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

Trip To Boise+Pickles, etc.

Hey Everybody,

I think we'll keep trying to make a weekly update during our new adventure. Thank you to all of you for your congratulations and your prayers. Tomorrow the 'little one' inside of Kealy will be eight weeks along. We are excited for our first appointment with her doctor on Friday, even if it is only for a general examination and to answer any questions we might have (we've been keeping a list).

We had a wonderful last couple weekends together, traveling to Boise to see Mark and getaway, as well as spending Memorial Weekend in Seattle with our college/career ministry. It has been a bit of a whirlwind, but still great adventures. Here's a few pictures from the past two weekends.





Kealy is feeling well and we are both working hard to eat right and exercise. We have spent a lot of time at the gym and are enjoying navigating our way around Minto Brown Park here in Salem. We borrowed some books from the library that had some great recipes for pregnant mothers and are enjoying some high-protein strawberry milkshakes. All of the fruit in season has been Kealy's main source of snacks. As long as she eats consistently she feels well. That is a good thing since many pregnancies experience morning sickness at this stage in the game. We're hoping she continues to feel well. We picked up some pickles today at the store, just because its a pregnancy tradition, right? Kealy said they still tasted great! We're so thankful for this precious gift and are praying that the 'little one' will grow strong and healthy. We'll keep you updated on how the appointments go, thank you for all your prayers and excitement for us!

in Christ,
Ryan and Kealy

Announcing A New Arrival Soon!

Hey Everybody,

Yet another adventure is upon us. We want all of you to know that KEALY IS PREGNANT! We are very excited about this news and to share this journey with each of you.

We found out about 10 days ago, just in time to surprise our parents on Mother's Day which was a wonderful surprise. Hopefully we've had an opportunity to contact most of you, but we wanted to use this blog as another way to announce the big news.

She is about six weeks along and we have our first appointment with the doctor on May 29th. Please be praying along with us that the baby is healthy and growing and that Kealy will continue to feel well and be healthy.

We are looking forward to reigniting this blog so that you can join us on this adventure of pregnancy and we can let all of you know how things are coming along.

We are thrilled to be adding another member to our family. It is something we have been praying and hoping for for a while and God has always been faithful in His perfect timing. We are so excited to start a new phase of life with 'the three of us'!

Thank you for you all of your prayers and support. We are so excited to bring our baby into a world and community full of so much love. We'll keep you posted!

in Christ,

Ryan and Kealy Thorson

Choosing Hope Over Fear

Kealy and I both had the opportunity to watch President Obama's Inaugural ceremonies today. I've always loved history and government and we didn't want to miss this momentous occasion. It was a joy to watch a new era of American History dawn. Whether you voted for Obama or not, his presidency will be one of national interest and opportunity. My prayer is that those opportunities will be used for good, not for harm. That the American people will respond with love and servanthood and change and better America and the world, not because we have a 'hip' new President, but because something has changed in our hearts.

Even in my optimism I will try and balance a realism. There is only one man that can radically change the world and that man is Jesus. But God has given us the privilege of living in America and the opportunity to create change in His name. There were some great lines from President Obama's speech today. Some of my favorite were:

"On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. "

"we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned."

"what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage."

"This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny. "

"Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations."

What did you think of today's events?