Christmas with the DeVrees

Christmas night we celebrated Christmas with my side of the family. We had a great night!

Christmas with the Neales!

Christmas Eve we celebrated Christmas with David's side of the family. There was TONS of food, and we had lots of fun!

Wintery Weekend

We had a great weekend enjoying the snow. Saturday Eli helped David blow out the driveway. Sunday we went sledding with Grandpa DeVree and Aunt Sarah in Zeeland. Elias cried the first time down the hill, but after that he had fun. We did lose a pacifier going down the sledding hill. I guess bringing a white pipe wasn't the best idea! We are looking forward to going sledding again. Hopefully even more friends and family will be able to join us!

A Sad Time to Give Thanks

Thanksgiving Morning I woke to symptoms of a miscarriage. David and I knew it was going to happen we just didn't know when. We tried to make the most of Thanksgiving, thinking when it happened we would deal with it then.

Friday morning at 3:30am I was awakened by extreme pain. I knew it was time. Over the next hour or so we lost the baby. We know it happened for a reason. Better this than further into the pregnancy, or for something to be wrong, and the baby not healthy.

We are thankful for the child we already have been blessed with. We are thankful the miscarriage happened on a long weekend- giving us time to adjust, and deal with our emotions. We are thankful for our friends and family who have been very compassionate.

This isn't the end, only the beginning. Someday we will try again. For now we can have more one-on-one time with Elias, I can work on being healthier, and we have time to prepare for adding a second child to our family.

First Doctors Appointment

My doctors appointment went okay today. My uterus is the size it should be for 10 weeks. The doctor could not see anything on the ultrasound however. He reassured me, ultrasounds are not his specialty, but its still a little scary. We are scheduling an official ultrasound soon, just to make sure everything is okay. My official ultra sound should be in the next week or so. My next doctors appointment is the day after Christmas.

The Tenth Week

With bones and cartilage starting to form and vital organs beginning to function, baby is making major progress. Body length will almost double in the next three weeks, and arm joints are now working. (Soon, legs will too.)

What an exciting week! I can't believe it is week 10 already. Monday is my first Doctors appointment. I am very excited, and hope we will be able to hear the baby's heartbeat. Everything seems to be going very well. I haven't gained any weight yet, which is great. I have however been outgrowing my dress pants. I'm either having twins, or a 12lb baby... :)

The big 2-4.

Thanks everyone for the Happy Birthday Wishes. I had a great 24th birthday, pretty low key. David and I enjoyed a night out just the two of us last night. It has been so long since we've done that. We saw the movie Twilight. It was good, but the book was better. I bought a few gifts for myself. My favorite, a pair of striped mittens. They are sooo cute!

Oh, and the best part of my birthday was seeing Elias learn to go down the slide all by himself. We were at Rivertown mall, and he climbed to the top of the tree house. He kept teasing us by going to the top of the slide, and then quick runnning away. All of a sudden, he went to the top of the slide got down on his belly and went down backwards on his belly! It was so cute!! He went down the slide 3 times all by himself.

Week 9!

This week's Activities:


Your scholar-to-be has ended his or her embryonic stage and is entering the fetal period now (good-bye embryo, hello fetus). Your fetus is now about one inch long, the size of a medium green olive. The head has straightened out and is more fully developed, the ears are much more prominent, and some new organs (the liver, spleen, and gallbladder) are forming. Your fetus is also making spontaneous movements of his or her arms and legs now that minuscule muscles are beginning to develop, though you won't feel your tiny dancer for at least another two months.

Week 8

Baby Neale's Weekly Status:

Your baby is growing like mad, putting on about a millimeter every day and continuing to straighten out in the trunk. Though you can't feel it yet, baby is moving those little arms, legs and (now only slightly) webbed fingers and toes like crazy.

Week 7 of Pregnancy

Here's what baby Neale is up to this week: Baby's brain -- both hemispheres! -- is growing fast, generating about 100 new cells every minute. Arms and legs are emerging as joints start to form, and a permanent set of kidneys (baby's third!) is now in place.

M-I-C K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!

Eli had a great Halloween! He was Mickey Mouse, and his costume was a hit! We trick-or-treated at Hart & Cooley (Grandma's work), Foremost (my work), and Aunt Theresa's neighborhood.

We walked around with Eli's cousins Brandon and Jacob. They would run across the street to catch every house with its lights on. I was carrying
Eli to try to keep up. If I skipped a house the boys went to, Eli would wiggle until I set him down, and then run to try to keep up with the older boys! I have muscles of steel today from carrying Eli around the neighborhood! Next time we will have to bring a wagon.

Usually the Cats chase the Mice, but not today!! Mickey Mouse chased the barn cats all the way back to the barn. I bet the cats were terrified! :)

A Different Experience

Yesterday I ended up taking half a vacation day from work. I have been feeling so crampy and nauseous with this pregnancy. Also I have been FREEZING!! With Elias I had hot flashes in the first trimester. This is very unlike my pregnancy with Elias. I am hoping these symptoms will pass soon! David thinks this one may be a girl because of the different symptoms,but we'll see! (I still think its a boy) :)

Spending the day with Elias

Monday, October 27 I took the day off of work. In the morning we took Elias to Rivertown Crossings to play in the children's area. Later in the afternoon we bundled Eli up to play outside in the yard. It was so nice to spend the extra day with Elias. He is growing so fast!

