camp. He did a really good job. I'm really proud of him of the man and leader that he is. It was nice because we were there together. Right before camp Ryan got to feel the babies kick! It was really neat sharing that together. The babies have only gotten stronger in their kicks.

This last week we set aside it to be a Baby Week:0)

Monday: My mom, grandpa, grandma came down to help us set up the nursery and guest room. We panted the crib and changing table. Cleared out the rooms. It turned out really nice. They are fast movers, we got a lot down.


Wednesday: We registered at Target, Babies R Us, and Baby Depot in Burlington coat factory. It was a really long day but a fun one. We found the babies bed sets, high chairs, car seats, etc.

Saturday: Visited the hospital for a tour of the family birth center. At this point our plan is to deliver at the Salem Hospital.

We appreciate everyone's excitement for the babies. We are at twenty-one weeks and they are about 7 in long. We are over half way there!!! Five months down four to go:0). I feel so blessed and thankful.

Love,
Kealy Faye

Double The Blessing

Hey Everybody,

Yesterday we had our first ultrasound of the baby. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget. As they started the ultrasound, Kealy and I were both looking intently at the small screen in front of us. Suddenly, a small white blob in the shape of a kidney bean appeared on the screen. "That must be the baby!" I thought to myself. Suddenly, however, it disappeared, and another white blob, now on the other side of the picture, appeared. "What's that?" I thought to myself. The n, the doctor uttered three words that blew us away: "You're having twins". Kealy and I were both speechless. We couldn't believe that there were two babies inside of her. We had become jokingly suspicious after being teased about the possibility and hearing about how many twins were in both sides of our family, but we never actually allowed our minds to go there. But true enough, we've received 'Double the Blessing'.

Honestly, we're both still in a little bit of shock. We went to Applebee's for dinner after the appointment to 'celebrate', but neither of us ate very much. I think we are just overwhelmed at the adjustment at this point, not to say that we are any less excited about the news, but still in shock, I think. Today has been a day of processing and realizing everything that will change. We did have a wonderful lunch with Kealy's grandparents, who brought us the TWO stuffed puppies pictured above. Fortunately, we both have the day off, so we are able to relax and process the exciting news. We are also so thankful that we have such a great community of support surrounding us for this new adventure.

The ultrasound showed that both of the babies are healthy and growing just the way they are supposed to. Their heartbeats are very strong and one of them even moved for us during the ultrasound. Kealy's blood work and tests also came back very positive. You can also see in one of the ultrasound pictures below that the babies are in their own growth sacks. The doctor said this was great news because they will each have their own 'space' to grow without risk of getting tangled together. Its so nice that they are practicing sharing space together already!


Thank you for your prayers so far. We would love for 'double' the prayer effort now, for continued safety and healthy growth as we continue to enjoy this pregnancy together. We have a more complete and thorough ultrasound in two weeks that will continue to help us monitor the growth of our two 'little ones'. Stay tuned...

with love,
Ryan and Kealy Thorson (plus two!)

Beauty in Bloom

Hey Everybody,

Hey...we're doing pretty good at the weekly update thing so far. We had a GREAT first appointment with the LPN at the OBGYN on Friday (like I know what all those acronyms mean). The nurse gave us a lot of great information and we were able to ask a lot of questions and get them answered. I'm sure they were all the normal questions she usually gets, but she was patient and very informative. We had all the questions about health, exercise, nutrition, etc. that I'm sure most couple's in our position ask. It was a fun way to begin the adventure. A week from today we have our first ultrasound of the baby. We are VERY excited to find out exactly how far along Kealy is and maybe even hear the heartbeat of our 'little one'.



We are so thankful for God's providence in moving us to West Salem last December, into a three bedroom apartment. We are really enjoying our place and I often find myself wandering into what will be the nursery and just sitting and dreaming. The other fun things about our place are the backyard and the garage. The garage because it gives us a place to play ping pong, and the backyard because it is the first time we've had a yard of our own to enjoy. The backyard has been especially 'active' and bringing forth some beautiful flowers, as you can see by the pictures below. We also bought some vegetables and herbs at a local Saturday market and planted them last weekend. We planted a tomato plant, zucchini, two kinds of pepper, some basil and sage. Hopefully
I won't kill the plants...




Thanks for all of your continued prayers and we will let you know next week how the first ultrasound goes!

in Christ,
Ryan and Kealy