Let The Adventure Begin!!! Our First Week With Annabelle Faye and Levi Robert

Hello Friends and Family,

This past week has been the hardest and best week of our entire lives. We have been blessed with two beautiful and healthy bundles of joy and they have not stopped amazing us and winning our hearts. Annabelle Faye and Levi Robert were born Tuesday, Dec. 22nd at 8:02am and 8:03am. Annabelle Faye weight 5lbs 9oz and was 18.5 inches long, and her 'younger' brother (born a minute later) was 5lbs 5oz and was 18 inches long.

Our first week with the babies was a whirlwind in the hospital of tests, feedings, visits from friends and family and the Christmas holiday in between. It has been wonderful to see and hear how supportive and excited everyone is for us; our kids are very loved.

They are growing and changing every day. There personalities are developing and we are getting to know them more both together and separately. We've had wonderful moments with each of them, laying in bed with their eyes wide open playing and smiling, and they are loving all of their grandparents, aunts and uncles.

We have had lots of help with feeding them, which takes place every 3 hours, and takes about an hour, so we have two hour windows in between to either sleep or attempt to do other things. It is a much more involved process than we thought, but now that they are eating healthy and growing, it has turned into a fun time with them and with those helping out.

Kealy is recovering great and we are both amazed at how much we can love two people. It almost hurts sometimes and our hearts are overflowing with love and with joy. As we begin a new year, we are so excited for this new adventure of parenthood and to have the privilege to watch two of God's children grow. We love singing and playing with them, snuggling and kissing their heads (which have a lot of hair on them, by the way) and looking into their beautiful eyes.

There is so much more to tell and many stories. We will do our best in the craziness of our new schedule to keep you all updated. For now, have a Happy New Year and enjoy some pictures from our first week with our kids.

Much love and gratitude,
Ryan, Kealy, Annabelle and Levi

Their first picture together

Being wheeled in to see their Mamma:

Mamma and Babies Together:

First Time in Carseats:

Home, Sweet Home:

Mr. Levi Robert:




Ms. Annabelle Faye:




Mother/Daughter Time:

Father/Son Time:

Father/Daughter Time:

Snuggle Time Together:


Our Family of Four:



Exhausted:

A New Thorson Adventure: Letter To The Little Ones

Dear Little Ones,

Tomorrow is the big day! The day when we can finally hold you in our arms. We cannot wait to see you and to meet you and to have both of you as a part of our family. We have had so many wonderful adventures in this life together so far, but none will compare to the adventures we will have with you. You are already the lights of our life and we are overjoyed to be your parents.

We have spent the last 8 months getting ready for your arrival. We have dreamed and hoped, prayed and cried, and waited and prepared for this day to come. We will do our best to be your parents, to love you even in our weaknesses, and we promise to never ever leave you or love you any less than we already do.

We want you to know some very special things about this world you are about to come into. This world may look harsh and cold, full of war and pain, but it is actually full of joy and of peace. There are so many people who love you and will be with you as you grow. Not just us, but your aunt and uncles, your grandparents and great-grandparents, and our dear family and friends who are so excited to meet you.

Another reason this world is full of joy, peace and hope, is because of a special God that created you. This God loved you so much and loves us so much that He has created you to be a part of our family and to experience His love for you through us. He shares His love with you in lots of ways. Through the world He created for you to experience and enjoy, through the other people He created to love you and to be loved and through all the things you will see, think and feel during your live.

But most of all, the Bible (a very important book you will come to know and love) tells us that: "In the beginning was the Word...and the Word was God...and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us...this Light was the Light of all peoples...and the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never overcome it". This Light that has given you life is Jesus Christ. He is the King of this world and all creation and He is the one who has breathed Life into your beautiful hearts. He will always be with you and the Light that He is within you will never disappear or be overcome.

We love you with everything that we are and will be, with all of our strength and all of our hearts. You are more precious to us than anything in this world, even our own lives. We cannot wait to meet you, precious little gifts from God, and promise to always love you. See you tomorrow.

Your Proud Parents,
Ryan and Kealy

Update From The Thorson Family: Week 36

Hello Friends and Family!

This has been a very restful, yet exciting week! First, the big news: After our appointment with our doctor today, we have rescheduled our c-section for this Tuesday, December 22nd! We were in shock a little bit, but our now quite excited that the babies will be here in less than a week! The doctor feels that the babies are progressing along far enough to be delivered, and Kealy's blood pressure is continuing to escalate at times, so that doctor prefers to deliver sooner than later for Kealy and the babies' safety. At any rate, we trust our doctor and are excited about the babies' immanent arrival.

Kealy is getting used to be tested:

This past week Kealy has had a fantastic attitude and we have really enjoyed her time on bedrest. We have had wonderful moments of quiet and reflection as we prepare for our little ones to join us in our family. We have realized that the prescription of bedrest has forced us to slow down and enjoy one another, and having time to prepare for the babies. It has brought clarity during this advent season, realizing that, in the same way we are preparing space and 'room' for our little ones, we ought to be preparing room in our hearts for the Christ Child to dwell and live.

