Happy New Year...

2009 had a lot of ups and downs for our family but I am SO excited to be bringing in the new year with my precious boys!!

Mike and I have been so blessed with these little guys... and our big guy Brevin.

Wishing everyone a happy New Year with lots of happy times to come!!

Merry Christmas

Just wanted to pop in to say Merry Christmas

to all my "blogger" friends....

I hope and pray that you ALL have a wonderful day...

knowing that this is a day that can be hard with loss of loved ones...

loss of jobs...

loss of a marriages...

loneliness...

heartache...

I pray that you all feel Gods loving arms around you!

Christmas Dream

Christmas is only 8 days away!! Amazing!! I am very excited this year to celebrate with my 3 boys (4 counting my husband). It is a dream come true that we have 2 more little ones with us. I never imagined that this Christmas, 2009, would be the Christmas that my dreams came true.. that God blessed us with three amazing children... Mike and I still cannot believe that we are the parents of 3 boys here on earth and one little boy in Heaven...

This Sunday is my wedding anniversary - it will be 8 wonderful years!! Mike is seriously the most amazing husband (and father).. we have been through a lot together.. with moving to Howell and making our home here... meeting new friends... the birth of our son Brevin... the miscarriage we had in 2006... the stillbirth of our son Troy last June 2008... the death of my father-in-law...and now the birth of our twins... and for so many more things...God brought us together for a reason and I could not be happier... all that we have been through.. the good and the bad... to have Mike right there next to me and me next to him has just been the best gift!!

Never did I think that I could love someone so much!

So... with all that said... I am looking forward to this Christmas... to have the family I have - how exciting it was for me to hang 2 more stockings up this year... I just cannot thank God enough for all that he has given me!!

Here are the newest additions to our tree this year:

Ian and Alex's ornament

Angel in memory of Troy

Brevin's favorite ornament.. Tom and Jerry!


Two new stockings hanging!!

WISHING YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

2 month check-up

The boys had their 2 month check-up - wow are they growing!!

Here are the stats:

Ian

11 pounds 5 ounces, 23 inches long

Alex

10 pounds 8 ounces, 22 1/2 inches long

It's funny because when I look back in Brevin's baby book - at 2 months Brevin was over 13 pounds!!

Their Appointment went really well - I was going to attempt to go on my own but after telling Mike about them getting shots... he met me at the doctor... I am SO glad he did.. the appointment took about 2 hours and the shots were not fun but they boys did so well!!

So what are they up to now? Well.. they still eat about every 2 1/2 to 3 hours and eat between 3-4 ounces.. sometimes they only take 2 ounces but they sure do love to eat... when they are ready to eat they are ready.. not very patient with me taking the time to warm up their bottles!

They love their bouncy seats and their playmat... Alex could lay on the playmat for a long time. Ian.. well.. he would rather me hold him and walk around. He will lay on his playmat but not as long as Alex does. Alex is more content on his own than Ian is.

They both hate the hiccups - soon as they start.. they fuss till they go away.

Ian still has more of a softer cry than Alex does.. when Alex cries.. he just sounds mad.. Ian sounds sad.

They both love music... right now I have Christmas music playing a lot and they really seem to like that. They love looking at the Christmas tree and all the decorations that I have up.

They both smile a lot now - Alex will smile at anything and it is easy to get him to smile... we still have to work a little bit harder to get Ian to smile but they both coo a lot and I love that!!

They both really don't like tummy time but it seems that they are getting close to rolling over.

Ian really loves his binky... Alex could probably go without.

They both love their bath now... I turn up the heat to get the bathroom really warm and I use an apricot baby oil in their bath water that makes them smell SO good.. they like their lotion massage after baths too.. I give them their baths on Mondays and Thursdays because that is when Brev is in school all day and I can take my time.

They both get mad at me because I kiss them all the time and they get a bit annoyed with that!

I could literally stare at the boys all day long - their facial expressions just make me smile and laugh... they are such good babies!!

Now for my 5 year old Brevin... I am so proud of him... a few nights ago he read "Go Dog Go" by Dr. Seus to Mike and I!!! I cannot believe he is reading already it is so much fun to see how much he is learning in school - he is doing so well and is such a good boy - we had parent/teacher conferences and his teacher said all good things about him.. he listens well and is doing well in class. He just loves school and keeps saying that he wants to go all day every day!!

Brevin is adjusting well to the babies - he is very patient with everything and pretty much goes with the flow... he is SO gentle with the boys. He loves to take my camera and take pictures of his brothers.


