Day 5: Baby Updates

Ella and Nathan enjoying tummy time

Nathan and Ella sporting the only sleepers that actually fit them!


Ella and Nathan appear to enjoy their bouncy seats!

Mom giving Nathan his first bath at home! He loves it!

I know everyone wishes for daily updates and pictures so I had some downtime (even though I should be napping) to give a quick update. We had a good night last night. They were up every 3 hours, but went back to sleep easily after each feeding. They even gave their parents a full 2 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Dan and Laura left this morning to go back to Minnesota. We loved having them here and cannot wait for Caleb, Bennet, and Kylie to meet their new cousins. We also know Darin, Tricia, Brayden, and "Baby To Come" are eagerly waiting their first visit. Tim and I still are amazed that we are parents of two babies. We feel blessed by God for receiving such wonderful gifts and thank Him daily.

The latest pictures

Ella shows off her beautiful eyes!


Nathan checking out Grandma!


Proud Grandparents and mamma


New Family of Four


Nathan sleeps soundly (but of course it is day time......... to check out his eyes join us around
4 am!)

Day #4 in the life of Ella and Nathan! Today was their first outing to the Pediatrician. They are growing good. Nathan is 5lb 13oz and Ella is 5lbs 9oz. They have not lost any weight since leaving the hospital so we are happy for that. They seem to be very content, but possibly have their days and nights switched around (to the fatigue of their parents)! All in all, we are thoroughly enjoying our new Christmas blessings. Alissa's parents and her brother Dan and Laura came up on Thursday to meet the twins. It has been wonderful to have more hands to hold, burp, diaper change, swaddle, comfort, and spoil. We are enjoying having meals made for us by Laura and we know Mom Beckering will continue this for us in the next two weeks. We attempted our first time with cloth diapers today. It is a two person job to get them on right now and at this time the disposables will definitely be used at night!

"First Cries" Nathan begins and Ella chimes in!

Mom with Nathan

Hi Ella.
Open your eyes Nathan.
Stocking Stuffers (2007)

Introducing Nathan Dean and Ella Shermae born at 4:09 and 4:11 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 24. Nathan's is 6 lbs. 2 oz. and 19 inches, while Ella is 5 lbs. 15 oz. and 19.5 inches long. Mom and babies are doing great! The delivery went as well as we could have hoped! Thank God for epidurals. From water breaking to delivery was only 6 hours. We arrived home on Wed., Dec. 26 and we now realize that banking sleep hours doesn't work, but waking during the night to stare at their beautiful faces makes it all worth while. We thank you all for your prayers and support during our pregnancy and delivery and now we covet your prayers during this new adventure of parenthood.

They don't want to come out yet!

I had another doctor appointment and ultrasound today. I remain 3cm dilated. Even though we were hoping for more, I guess these little guys want to stay in for Christmas! My doctor commented that she suspects that I could go till the 28th, so today, I am mentally preparing for 10 more days of incubation. My ultrasound results were positive that both heads are down. Their heartbeats are around 142 and 146 and they are weighing in around 6.13 and 6.24 lbs. So if you do the math I have 12 lbs of baby in me now, plus 2 placentas and I still have 10 more days to go. Are you feeling sorry for me yet! Truthfully, we are delighted that they are going to be healthy, good size babies. Now I just have to find things to keep me occupied until then. I know both sides of the family are anxiously awaiting phone calls and also my parents are on standby as to when they should make the trip up to Michigan. These babies like the control I think! We'll keep you posted and I'll send some pictures out soon.

Doctor appointment

I had my doctor appointment yesterday and I am now 3cm dilated. So were getting there. I told my doctor that it can happen at any time (due to my uncomfortableness)! Dec. 28th seems like a long time from now, but I guess it is out of my control. The really good news is that she thinks both babies heads are down. Yeah....................! I have my ultrasound on Dec. 19 so pray that they remain head down. Otherwise I think were as ready as we can be. I have been testing Tim on what to take if I all of the sudden tell him I am in labor. He is mainly concerned with remembering snacks for himself and a couple times, I had to remind him to take me along too.

Oh well....I think when it really happens he will remember me.

Tim and Eric are putting up a paint room within the pole barn. It will be insulated and heated so they can paint and spray during the winter months. They have been working hard at it all week and weekend. I think Tim feels pressure to get it down since the babies could come at anytime and he doesn't want to leave it all for Eric.

Big is better!

Here goes Laura......she wanted to know what my belly circumference was. Tim measured this am and it is 45 inches at it's widest! Whoa! Does this number ring a bell for you Laura? I have a doctor appointment later this afternoon and we'll let you know the updates!

Beat this this belly!