We've had some wonderful visitors this past week who have encouraged us and helped past the time. Our families have been very supportive and Kealy's mom even came down and gave Kealy a foot spa and made us lasagna for dinner on Monday night.

The spa treatment:

The finished product:


Now that we know that the babies will be here in six days or less, we have made a list of things that we want to finish before they come. Along with some Christmas shopping and last minute cleaning, we're putting together those swings and bouncies to keep the babies happy.

Trying to put it together, not one of my strengths:

FINISHED:


We are continuing to have tests done over the next six days to make sure Kealy and the babies are healthy, but barring any unforeseen changes, our little ones will be joining our family in six days, on December 22nd, 2009, at 7:30am in the morning.

Kealy's keeping comfy, waiting for the big day:


We would love to see you at the hospital or at home, as the holidays progress and you have time. We can't wait to meet our kids, and then introduce them to all of you. Stay tuned for the big day!

in Christ,
Ryan and Kealy

Updates From The Thorson Family: Week 35

Hello Friends and Family,

Well, this week we had a dry run. The first part of the week was absolutely normal, as we continued to prepare for the babies' arrival and the Christmas season.

On Wednesday, we headed to the hospital for a routine non-stress test (or NST) where they hooked Kealy up to fetal monitors to keep an eye on the babies' heartbeats to make sure they are moving and are healthy. After hooking Kealy up, we enjoyed watching and listening to the babies' heartbeats. The nurse was thrilled with the little ones's activity and was ready to send us home, when they began to be concerned about Kealy's blood pressure. It had increased to the point where she was in stage 2 hyptertension. We really had no idea what that meant, but Kealy felt fine and the babies' were great. However, they were increasingly concerned so they ran some blood tests. Again, we weren't really sure what they were looking for, but we waited patiently.

The nurse came back in and told us that Kealy's blood work was fine, but her blood pressure was high, so she needed to take it easy and rest in bed or on the couch at home and we would come back in a few days. I went out to get the car and pick Kealy up, but as I pulled up to the hospital door, the nurse was meeting me instead of my beautiful wife. She informed me that our doctor wanted Kealy admitted right away and that if her blood pressure wasn't lowered they would have to deliver the babies that day!

The next while was quite dramatic. They were rushing to get Kealy situated and on monitors, the nurse told her that she'd be in the hospital until the babies were born, I was frantically trying to call family members and figure out if the babies were coming today and all we could think was, "the dishes are dirty at home!"

Apparently they were concerned with Kealy's high blood pressure turning into a disease during pregnancy called preeclampsia that affects the nervous system and can be serious and the only cure is delivery. We prayed together and prepared for more testing and to see the doctor.

We were thankful that our doctor showed up quickly and reassured us that he simply wanted to observe Kealy for additional symptoms of preeclampsia and would prefer to avoid delivering the babies if at all possible. A little bit relieved, we knew we would be in the hospital overnight, so as Kealy got settled in, I ran home to prepare the house, try and pack what we might need and get back to Kealy before anything else dramatic occurred.

When I returned, I realized that everything had settled down and we were in for a lovely one night's stay at the hospital hotel! Kealy had ordered room service and the nurses were taking excellent care of her. We spent the rest of the day resting and Kealy enjoyed the great hospital food (really, it was good, I had a few bites). We enjoyed a visit from my mom, played some cribbage and watched some tv. Kealy's blood pressure continued to go down and the babies continued to do just fine as well. The nurses continued to monitor Kealy through the night, and she even slept surprisingly well. We had fun in the middle of the night laying their half asleep listening to the beating of our kids' heartbeats. That morning the doctor came to see us again and said that it would be okay for Kealy to be released, but on strict bed rest at home, and that we would need to come back on Saturday (tomorrow) for another NST and blood pressure test.

We checked out of the hospital hotel and arrived home at 11am. We got Kealy settled in and I went out again to get everything Kealy needed and wanted.

She's be doing a great job of resting and taking good care of herself. I am sure it is hard for her being on bed rest, but she has had a great attitude and it has been fun relaxing and pampering Kealy with anything and everything she needs. We've got all the dishes done (thanks to Michelle's help last night) and the house clean and laundry done, and still had time to watch that famous Christmas classic, "A Christmas Story". We've got plenty of work ahead of us when the babies arrive, so today and yesterday has been a time to rest and prepare for the 'not so dry' run that will be coming sometime in the next two and a half weeks.

The doctor told us he'd still prefer to let the twins stay inside of Kealy as long as they can, so we're shooting for the 30th of December when the babies are 38 weeks. But with the prospect of the next 18 days on bed rest, we wouldn't be remiss if they took the babies soon. I suppose we'll have to wait and see.