As for Mike and I.. we are doing well and getting used to two babies... feeding them at the same time is a breeze now.. we just put them in their boppy pillows and are able to feed them together.. I can usually prop up a blanket just right to hold the bottle so I have a hand free to burp the other baby. I do wish I had 4 arms to hold them when they are both crying but it is working out okay... it only gets a little tense when the babies are both crying.. the dog is whining to go out and Brevin needs lunch... well.. I first let the dog out because that would create more work for me to clean up a mess he would leave if I didn't let him out!! :o)


So that is what we are all up to right now... days are going by fast - I can't believe Thanksgiving is here and gone already... we had a wonderful time in Holland/Zeeland... we were busy needless to say but it was great to see family again... Mike made it upnorth with my dad and brother hunting... no one got a deer but they all had a great time... I stayed back and visited with family and friends... the one picture is of Brevin and my friend Heidi's 2 girls - what a great time to catch up and let the kids play!!


I can't wait for Christmas... we are going to try to make a visit to Santa this weekend - Brevin is making his list of what he wants Santa to bring him for Christmas!!


Here are some more recent pictures!!
Thanks for reading!!

The twins with Great Grandma and Grandpa GG

Ian with Aunt Marianne

Time goes WAY too fast...

I cannot believe my babies are 8 weeks old!!! It does not seem that long that I was in the hospital meeting Ian and Alex for the first time... times flies by way to fast.

We have had some milestones happen the past couple weeks... the boys are smiling!!! Alex smiles very easily - all you do is look at him and he smiles! It takes a little coaxing to get Ian to smile but they both LOVE to talk to us.. they "coo" all the time.. it is the best.

Alex, a few days ago, smiled at Brevin before Brevin left for school - Brev thought that was really cool.

They are just growing so fast.. we have an eight week check-up this coming Tuesday... I can't wait to see how much these boys weigh!!! Ian still is bigger and heavier than Alex.

Alex is still dealing with a cold - very congested... we are doing saline drops and have a vaporizor running 24/7 but he is still stuffed up so hopefully the dr. can help us with that.

We made our first trip to Holland/Zeeland last weekend (Nov. 14) with all 3 boys... Mike and I had a wedding to go to so my mom planned an open house at their place for our friends and family could come and meet the twins.. it was fun.. and great to see everyone again. Then that Sunday... Mike's mom had coffee at her house and the boys meet more family - they got passed around a lot but did so well.. it was a fun time... a great weekend.. plus the boys slept all the way to Holland and all the way back - the road trip was great!!

I can't believe the holidays are all ready here!! Last year.. at this time... we left for Pensacola, Florida to stay at Portofino Island and Resort, thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Bergerhoudt... they let us stay at their beautiful place for a week - free of rent. Last year we were honestly not looking forward to Thanksgiving - that was when Troy was due and we just didn't feel like celebrating with family so we decided to take a road trip with just the 3 of us to Florida - it was a wonderful time for our family and so needed for us to get away. Little did we know that while we were sitting on beach last year that we would have 2 little boys just a year later... it truely amazes me what God can do in our lives - how he can bless us so much when we least expect it. It will be so wonderful to celebrate Thanksgiving this year with our little guys.

On another note... this will be a difficult Thanksgiving for my mother-in-law.... my husband and all his sisters and families... for anyone that is reading this.. please say a prayer for my mother-in-law (Dorie).... that she gets through the first holidays that will be spent without her husband... She has such a supportive family and friends but this still isn't going to be easy for her... may she feel God loving arms around her and not feel alone... she is such a wonderful and caring Mom, Grandma and friend and I just hope and pray that she gets through okay!!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone - we all have SO much to be thankful for.. even in the midst of troublesome and sorrow... God is just so good - he sees us through anything and everything!

Now... I can't leave this post without posting some pictures of my boys... hope you don't mind!!

Love to you all!!!

An update

I just love this picture of all my boys!!!

An update:

Things are going really well... trying to adjust to the life of taking care of newborns AND a 5 year old... making sure Brev knows he is still very important and trying to give him the attention that he needs... it is hard I must say and I feel bad/guilty.. sometime Brev and I will be playing a game and then the twins start crying... I have to turn my attention to the twins and leave in the middle of a game but Brevin is doing so well with that... no jealous behavior. He really loves his brothers and I am just so proud of him!!

More update following the pictures.....

Both Ian and Alex are on the same eating schedule which is wonderful.. they eat every 3-4 hours and they eat about 3-4 ounces each time... I am able to keep up with pumping and giving them my milk during the day and they get formula at night. They sleep together in a crib right now that is in our bedroom - much easier for us getting up with them during the night. At this very moment.. they are doing pretty good at night - a typical night lately is feeding at 10pm... then again at 2-2:30am and then again between 6-7am... for the most part.. they go right to sleep after the feedings during the night (knock on wood!!).

