where we're at!

I am sitting in a motel room in Freeport, Maine (home of LL Bean, which we did go see on the way down here! And it's not as good as MEC ;). Last night it was raining as we started looking for a place to camp, and that combined with the tiredness of being on the move for quite a while now (and my slightly more fragile and prone to pampering pregnant self!) meant that we splurged for a motel. (aka the simple Super 8). And it was worth it. Clean sheets, nice shower, and all we have to do this morning is throw a couple things in the car, go eat some free breakfast, and hit the road. Right now dear Brian is still sleeping- poor guy, I keep waking up at 6 AM (really bad at sleeping in on vacation!). He has been driving the majority of this trip and we have a lot of miles to cover today so it's nice if he can rest a little longer.

So much fun and so much seen in the 16 days since we left St. John's. We have some pretty awesome pictures so I'll post some once I get them off my camera. But so many highlights and little things and big sights and sounds and oceans and views.

Brian and I celebrated our first anniversary on the 13th of August. We woke up at a beautiful oceanside campground in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia that morning. I snuck out of the tent and made coffee and fried eggs and oatmeal with peaches for breakfast- we ate it basking in the sun and then went for a glorious swim in the Atlantic. We drove leisurely for a few hours and then had ice cream followed by a  lovely dinner at a bistro in Antigonish. Then we stayed at a bed and breakfast called the Blue Tin Roof. It was a great day. So special to celebrate our first year together on holiday like that. It has been one of the best, happiest, at times most challenging, and growing years of my life thus far. We have learned a lo together and I love Brian more than I did a year ago, and it just keeps growing. i pray we are blessed with many more years together. but God only knows our days, and I will cherish each one we have so far..

that's all for now. so much more to write but it's time to go. see you in NL!

One quick thing

We are leaving for our road trip this morning and I am excited.

So is Baby Claus! I felt him or her clearly kick me today as I lay there with my hand on belly first thing in the morning (has become custom, waiting to feel something in there). Not once, but three times! He/she is definitely in there! (not that I really doubted). Amazing!

Off we go to Nova Scotia. Don't worry baby, you're coming too. :) I guess you just had to remind us.

Updates from the land of fog

Well, we are leaving for our epic road-trip babymoon holiday in 2 sleeps! Thought I should get a quick little update in before then...

(In case you can't remember, we are driving across NL, then taking the ferry to NS- exploring Nova Scotia for a few days, then PEI and New Brunswick, a day in Maine.. and then Brian's conference in Portsmouth, New Hampshire where I will relax and get to be the leisurely engineer's wife.)

Some recent events...

We went sea kayaking a couple weeks ago... a wedding gift from our friends Dave and Danielle. The weather was cloudy, but it was still fun!

Getting all fit into the boat

Out on the water

I only took a couple pics on the water because it wasn't the greatest spot for an SLR camera! Salty, wet, splashy... luckily they gave us drybags to put our cameras in, but I didn't want to bring mine out after all.

 It's not as easy as we thought. Turns out that kayaking is a whole lot different from canoeing, especially on the open ocean. But we had a great morning trying it out and then had a nice picnic lunch on the east coast trail afterwards.

These two good friends picked Newfoundland for their honeymoon! Rebecca is my old roommate from Vancouver, and Dan lived in the basement at the time. But he waited until we all moved out to profess his love. :) They just got married on July 30 and I am so happy for them. It is also a testimony to their sense of joy and adventurous-ness that they survived the week of our worst weather yet this summer and still came out all smiles... and loving it! Though they are honeymooners after all I suppose.. ;)

the newlyweds Introducing Mr and Mrs Daniel and Rebecca Poelman! Looking radiant.

Awkward arms length-fit-everyone-in shot... but still fun.

And now the baby update. Things are coming along quite nicely. Here is my little mango...

19 weeks! I promise I will get ones with my face in them soon.. when we move and I get a new picture spot probably.

 I also had my mid-pregnancy ultrasound this morning. We don't get official results until tomorrow but preliminary looks say everything is just fine. The only thing was... usually people get a nice strip of detailed pictures from these things. I, on the other hand, have a small shy squirmer inside there who was absolutely refusing to cooperate. It was pretty funny. The tech got me to go empty my bladder (in small amounts) twice just to see if things would shift a bit so little Button would move a bit better! But he or she would just not stop squirming and was all curled up into a ball. So he or she either has their mother's "I'm so antsy, I can't always sit still!" or their father's "I'm trying to sleep, leave me alone as I curl up in bed" traits.

Face! Kind of creepy looking, haha... but you can see eyes, nose, mouth and brain-space :)

 We also do not know if the little one is a boy or a girl.. by choice, though I wonder if we could have even found out if we wanted to due to baby's stubborn streak. So the big reveal will have to wait... but I think that's more fun anyway. :)

The best side profile she could get of little Squirmy!

Another face shot.. sort of.

Something else pretty awesome...

a few weeks ago I had a quick ultrasound done at work- hurray connections in the ER! I got a couple video clips on a USB to take home.. see below:

Baby Claus at 16 weeks Part 1

and

Baby Claus at 16 weeks Part 2

Because a picture is worth a thousand words..

(you can click on any picture for a bigger view)

I decided to try my hand at making bread. Turns out it helps the dough to rise a lot better when your house is 20 degrees rather than 12!