OK....who would like to compete with this belly. I almost didn't want to share these 36 week photos with you, but I know Laura and Tricia are wanting to know how big I am getting. I am definitely starting to drop and most of my maternity shirts hardly go over the lower part of my belly. Tim continues to remind me how beautiful this time is and I remind him that his abdomen has relatively stayed the same size! Of course, I would get any size for my babies so I guess me getting bigger also means they are getting bigger and that is the main goal. I had a doctor appointment on Friday and I am 2 cm dilated and 80% effaced so things have started. My doctor has taken me off work and says I should prepare for their arrival at any time. This announcement left my lying awake that night from 4am to 5:30am. I think I had a reality check and had tons of things floating around in my mind....from the realities of every 2 hour feedings and diaper changes and then also the exhaustion that everyone endures. Luckily Tim was able to keep sleeping......does this reflect what he will be able to do when they cry at night too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So now I am trying to get things accomplished at home and enjoy these last weeks of quiet and "my" time. It has been funny calling people because they all wonder if we are calling them to give them the new "news". We truly are so excited and cannot wait for their little arrivals. The doctor thought that Baby B's head was up due to where she heard the heartbeat, so we still do not know how we will be delivering them. We covet your prayers in these last days or weeks and will make sure phone calls or emails get out quickly after their arrival!

Getting everything prepared!

Slowly, but surely things are coming together. I finally got the babies' room organized and got their clothes washed and put away. We have a couple things to do in the nursery, but for the most part, it is set........but are we?

34 weeks

My friends put on a baby shower for me this past Tuesday. As you can see from above, we played some fun games. One game was to guess which kind of candy bar was in the diaper. They looked pretty disgusting all smashed in a diaper and looked even more funny to watch everyone smell them. I got some wonderful gifts and now I am in the process of washing baby clothes, blankets, and bedding and getting things organized in the babies' room. As you can also see from above, my stomach continues to enlarge. I had a doctor appointment yesterday and all is well. My doctor did a quick check and she laughed and said I am not even dilated to 1cm. I guess they're going to stay in there for awhile. She set me up for an induction date of Dec. 28th at 7am, if I do not go before then. I am feeling pretty good. My back gets sore quicker and sometimes it is hard to find a comfortable position to sit. I am still putting in 24 hours at work doing paperwork and other things on my unit. We'll just continue to take it week by week. We plan to get a Christmas tree today. It is pretty cold out, so I might stay in the car while Tim gets it (I haven't told him that yet).

Thanksgiving at the Hotel "Stuive"

Hotel "Stuive"

Grandpa Van Dyke with Andrew

Lori trying to keep warm against Beth!

Mom and Dad at the wedding

Here are the sisters boiling the beans!

The most current "Family" picture

The Van Dyke Girls minus Marilyn and Beth Ann


Well Thanksgiving was in Michigan this year and turned out to be a great time with family. We started the day at church with Tim's mom's side. We had the traditional turkey dinner with all the fixings. Around 7pm, my parents and grandparents rolled in from Minnesota. We again had another Thanksgiving meal. Tim's parents also joined us. My parents and many of my aunts and uncles drove up for the wedding of my cousin Richie. My aunts and uncles rolled in on Friday and we all went out to eat that night. Everyone stayed at our house. We had air mattresses everywhere and it was quite fun to hear the next morning on who snored or talked in their sleep. My aunt Iris was was making all the food and asked my mom and sisters to boil 70lbs of green beans on Saturday morning. We were a little worried on how well they would stay until we would actually eat them at 6pm, but they ended up tasting great! The wedding went good and it was so nice to catch up with family. Needless to say, I did not do a lot of dancing at the wedding! Tim and I did slow dance, but I had to stand sideways! I think I got as many looks at my swelling belly as the bride did in her wedding gown. The crew all left on Sunday morning. Although it was a short stay, I am so glad everyone came up, especially my parents. They were pretty surprised at my belly size and commented how it made everything more real. It is so exciting to think they will be back up here in December when the babies arrive. I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving and are enjoying the upcoming Christmas season!

33 weeks

I noticed I haven't blogged in a little while, so I thought I better jot down some updates. We had an ultrasound this week and the babies seem to be doing great. They weighed in at 3.75 lbs and 4.4 lbs. They are both head down, even though the tech said there is a chance that Baby B could still turn. He or she is on my left side and is a little higher than Baby A. I was still glad to hear they were head down and that my chances of a vaginal delivery are a little higher. They still continue to move a lot and I my tummy is getting more firm and you can feel all the different parts when they kick and move. I had my last official day of floor nursing on Friday. I think God knew to give me some rough days so that I would be okay with being done with bedside nursing. My co-workers looked at me on Friday and said I looked exhausted. I just walk slower and cannot keep up the pace that the ICU requires. So on Monday, I will start doing paperwork for my manager. I am thankful I can still work and keep busy. We will just take it week by week. My doctor said that if I make it to 38 weeks (which is considered full term for twins) they will induce me. That brings me to the date of December 28th. So who knows, we could be having Christmas babies. We are excited to have my parents, grandparents, and aunts and uncles up this week for a wedding of my cousin Rich. Tim is going to paint the babies' room Monday and when we get things rearranged, we will post pictures. Otherwise things are pretty much the same. Tim is working on a windshield tool project with Eric. More updates to come soon.