Week Six

Saturday starts week six of pregnancy. According to http://www.thebump.com/ this is what baby Neale is up to this week.


Growing like crazy, baby is starting to sprout eyes, ears, nose, cheeks and chin. Those little hands and feet- still webbed like paddles- might wiggle by week's end, the heart is beating (almost twice as fast as yours!), and blood is starting to circulate.

Imaginative Play

We have a big box in our living room from an air compressor David bought. Eli thought it was the coolest thing ever. He crawled in and out and closed the flaps
thinking we couldn't see him. It was so much fun to watch him play. Eli even tried to push Zeke in the box, however, Zeke is a little stronger than Elias.

Our Family is Growing!

October 8 (the day after our anniversary) David and I officially found out we are going to have another baby! I knew before we tested because I had all of the "pregnancy" symptoms. We are so excited, we just can't keep it a secret. We aren't due until the end of June.

This pregnancy is going to be different than the last. We regret not fully enjoying our pregnancy with Eli because we were trying to be extremely sensitive of those around us who were struggling to conceive. This time around, we decided we want to enjoy every moment of this pregnancy, it may very well be our last. We want to tell everyone what we are experiencing, thinking, and anticipating. I want to enjoy and remember everything about this pregnancy.

This pregnancy is also going to be different because we've experienced it before. It began to sink in that I'm pregnant when I went grocery shopping and got nauseous from all of the smells. We can't wait to see how similar this pregnancy is from the last, and we get to enjoy it with our son, Elias.

So stay tuned for updates on the journey from a family of 3 to a family of 4!

Birthday Party for Great Grandpa and Grandma

Saturday Night we celebrated my grandparent's 70th birthday. We had a get together at my Uncle Don's house. My dad was teaching Eli how to skateboard! Before the party David and I took Eli to Sunrise Park in Hudsonville. Eli LOVED the teeter totter.

(See anything funny in our pictures? Like my crazy Uncle Doug! :) I guess he just can't get his picture taken enough. He kept sneaking into our pictures! Bet he didn't think I would put them on the web!! )

Daddy's New Birds

Saturday morning we went to the bird sale at the Hudsonville Fairgrounds. David purchased six Guinea Hens and a pair of black shouldered peacocks. I ALMOST bought the cutest pot belly....but couldn't do it. Maybe if they were a little tamer. After the sale, we went to Grandpa's to see Aunt Sarah's new baby llama. She hasn't named the baby yet.

Daddy's Fishing Trip/Mommy's Vacation

David and Eli travled up north with David's parents and Eli's cousin Noah. They spent the weekend fishing, and hanging out in the motor home. Noah caught the biggest fish of the weekend! David and Eli took home a baby turtle for our turtle tank. I stayed home and relaxed. It was the first night without Eli for me.

Our Turtle Tank

Now that we have set up a designated play area for Elias, we decided to set up an aquarium for Eli to watch. We bought a 29 gallon tank, and David built a really cool stand for it. We ordered some baby turtles for our tank, but they are coming from Texas. With the hurricane I'm not sure when we will get them. So far we have 3 African Cichlids, and a fish that cleans..I forget what it's called.

I LOVE fall!

The weather is finally starting to cool down, and fall is right around the corner. Saturday, we had David's family over to grill out and sit by a bon fire. It felt good to wear sweat shirts, and enjoy the heat of the flames. Fall is my favorite season. I can't wait to enjoy fall festivities with Elias.

The Hen House

David is giving chickens one more try. He purchased over a dozen layers earlier this spring, and the chickens are finally laying! Only one chicken was a rooster, so we faired pretty well. Out of a dozen hens in the hen house we average 8-10 eggs a day.

Here are the chickens in the Hen House.
Eli enjoys feeding the chickens. The chickens get all of our extra produce, and the few vegetable that grow in the garden...you would understand if you saw our garden... or weeds should I say!!

My favorite chickens are Araucanas. They lay blue eggs. They are not consistent layers however, and David said if the Araucanas didn't start laying soon he would move them from the Hen House to the Freezer! Perfect timing ladies, you're safe in the Hen House! :)

Elias' First Birthday

Eli's birthday party was a blast. We had a jungle theme. The turn out was great; and Eli LOVED his cupcake. He wore quite of bit of frosting. The presents were wonderful, and let's just say we are going to have a loud household with all of the interactive toys! Thank-you to all who were able to make the party. We are very blessed to have such wonderful friends and family.

The First Year

As I prepare for Elias' birthday party tomorrow, I just cannot believe how fast the first year has flown by! It feels like just yesterday, David was driving us home from the hospital as a family. I can only imagine how fast time will zoom by in the future. I truly have been blessed this past year, watching Elias grow, and our family changing. We have so many great memories. Here is a look back over Eli's first year! I'm sure the next years to come will be even better!