I can't believe it has been over 5 weeks now since they were born... they are growing like crazy... Ian is no longer fitting in newborn outfits!! Ian has also already outgrown the newborn diapers! Alex is still smaller than Ian so he still fits in the newborn diapers and the newborn clothing.

They are more awake and alert - I just know they are getting closer to giving me a real smile!!

It is amazing how each of their personalities are showing through... Alex is more awake than Ian is during the day... one day Alex was wide awake and content for 3 hours straight!! I am lucky if I get a half hour of awake time with Ian... Ian LOVES to sleep!

Alex really does a lot of the same stuff that Brev did as a baby.. he sticks his tongue out when he sleeps which is what Brevin did and he has this cough when he cries which is exactly what Brevin did... plus... Alex really resembles Brevin when Brev was a baby. Ian has such a soft cry where Alex cry is really loud - it almost hurts your ears!!

They are both such sweet, sweet little boys... we just love them to pieces!!

My mom has been with us every week - coming in on Sundays and staying till Wednesday afternoon. Unfortunately.. this was her last week doing that - We are really going to miss her.. having her here and having her help. She helped with all the night-time feedings and she helped with getting Brev ready and off to school.. taking him to the bus stop every morning. She made us meals almost every night and helped with cleaning and laundry... what am I going to do without her!! Thank you Mom for everything... please come back whenever you want!!!

Right now we are dealing with a couple of stuffed up babies so we are using a lot of saline drops and suctions for their noses... they HATE having that done!! Mike and I are dealing with cold so we are washing our hands like crazy but then again... I am a freak when it comes to washing hands... I almost cringe when someone comes over and they don't wash their hands before holding a baby... especially those that are coughing and sniffing...that is my pet-peeve right now... just so you all know if your going to hold our babies... please wash your hands... and if your the slightest bit sick... don't hold them... with all the stuff that is going around lately... I just cannot chance it with newborns! :o)

Just had to be honest here!

They had a doctors appointment yesterday for their tongues... if I didn't mention it before.. they were both born tongue-tied so they had to have that clipped yesterday... it went well... better than what we were expecting and they are eating just fine... it sounds worse than what it really is... both are doing great! They have another appointment on November 16 at UofM for their hips since they were both breech at birth... they want to X-ray their hips to make sure all is okay.

I really do love being a Mom to all boys... God has blessed us so much!! I still think of Troy through out all of this though - knowing that I gave birth to 4 boys - a mom to 4 boys.. makes me want him here with us but I know he is looking down on us from Heaven... he is our guardian angel!!

I so look forward to the holidays with our boys... it has been a dream for a LONG time to have more children to celebrate all the holidays with and now that dream has come true. I honestly dreaded the holidays the past couple of years because of my miscarriage in 2006 and the loss of Troy last year... but this year I can finally say that I am excited for all the holiday stuff... I am still not sure how I am going to get my shopping done but I will figure that one out... or there will just be a lot of gift cards going out!

Anway... I just want to thank everyone again for thinking of us.. for checking in with us with a phone call... for all the cards... for all the meals that came to us and just visiting us - we love having visitors and am just thankful for all our friends and family that have been there for us the past five.. almost six weeks now! I love you all so much!!!

Thank you God for blessing us with such wonderful family and friends!!

New pictures of my boys...

This is Alex
This is Ian
I already posted these on Facebook but I just love these pictures so I thought I would put them on my blog also.

Things are going good... lack of sleep is hard but these babies are just such a miracle... such a blessing... I know sleep will eventually come so we just have to enjoy a little more snuggle time during the night right now because before we know it... they will be 5 years old and heading to Kindergarten!!!

Brevin is still doing so well with the twins... he kisses them when he leaves for school and when he goes to bed at night... when things get a bit crazy he just plays by himself and he just knows to wait... sometimes I feel guilty but he is just handling it all so well... did I already mention how blessed we are??

I just love all my boys!

Update on the boys...

Just an update on the boys... we are all doing really well... tired needless to say but doing well. The boys feed about every 3-4 hours around the clock. It is amazing to see their personalities already coming through!

Alex.. he is SO layed back... we literally have to wake him up to feed him. He loves to sleep and he LOVES to be wrapped in the warmest blanket that we have.. he shivers because he is always cold. He is a sqeaky boy.. always making sqeaky noises... he can be wide awake looking around for a whole hour.. very alert!