My first baby shower

Jen and my due dates are on the same day. Guess who is having twins!!!!!!!!!!

One of the handmade quilts I got!

My first shower was this past Wednesday night. It was given by my co-workers and it was just a great time. I got wonderful gifts. some of my favorites include 5 handmade blankets. I have some very talented and gracious co-workers. I got a tons of things and the poor little Pruis didn't have room for it all. Luckily, one of the girls lives 3 minutes away and took a couple things home for me. We finally have some clothes to put on the babies to take them home and we definitely have enough blankets to go around too. Tim couldn't believe all the gifts we received as he was taking it all out of the car. "Do babies really need this much stuff," was his reply. Well as much as I believe they don't, it is amazing all the little things they do need to make our lives easier! I really am blessed to have such wonderful co-workers. They are like family to me!

I had an appointment with my doctor on Tuesday and all is well. They are always such short visits, but I guess that means the babies are doing good and do not need the doctor's assistance! The heart rates were good and I have an ultrasound next week. We talked about work and I decided to do one more week working on the floor as staff nurse and then I am going to change gears and do paperwork and tasks for my manager. I was having quite a few Braxton Hick's contraction last week and I felt I needed to slow down. My doctor is impressed anyways that I have worked in the ICU till 32 weeks with twins. I want to keep these babies inside as long as possible, so that means their mama has to learn to take it easy!

Otherwise life is pretty normal around here. Tim has been working with Eric on a project and he got a call from a company who is interested in talking with him about doing some projects for them. Yeah!!!!!!! We are excited that some of my extended family and my parents might be coming out for a wedding on the weekend of Thanksgiving. It has been hard for me not to be able to go home to Minnesota for the holidays and so I am so excited that some of them might be coming out. We plan to have a huge slumber party at our house.

Family picture

Not much new to post, but we took a picture on Friday night before going to a surprise birthday party of a friend, so I thought I would at least put that on. We had a beautiful fall Sunday today. It was cool but no wind and in the 60's. We took a walk and it is amazing to me how a mile and a half can seem like a marathon. I wonder if I"ll ever be able to run a mile after these two little ones are done incubating.

Updates on the Twins

I just got back from my doctor appointment and ultrasound! I talked to my doctor about having some Braxton hicks contractions and she decided to do a quick check and all is good and closed. I feel better about that and she said you will have them, but to keep her informed if they get worse or increase in number. The ultrasound went good. They are definitely getting bigger. Baby A was 3.4lbs and Baby B was 3.3lbs. The tech could not get length measurements because they were too curled up. So far Baby A is head down and closer to my pelvis and Baby B is lying sideways, more on the upper part of my stomach. She said it was still to early to talk about C-section vs. vaginal delivery. They are still active and we thank God so much that they are gaining good weight and growing appropriately. My favorite part of the ultrasound is seeing each of their beating hearts. It just is a miracle to believe there are too precious babies beating inside of me. More updates to come soon. Thanks for all your prayers and continued prayers!

Saturday, we went to the Frederick Meijers Gardens for my upcoming Birthday. It was a beautiful day and you could really enjoy the fall colors and different sculptures and displays. The "Thinker" was on loan to the Gardens so we made sure to get some "serious" pictures with it. We could appreciate most of the artwork, but did agree that some people should not quit their day job to make sculptures of headless people and call that "art". But I know Tim and I may not appreciate some of the abstract art like others. We stopped by a apple orchard afterwards and had some hot cider and donuts. It was a great Birthday day. Today, Tim's parents had us over for a Birthday lunch and so I am enjoying not cooking. It is another beautiful day and we are going to take a walk later and enjoy it.

29 week and counting!

