4 Generations

Four Generations- Great Grandpa VanDuinen, Grandma Boersma, Dad Andrew, Baby Daraby


Great Grandpa and Great Grandma VanDuinen with Daraby


Brand New Grandparents!


Proud Uncle Joel!


Grandpa holding Daraby.

Last Tuesday night, our family from Michigan arrived to see Daraby. Mom and Dad Boersma are proud to be grandparents for the first time! Uncle Joel and Grandma and Grandpa VanDuinen were also glad to come along and we enjoyed having them here for two days. Darcy took them around the ranch and they met our neighbor Alice and her barnyard of animals. Everybody who has come has lended a helping hand with the baby and with household chores, which is a huge help! The Boersma clan with Susan, Daron and Rachael are coming out next weekend, so we'll have more family time coming up!

Lots of Visitors!

My beautiful sister- Dixie holding Daraby at Alice's Place.


Tyler- my nephew with Daraby.


Brittany-my niece with Alice's bucket calf. We had a great time with all her pets.


(Alice, Isaac, Tyler and Andrew) The boys are sitting on Molly the burro.


Tyler with Meka- Alice's pet raccoon.

We've had a wonderful time with family and friends that have come to visit us. My sister, her husband and their two boys along with my mom and my niece Brittany came to visit Aug 9-11. It was the first time my sister and her family saw our place and of course Daraby. We had fun taking them over to our friend- Alice's Place. She has a whole passel of pets. Her pet raccoon- Meka was a hit. They fed the goats, dipped their fingers in the Lilly pond, saw the rabbit and petted the bucket calf. Thanks Alice for the great time!
When the boys first got here they went swimming with Andrew at the public pool in town while Mom, Brittany and I picked up some supplies. The boys were proud to report that twelve trains passed while they were swimming. HaHa! There are so many trains that go through town.
Throughout the weekend the boys had fun petting the cats and runnin around outside. Then on Sunday Dixie, Dave, Andrew, Brittany and the boys spent the afternoon on the creek canoeing. It was a hot one.
All in all we had a great time. From here Dixie, Dave and boys continued on their vacation to the Black Hills. We are very glad they were able to visit and see the place. A huge thanks to Dixie for taking Daraby for the entire night- Sat. It was great to catch up on some Zzzzzzz. Thanks to my Mom and Brittany for coming and helping clean house, make meals and hold Daraby. I don't know what I would do without all the extra help.

Just a couple of photos!

Daraby in her cute frog outfit!


Abby in all her regalness! She is adjusting well with Daraby.


Snuggling in bed.



Jackson climbing the trees in the front yard. He has such a fun attitude.
He still nurses Abby- He thinks he is a dog not a cat.

Parenthood?

She is starting to enjoy bathtime!


We think she is adorable all bundled up after bath!


Sleeping peacefully- something she doesn't do at night!


Hanging with Grandma Wanda!


All little girls need a John Deere! I was able to mow the yard with the tractor and Andrew watched Daraby for me. It is great for me to get away.

Please someone tell me it is going to get better? Haha! Life has been crazy busy for the three of us. It has been a period of adjustment and we are slowly getting used to sleepless nights and poopy diapers. We've learned that our bundle of joy isn't always joyful so it was nice to have my mom come and help the first 5 days and then we asked to her come back again for another 4 days. So far I've been able to handle this week alone and then Andrew helps out a ton when he gets home at night. Daraby has her days and nights mixed up and we can't seem to get switched. I try to sleep during the day with her but nothing else seems to get done. At first I was really depressed but it is starting to get better and I've been able to mow with the big tractor and even drive the 4-wheeler to the neighbors. It really helps to get out of the house and not be tied down. At first we were really cautious with Daraby but now we have a lot more confidence. It's crazy how you think they are going to break or stop breathing.

Last week Daraby had her 1st check-up and all is well. She has gained all her weight back and is on the up and up. The doctor showed me how to keep her awake for her feedings and she was livid. Daraby likes to snack and sleep which means she doesn't eat much or sleep long. In the last couple days it seems like she eats more in a sitting and today she slept for 2 plus hours. Yahoo!

We've had several visitors to see us and the baby. Many neighbors have stopped by and our boss and his family drove up to see Daraby after their long trip to Montana. My niece Dawn came this last weekend on her way back to SD from CO. We had a good time with her. We ended up going to the local rodeo and sat with Alan and Shelia. I don't think Dawn got to bored. Daraby slept through the whole thing and then stayed up all night. Then on Sunday we went to church and afterwards we made a big breakfast for lunch. It was nice to have Dawn's extra help but she went home after lunch.

We are looking forward to many more visitors. Daraby is barely in her crib or bassinet with everyone holding her. Andrew and her sleep in the chair after he gets home from work. He is very calm with her screaming lungs which makes me laugh. He talks to her and nibbles on her fingers while she is screaming mad. We've been trying to take her outside at night or give her a bath. At first she hated bath time but she is slowly starting to like it. :)

Well I suppose I better get ready for bed. If I can get a couple hours I'll be set. Andrew takes the first shift until 12 and then I take over the rest of the night. It is amazing that he can sleep through her wailing. :)

More Baby Pics

We are resting at home after being at the hospital for 2 days. We were glad to have the 2 days at the hospital to get comfortable with Daraby but we are so glad to hang out in our home. It is very peaceful.


Proud New Dad! Andrew was so excited in the delivery room! He was a huge cheerleader and I thought I was going to die. Robin, our nurse, made me focus and push through the excrucitating pain. I've never had pain like that before. I can't believe I had her all natural.




Darcy and Daraby taking a well deserved rest after birth-I told Darcy that she looked like she went through 10 rounds of boxing. She popped blood vessels in her eye from pushing so hard. Darcy was dilated to 8cm when we got to the hospital so she wasn't able to have any drugs for the birth-it was all natural! So, I think she's tougher than any boxer any day:)



Grandma "Wanna" (as our neice Danny calls her) and Daraby. Her real name is Wanda



Here is us with our "super nurse" Robin. The staff at the hospital was exceptional! We thank God for giving us nurses and doctors who walked through this experience with us hand in hand and genuinely cared about the well being of us not only during the birth but also as we transition to life with a little one. A huge thanks to Becky, Shawna and Donna as well.




Our exit from the hospital- I, darcy, was so nervous to take her home. She is so tiny and fragile yet. We did make the 2 hour drive and she did great in the back seat. It feels so natural to be home and hanging out.