Ian on the other hand.. is always hot and would prefer to be without a warm blanket. He reminds us of Brevin as a baby.. a little more on the fussy side. He loves to eat and is always first to be up to be fed. He is not a sleeper (at night) and he tends to be the one that like to keep Mom and Dad up at night.... he LOVES to be held and loves to sleep in his boppy pillow.

They are both doing so well and they both eat really well also... my milk had finally come in but they just don't want to nurse... they get SO upset when I try and it just breaks my heart so for now I am just pumping and giving them the milk with bottles but I am just so happy that I am able to pump and keep up with their feedings!!

Big brother Brevin is doing so well with the boys... he is a little leary with holding them.. he says he likes to hold the squeaky one (Alex)... Ian moves around a lot so he would just prefer feeding him the bottle while I hold him. He loves his brothers and does so well with them.

Wednesday we have an ultrasound appointment in Ann Arbor with Alex on his kidney so we are hoping that it goes well and whatever problem that Alex had has already corrected itself... I will post an update after we find out the results. We have another pediatrician appointment this Friday afternoon.. I am so anxious to see how the boys are growing!!!

So that is the update for now... I just want to say thank you to all those that have called and sent cards.. gifts.. and for all the yummy meals and treats - we are so blessed to have such good friends and family that check in on us all the time... thank you so much!!

Here are a few recent pictures of the boys!!

Ian and Alex

Ian

Alex

Pictures

Some more recent pictures: First bath... this is Ian

Here is Alex

All wrapped in their towels


Brevin feeding his brother Alex

Alex and Ian

We are Home!!

How absolutely amazing that we were able to ALL come home together yesterday.... Ian and Alex are doing so well.... Sleep is a little hard to come by but NO complaints from me!!

I am SOOO SOOO thankful that my Mom is staying with us for a while... she is getting Brev up from bed.. getting him breakfast... getting him dressed... getting his backpack ready for school... dropping him off at the bus stop... picking him up from school... getting him lunch.. supper... etc.. PLUS making supper for Mike and I and doing laundry... cleaning house AND getting up during the night to help with feedings and changing diapers - we are so lucky to have her here.. thanks Mom for ALL that you are doing.. it helps us BIG time.. you have NO idea!!!

We had our first pediatrician appointment today... both boys are doing good. Alex now weighs 5 pounds 14 ounces and Ian is 6 pounds 7 ounces... all normal for losing a little bit of weight but these boys eat SO well and poop like champs!! I am bummed because my milk has not come in and I so badly want to nurse these boys so we will see what happens!

I will try to post a few more pictures... I have plenty to choose from on my camera... it will probably take my computer all day to download!!

Thanks for all your notes.. cards.. comments and phone calls - we so appreciate everything!!!

God is so good and we are just SO thankful for these little guys... hope you can all meet them in person soon!!!

Our Miracle Babies are here!!

We are SO blessed.... on Monday, September 28, 2009 our little boys came into this world.

Ian Joseph was born at 10:37 am, weighing 6 pounds 14 ounces, 20 inches long.

Alex William was born at 10:39am, weighing 6 pounds 5 ounces, 19 1/4 inches long.

What an amazing miracle that just unfolded before us... the c-section was wonderful... it all happened so fast... to hear the first cries of the babies was God's way of saying that all is going to be good... we were blessed with such a wonderful pregnancy and now blessed with 2 very beautiful little boys.

We are still at the hospital... Alex had some blood sugar issues so he had to stay 2 nights in the NICU.. we were still able to do all his feedings and be wih him.. it was just hard not having him in the room with us and Ian.. but he is doing awesome now!

We are planning on going home tomorrow along with our two boys... God is absolutely amazing... blessing us with a pregnancy that we have so long waited for and then blessing us with 2 beautiful boys.. healthy and well. Thank you God for these amazing gifts from you!!

Getting anxious.. nervous.. you name it...

We had our 35 week appointment this past Wednesday and all is still going very well... another ultrasound showed the boys doing really well. We did have a "practice" run to the hospital this past Monday night.. I was feeling horrible the whole day with TONS of braxton-hicks... I called my Dr. and he told me to go in to make sure I was not in labor. After about an hour and half we were sent home... I was contracting anywhere from 2 to 7 minutes but nothing strong or consistant and I have not dilated at all. But at least we know exactly where to go when we do go to the hospital.