Thanks for all of your prayers and well wishes as we wade through this final stage of pregnancy, waiting for the soon-to-come joyous moment of our little ones' birth.

in Christ,
Ryan and Kealy Thorson

Updates from the Thorson Family: Week 34

Hello Friends and Family,

We've reached a wonderful milestone this week! After a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with four days in Sandy and the beginning of the Advent season, we're at the point in the pregnancy where labor would not be delayed if Kealy were to have contractions. Fortunately, she has had no signs of early labor and is continuing to do a wonderful job of resting and staying healthy.

We had another ultrasound this Tuesday to examine the growth of the babies, as well as their positions in preparation for the big day. We found out on Wednesday at our doctor's appointment that the babies are healthy and growing. Our little girl currently weights 4lbs and 12ounces and our little boy weighs 4lbs and 5ounces. They even have hair growing on their heads! The doctor said these weights are great and that they are very close together which is great news. Their positioning in the womb is not entirely ideal. The baby girl is head down, which is good, but the boy is laying across her (protecting her I'm sure) in what's called a transverse position. Unfortunately, if they were to stay in that position for labor, their is a chance that, after the girl was delivered through the birth canal, the boy's leg or arm could fall into the birth canal, causing the need for an emergency caesarean. So, as of now, if the babies do not change position, they'll need to be delivered with a caesarean. There is still a possibility the babies might shift, and we're praying that they may, but we are glad they are healthy.

The next step is to continue to monitor the babies' growths and make sure they are receiving the nutrition they need. We will be going into the family birth center at the hospital for an n.s.t (non-stress test) weekly to monitor their health. At the 38 week period, if the babies have not been born, we have a scheduled caesarean on December 30th! Its great to know that there is an end date and that the babies will be coming sometime in December! (just in time to file for a tax credit and watch the Ducks win the Rose Bowl at the hospital).

We are so thankful that the pregnancy has gone well and that Kealy is healthy. The whole Christmas season has a wonderful new excitement and sense of adventure to it, as we await these new arrivals. They are some of the most wonderful gifts we could ever hope for. We're shifting our mindset to the 30th of December for our end date, and the longer the babies can stay in there the better for them, but we wouldn't mind meeting them as soon as healthily possible. Thanks for your prayers. Stay tuned for more weekly updates.

in Christ,
Ryan and Kealy

P.S. We're curious if the babies will have red hair like their mamma:

or blonde hair like their daddy:

Hopefully they'll wind up better than us criminals:

What do you think?

Updates from The Thorson Family: Week 33

Dear Friends and Family,

Today marked the 33 week milestone of Kealy's pregnancy. This week has gone by fast. We are looking forward to an important ultrasound next Tuesday, that will give us a window into the little ones' development over the past month as well as there positioning which is important when considering what type of birth they will experience.

After so many wonderful showers from family and friends, we've had a fun time trying to 'organize' the nursery. We have more and more things that we need in order to give the kids a good start. These are just a few of the wonderful 'gifts' we've been given.

During one of the showers, the participants 'created' these little onesies for the babies:

After a wonderful Thanksgiving Dinner with the college students last night, we decided it was appropriate to put up our Christmas decorations, so that we could relax after our weekend with family this week. We enjoyed putting up our tree and other special homemade and family decorations.


We are so thankful that we've had so much time to spend together to prepare for this exciting new adventure. During this week of Thanksgiving, we've had chances to reflect on all the wonderful things God has blessed us with, as well as a renewed call to continue to be a blessing to others. Thank you for your love and support, we are so thankful to be bringing our kids into a community and family with so much love!

Stay tuned for more updates!

in Christ,
Ryan and Kealy Thorson

Updates From The Thorson Family: Week 32 Upate

Here we are at 32 weeks! According to the book the babies should weigh four pounds each. We just had an appointment and the babies heartbeats sounded good, the doctor had a hard time keeping track of the girl because she was moving around so much. Ryan could see both of them move as the doctor tried to get the heartbeats.


We have an ultrasound in two weeks to see the positions of the babies and to see the amount of nutrition the babies are getting. The next day we will see the doctor for results. We asked how much after the 36 weeks will be safe for the babies, if we would go to the 40 weeks? He said that they don't want to go longer then 38 because the nutrition and room often runs out and they don't need to go the whole 40 weeks. He also said that if I go into labor before 34 weeks they will try to stop labor, but after 34 weeks is okay. So the babies could come, anytime, but really two to six weeks is the window. That's crazy! We are so excited, it's really hard waiting. God is so amazing and we are thankful for so many reason. We are monitoring the babies movement. They are quite active and are now making my stomach lopsided. You may be wondering about a C-section, at this point we don't know. It will depend on the positions of the babies. But we talked with the doctor and all of us want to not do a C-section unless we have to, which is good that he agrees too. We are still talking Lamaze classes and learning what we can.


Ryan is the best husband, I got home today and he had cleaned the whole house, had a fire going and Christmas music playing and fresh juice to drink. Later that night he made me taco salad for dinner. Delicious! He is a hard worker and a caring husband.
Ryan also preached on Sunday, It's really nice that he got this opportunity to share God's word. I'm really proud of him and the man he is.

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