29 Weeks.....were getting there! This week started out busy with work. I kind of shoved all my shifts in at the beginning of the week and I think I paid for it on Thursday when my allergies decided to flare big and bad. It has been so windy and warm so I am guessing all the allergens flew to our house and attacked me. Thursday night we went out with Tim's parents and siblings for Tim's parents' 45th Wedding Anniversary. It was a very nice time to catch up with everyone, since we don't see them very often. That night I was up all night with my allergies. I could not lay down and every 2 hours I would sneeze 5 times in a row and my eyes would water so bad that I think I could have watered my plants! Not knowing exactly what medication I could take being pregnant, I suffered through it. In the morning, I had a small amount of relief, but was exhausted. (I told Tim it was prepping me for the twins being up all night!) I called my doctor and she gave me the list of meds I could use and so I took some meds and then took a 2 hour nap in the afternoon. I am feeling a lot better although still a little stuffy (Tim reminded me that I snored last night when I first fell asleep!) Otherwise I am feeling good. I have an ultrasound and appointment next Wednesday and cannot wait to see how big the babies are. We are still sound on not finding out the sex. The babies are very active and it is fun to try and guess all the different parts that kick me. I have been working on the nursery and I will get some pictures of that out as soon as Tim gets the curtains up. Probably like all of you, we have been enduring some high winds and rain here in Holland. Weather that makes you just want to stay inside. Today looks more promising!

Here is our small group from church

Eventful Weekend

Yesterday I had another appointment with my doctor and the babies continue to be doing good. She commented that the babies were in the 60% for growth from the last ultrasound. Baby B is a little bigger than Baby A, but still all within normal limits. She said to tell Baby B to work on turning around so that he will eventually be head down because right now he/she is lying sideways and that would not be optimal for a vaginal delivery. She said it is still to early to tell if I will have to have a C-section or not. I feel good, but have more moments of being uncomfortable. I love my 8 hour shifts at work. Definitely less stress on my feet. My next ultrasound and doctor visit is Oct. 24.

We had a nice weekend even amidst the scorching heat in October. Saturday morning I met my friends for coffee. We try do this once a week and I feel blessed to have such great friends. Sunday, we had our couple's group over after church. We spent the whole afternoon together. The girls took a nice long walk and the boys watched way too much football. We ended by going to the beach to watch the sunset.

Tim spent a lot of Saturday, emptying out the spare bedroom and we temporarily set up the cribs to see how everything looks. Not a lot of room left after we got two cribs, a rocker, and changing table up. It was another reality shock that this is really happening. We are trying to decide if we are going to paint or just leave it tan and put accent colors in the room.

Today is gloomy and chilly, but more like fall I guess. We are tentatively thinking of going up to Traverse City for my Birthday in 2 weeks. It will kind of depend on the weather.

Doesn't feel like fall here

I had my ultrasound last Monday and the babies are growing good. They weigh about 1.77 lbs and are pretty equal in all their measurements. Their heart rates are around 140's. No....... we did not find out the sexes. Were getting too close now to not have it be a surprise. I am in my 26th week and you can tell by the picture, I am getting bigger. I still feel good thus far. This week I am going down to 8 hour shifts at work. This will be a big change for me, but I know it is best for the babies. It will be different to have a night life and be able to plan more things in the evening. We have been blessed by friends who have offered us many of their baby items to have that they are done with. We now have 2 cribs, changing table, and a side by side stroller. Tim especially is intrigued by the breast pump! We found a used rocker glider and so now I am excited to get the nursery started.

Last week Friday, I canned applesauce and apple butter with Jessica. We just have apple pie filling to go and then our canning is done for this year. Tim needs to make more shelves because I am running out of room. From the other pictures you see, Tim has been busy doing some fall cleaning in the garage and also putting our new lawn in. We put underground sprinkling in and we are praying that 3 times is a charm for putting in a lawn!!!!! So far it does look really good and since we have been having such nice weather, it have been coming up fast. Were actually excited to hopefully have lots of lawn to mow next summer!

Canning and Tooling

Saturday was the first time I canned all by myself. The canning food....Grapejuice! As you can see by the photos it was a process, but they all turned out and all of them sealed. Yeah!!!! My sister-in-law Jessica and I have been canning a lot of things this year such as tomatoes, pickles, pickle relish, jams, and soon applesuace. It is actually fun to do with someone and there is some sense of accomplishment when you look at the variety of canned goods, with all their different colors, sitting on the shelves. Canning does come with its woes. Tim had placed the grapes on the deck the night before. When I got home from work, it was just starting to rain and so I thought I should take the grapes in. Tim was downstairs for the moment and when he got back up, he said it would not be a good idea to have the grapes inside due to the fruit flies. Well too late. We now are the proud parents of many fruit flies and Tim like to take a dish towel and see how many he can kill at a time. They are getting less, but still like to annoy us with their presence.
Tim and Eric are staying very busy working on tooling to make acrylic windshields for boats. It involves a lot of sanding and laminating. They have a big project to finish by Tuesday so yesterday Tim went over and worked all day yesterday and Monday will be a big day too. Good thing they enjoy it.

Today is just a relaxing Sunday. We are having a friendly debate over which football team is going to win today..Vikings or Lions. I still remain a Minnesota Vikings fan and Tim is loyal to his Lions. I might have to borrow some of Dan and Laura's Viking wear to put on the twins (when Tim isn't looking of course)!