After talking with the Doctor this past Wednesday.. he decided to schedule me a week earlier than we were originally planning on. Because of the diabetes and the cholestasis.. we scheduled a c-section for Monday, September 28 at 10am. Both babies are breech so really no hope for an induction. I can't believe this wil be a week from Monday.. we are getting SO close!!!

I am scared out of my mind... not only for the procedure.. but for the babies.. I just hope and pray they hang in there till the 28th and that they continue to do well and that they are healthy and strong. With having diabetes and cholestasis there are many risks the farther into pregnancy you go... so hang in there little guys!!

I am doing well... I still feel pretty good.. the only thing that is bothersome is my back - it really hurts and it is hard getting comfortable... sleeping is pretty much non-existant right now.

We are ready though... just waiting for that Monday.... there is still the chance of me going into labor before that date but we will see what happens... just hoping for an amazing outcome and that everyone will be fine!!!

Thank you God for such a wonderful pregnancy and just blessing us with 2 more little boys.. I just pray that everything will go well with the delivery! We are so incredibly blessed!!!

34 + weeks...

I am just passed 34 weeks - I cannot believe we have made it this far - God sure has blessed us! My appointment was yesterday and I met with the new doctor on staff - she is super nice. The ultrasound went good - got to see our boys... one had the hiccups so that was really cute to see on the screen.. him bouncing around... we also saw that they are both practicing breathing and we got to see their faces! They estimate their weights to be just shy of 6 pounds each!

It was a long appointment - lots to discuss. Baby A is still breech so the likelyhood of him turning are getting very slim so it looks like I will be scheduling a c-section. I have all the paperwork filled out for the procedure but I need to meet with my doctor that I have been seeing throughout this whole pregnancy next week to discuss a date. Since I am on medication for possible cholestasis.. they might have me deliver at 37 weeks which would bring me to the last week in September... otherwise it looks like October 2 might be the day. I will admit that I am VERY nervous for the c-section... with all the risks that go along with it... bleeding too much (transfusion) ... infection... etc... it really does make me a bit scared... but I know it is routine and I believe that God has put me in good hands!

I felt bad for Mike... my doctor had told me that anyone that is going to be helping us with these babies needs to get a flu shot so there we are in the doctors office signing papers to get the shot.. Mike's reaction "we are getting it now?" what a trooper - he took the shot and I did too. Now my mom needs to get one also because she will be staying with us for a good amount of time... and poor Brev.. he will not like getting this done at his appointment!!

All-in-all.... we are just getting excited and nervous as the end of this pregnancy is fast approaching... we are so excited to meet these little ones and nervous that everything will be okay with the whole procedure... lots to take in. So we just ask for your prayers that all will go well and smooth - prayers for the doctors and nurses and that we all come home strong and healthy!

Here is a picture that I took of myself today to show how BIG I am getting... I can't even put that shirt on that I had in the other pictures.. totally grew out of that!!

Thanks for reading!!

My Father-in-law....

This past weekend my Father-in-law passed away... it has been an eye opener for me.. to watch my husband deal with his father's illness and to watch him take care of his dad in his last few days still brings tears to my eyes. There is SO much love in that family... I have never once felt like an in-law... this whole family has always made me feel like I was just a part of the family as everyone else and my father-in-law was also one that made me feel this way... He always was so happy to see us! He loved us so much and it showed in everyway... he loved his whole family. I was so blessed to be able to see him through out these past few weeks.. with being pregnant with twins and this far along I had no idea if I was going to be able to travel to Holland or not but each appt. I have.. I get clearance from my Dr. that I can go - under some conditions but just the fact that I was/am able to still go and be with my husband and his whole family... I am truely blessed.... there is no other place I would rather be.

I am so happy that despite the situation... my husband was able to hold his Dad's hand and be right by his side until his final breath - God sure was in that room with everyone that was there the night he passed.

It was amazing that in his final days... he was still able to give my son a high five.. he was still able to look everyone in their eyes and to speak a few words.. waving goodbye with his hands and request that he really wanted to see all his grandchildren one more time. There is NO doubt in my mind that God's arms were wrapped around my father-in-law and everyone else that came up there to visit him and be with him.

Seeing my husband go through this difficult time has been such a spiritual experience for me... it is so hard to explain but it just makes me love my husband even more... he is an amazing guy and has just the BIGGEST heart.... really.. his whole family has the biggest hearts... God has blessed me with so much by marrying Mike and joining this wonderful and amazing family.

So in closing this post.. I just ask for prayers for this week... as the family copes through the loss of a Dad... husband... uncle... brother... and Grandpa... it is hard saying final goodbyes but knowing how much he has given each and every family member through these past few weeks... all I can say is... God is Good!!