"I'm a seal. I'm just going to tread water right here. Also, I can do it with my eyes closed. "
With Matt and Janine at the Ocean Science Centre, Logy Bay

The brothers

Matt and Janine as the most easterly people in North America

Saturday night hike to Middle Cove Point. Such a beautiful evening!

So green it's hard to believe that it's real!

Part slightly slouching, part a yummy delicious meal right before, but all the rest is 17 weeks pregnant!

My love and I... it's almost been a year

Whales! The bay was full of them. See the spout?

So close!

Something to read... And read again.

My daughter asked me why God had made everything in the first place.

Because He loves beauty, He loves to create. He wanted to be able to love us and for us to love Him.


And so it is that love was wrapped up in the first act of creation. The emergence of the first bouncing particles and the new laws that governed them, breathed out into the nothing by a curious He, was a pledge of future love, a promise of fidelity. He made something dependent on Him, and so His character swore Him to love it into eternity. Is procreation not the same?

Man and woman come together in an act that, left to its own devices, brings forth life, a life that both are obligated by the image of God in them to love and nurture. If we choose to create, we are vowing at that moment to love the creation, and it is a vow we must keep. The first choice is not separable from the second.

God knew the yoke of love He was taking on when His finger stirred light into the cosmos, knew of sin and pain and the cross and neglected children and wars and the pieces of us He would have to glue back together, and yet He set the dominos in motion none the less, on down through the eons, till His love could be expressed to us. Let there be light was as good as saying I will love.

All pictures- California Road Trip 2010

God, who has loved us since we were particles in space; God, who gave us His image that we would love our children from the time they were cells in our bodies. We fail on our end of course, but our failure can only let them fall as far God’s own love, and they are cradled just the same. It is a good God who spoke matter into space that He might know and love His children.


Source: http://canvaschild.blogspot.com/. Guest post by David Nilsen

Realizations

I've got to say, it hasn't been the most relaxing July so far. When I got back from Ontario, we launched full swing into trying to find a new place to live. We were considering moving out August 1 depending on what came up. Also, I was feeling very stressed out over work, due to the fact that there hadn't been very many shifts available at all, and all of the casuals were fighting for hours. Sounds a bit vicious, but it's kind of true. And wondering what would be the best thing for me to do for my last few months of working.

But I read something recently that was about just relaxing for a moment and letting God bless you. Taking the time to stop worrying so much and seeing how He is providing all around you, even though it might not always be the way you expect. Trusting that things will fall into place.
And I feel as if that has been very true in the last few days. I've been getting all uptight about everything, worried about how it's going to work out. In the meantime, answers and blessings have been flowing in freely.

We found a new apartment on Saturday. It's a main floor, big front windows great location. I still don't feel 100% about it, but that's my old transition-anxiety kicking in. Brian thinks its perfect for us and we will be very happy there, and I know that he's right. Also, the lease starts September 1, so we don't have to worry about paying for 2 places at once. It also has 3 bedrooms- one for us, one for an office/ guest room, and one for Baby C! I can't wait to start arranging baby stuff in there.

Also, the place doesn't come with a washer and dryer, meaning we would have to go appliance shopping. Not so fun. However, after a little search on Kijiji, we are getting one dropped off here tonight, only a year and half old, and a very good price. It even still has the warranty on it.

Work called this morning with a day shift for tomorrow. That makes number 5 already. And I was worrying about not enough hours..

And my friend Lauren and her husband Colin were blessed with a beautiful baby boy on Friday night. I went to see them on Saturday morning, and there he was, all fresh and new. I'm so happy for them. Part of me is also super excited because it makes things all the more real- that will be us in 5 1/2 months! (approximately), the Lord willing. Amazing!

So all of the above reasons are why I just need to trust and relax and be thankful.

I am also thankful for homemade bread toasted with Niagara peach jam and spiced gouda cheese (not on the same piece!) :)

new beginnings

Well, there is an elephant in the room, folks. I think it's time to talk about it! Here is the little secret we have been hiding for quite a while now...

Baby Claus- his or her first picture!! at 9 1/2 weeks- 2.8 cm long. Pretty cute eh? I suppose i might be a little biased :)

We are going to have a baby!!
Baby Claus is due December 31.

This ultrasound picture is from May 31- 6 weeks ago now! It was so amazing to see that little heart beating back then already. It left me speechless, actually. And a bit teary. That little heart, has already begun to beat- and will keep beating, and beating, and won't stop till God calls this little baby, or teenager, or middle aged person, or grey haired senior, back up to heaven. What a thought.

You created me in my inmost being

you knit me together in my mother's womb

ALL the days ordained for me were written in your book

before ONE of them came to be...

psalm 139

that really hits home these days.

So far, things are going really well. we are very thankful. I had a good first trimester with a lot of nausea but no toilet-bowl hugging, thankfully (except on the plane!). 

so here we are, over a third of the way through. but i want to savour this. 

grow little bean, grow!! 

I didn't think i was one to post pregnancy bump pics. especially not on facebook. but this is a little different. i like to think that this is a bit more personal. This is me at 15 1/2 weeks, aka today. a little thicker than usual, perhaps. enough that other people have noticed. at least. or maybe just wondering in their heads if i was getting a little portly in the stomach... I suck it in in these pictures as much as I can for a more accurate depiction!

also, i can't take a picture with my own face in it in front of the bathoom mirror.. i'm already standing on the bathtub ledge here. but it works for now.