By Dianne Cornish, REVIEW STAFF

This year’s prospective winners are Ryder Hackett-Thifault of Waterdown, born Wednesday, Jan. 4 at 12:45 a.m. at Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital in Burlington and Peter Anthony Schuurman, who also arrived last Wednesday just over 12 hours later at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Hamilton. Both boys were the second child of parents Ashley and Jamie Thifault and Marijke and Jeremy Schuurman, respectively.

Ryder, who weighed in at 9 lbs. 9 oz., is a sibling to Hunter, who celebrated his second birthday just two days before his baby brother arrived on the scene. Peter, who tipped the scales at 8 lbs. 10 oz. has a 20-month-old sister, Megan.

If the Thifaults had known about the Review’s baby contest two years ago, they would have entered Hunter in the competition, which sees a wide assortment of prizes and gift certificates, donated by area businesses, go to the first two babies born to Flamborough parents in the New Year.

“We didn’t know about the contest last time,” said Ryder’s dad, adding that the hospital staff alerted them about it this time around. “As long as he’s healthy, that’s what’s important to us,” he added.

Being pregnant is rough on 27-year-old Ashley, who said her body fights the hormonal change so much so that she is sick to her stomach for most of the nine-month term. But the flip side is that giving birth, naturally with no meds, is easy for her. She and her husband arrived at the hospital last Tuesday night at 11:30 p.m. and Ryder was born a little over an hour later. “It was just four minutes of pushing,” her husband said.

Ashley said it was basically the same experience with Hunter. She was sick throughout her pregnancy, but when the big day arrived, her water broke at midnight, she began having contractions at 4 a.m. and Hunter was born at 6:24 a.m.

She feels very fortunate that the birth experience comes so easily to her. Right now, she’s averaging about four to six hours of sleep a night as Ryder has his days and nights reversed, but she’s happy to see that her new son has pretty much the same temperament as his brother.

“He’s very easy to care for,” she said.

Hunter has welcomed the new addition to the family. “He just loves Ryder,” his mom said.

“He kisses him all the time and comes up to me and wants to hold his hand.”

Also delighted with the new arrival are paternal grandparents, Lila and Jean Thifault of Montreal who have already visited their new grandson and maternal grandparents, Donna and Earl Hackett of Burlington and maternal great-grandma Doris Mack of Montreal. Ryder is Mack’s 23rd great-grandchild and the fifth grandson to both sets of grandparents.

Ashley is taking a year off from her job as assistant manager of Holly’s Pride, a hotel for pets located just off Appleby Line in north Burlington, but plans to return to work after her maternity leave. Her parents will look after the two boys when she goes back to work.

Her husband, an employee of Nationex, a transport courier company located near Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, is enjoying a couple of days off with his family before returning to work.

The Schuurmans, who grow flowers on a 20-acre farm on 6th Concession Road West near Strabane, are also doing with a little less sleep these days. Their son, too, has got his days and nights mixed up, but he’s healthy and that’s something that his parents regard as a blessing. “He’s already past his birth weight,” said his proud mom on Monday.

“As far as we’re concerned, it’s a blessing from the Lord to have two healthy children,” Jeremy added.

As fate would have it, the Schuurman family has a bit of history with the Review’s baby contest. Twenty-two years ago, Jeremy’s sister, Leah, born Jan. 3, 1990, took second prize in the newspaper’s New Year’s Baby competition, Jeremy recalled.
Peter is the sixth grandchild of Ralph and Audrey Schuurman of Westover and also has a great-grandma, Ann VanSchepen. He is the 14th grandchild on Marijke’s side of the family; her parents, George and Gertie Lammers are deceased.

“It’s always exciting to have a new baby,” Marijke said, noting that Peter made things even more exciting by deciding to enter the world 11 days earlier than expected. Several months ago, she left her job as a teacher at a Christian elementary school in Kitchener to stay home and raise a family but expects to return someday.

Like Ashley Hackett-Thifault, she had a relatively easy time in the delivery room. She woke at 8:30 a.m. last Wednesday, began having contractions shortly afterward and left for the hospital around 10 a.m.; Peter was born after about two hours of labour, at 12:59 p.m.

His big sister has become mom’s little helper since the new baby arrived home.

“She brings the diapers to her mom and throws out the old ones,” Jeremy reported.

Both families have settled in and are enjoying their new additions – albeit with less sleep all around.