Last Trip Before Baby

 A few months ago we realized that if we wanted to have a last vacation before kids that we'd have to do it before the baby comes...and time enough before to be able to travel safely. We couldn't go before March Break Camp because of preparation, and then there was camp, then Slingshot scheduled...so we were able to secure a week over the Easter weekend.

The next question was...where do we go? Flying wasn't an option because of the expense so we looked for a places within a 10 hour radius of us. We settled on Cape Cod, Massachusetts even though it turned out to be a little beyond that 10 hours. My family traveled a lot when I was growing up so I knew I'd been to Massachusetts but didn't remember a whole lot.

 The beaches and ocean were beautiful. Chilly...but beautiful and free!

 We discovered lots of interesting things on the shore when the tide was out.

 The most interesting was what appeared to be a dolphin carcass. Not something we have on our beaches in Ontario!

 Yes...the baby is showing more and more!

 Here's the shadow version.

 David's trying really hard to not freeze and to be excited about the American monument to the pilgrims of Plymouth Rock.

 I knew that we saw Plymouth Rock when I was about 6 years old but I didn't remember how unimpressive and small it really is. The ironic part of this famous rock is that there's no proof that the Pilgrims even had anything to do with it. It's all based on one guy's claim 120 years after the landing!

 The building around the rock is nice though. =]

This is where the Mayflower II normally is on display (which I remember seeing as a kid), however it's still in drydock being repaired. So much for the cool history to show my Canadian husband.

More beautiful beaches to walk on.

 We hunted down a few lighthouses that were in the area, including the Nauset Lighthouse which is the inspiration for the Cape Cod chips bag.

 One of the "Three Sisters Lighthouses" that have been moved away from their original position along the shore because the coast was corroding so much they would have fallen over the edge by now!

 Aren't I huge!!!

 Or then again, maybe not.

LOBSTER INTERLUDE

 David's always wanted to make a lobster dinner so we thought "What better place than somewhere on the coast that has good lobster?!" It's a little weird to pick out your supper. I'm glad he handled that part because I don't think I could have gone through with it.

The house we rented for the week had a lobster pot! We used the salt that was easily available and were then left with all the salt packets to try to get our 1/4 cup of salt.

 Salt packets make things take much longer. =]

 Meet "Nellie" our lobster.

 How crazy to see Nellie come out red after cooking.

 Our Lobster Dinner! Complete with salad, sparkling cider and butter to dip in.

 David's excited anticipation for dinner.

 Sarah's slight apprehension for dinner.

 After Easter Sunday Service at a local church we wondered around another little town, finding another lighthouse!

 The Elisha Howland Saltbox House that we rented for the week. It was built in 1820 and restored in 2007.

 People must have been much smaller 200 years ago!

 A lot of the doorways were too short for David, including the "ladder stairs". The stairs were so steep that you had to hold the rope on the side to get up.

 Going up and down the steep stairs with a baby bump made it even more interesting. I was glad I was 6 months pregnant and not 9! The family that built the house lived there 200 years ago had 6 kids. What a brave woman that must have been!

 When you come up the stairs you have to keep your head down or you'll get a good bonk...even Sarah!

 One nice feature of having a small house was that the low kitchen counters fit under my baby bump!

 The fireplace looked a whole lot bigger on the website than in person. =]

 The last day it warmed up to 12*C/50*F...warm enough to sit and read on the beach!

Time to go home to reality.

Thank you notes

 At Slingshot we had the kids write Thank you notes to the Gravenhurst Ministerial which helps to cover the cost of the meals for our monthly program and helped to cover the March Break Camp cost for some of the kids. I had to take pictures of their cards because they were so creative! It was neat to see what some of the kids' favourite things are as well.
 Sadly, I can't seem to get them to turn properly. Sorry for the crook in the neck!

March Break - Sr Camp Video

7 reasons to have a baby in Canada

As we start this whole process of being new parents I've discovered some really neat aspects about living in Canada when you have a baby. Here's the top 7 we've discovered so far...

Top 7 reasons for having a baby in Canada:

7. 52 weeks of maternity leave available (get paid a max of 55% of salary)
6. 37 weeks of paternity leave is available for new daddy's (gets subtracted from the mom's leave)
5. Midwife/Doctor visits are covered by health care
4. Hospital delivery is covered by health care
3. Baby Bonus: Get paid each month for your child until he/she turns 18
2. Dual Citizenship: Our kids can be both Canadian and American
1. In a few years we'll have someone else to fill up the furnace with wood in the winter!

Our baby at 19 weeks- Jan 23, 2013

We are still in awe of the work that God is doing in creating this little life. What an amazing thing it is to get a glimpse inside of what He is doing. Last week we were able to see our baby moving all over (he/she seems to be quite the little mover). It was so neat to see the spine, ribs and organs already formed. He/she hasn't quite got the thumb sucking thing down yet but sure was trying really hard!

We've decided not to find out if it's a boy or girl but wait for the surprise when we meet this little one in person. It's been quite interesting to find that most couples who are expecting or have recently had children have decided not to find out. I'm not sure if that's a Canadian thing or not, because in the U.S. everyone I knew found out the gender of the baby...but here everyone claims that the surprise is so much better.

The biggest step before we're ready for this little one is to finish the basement so we can move our office downstairs and complete the baby's room. The drywallers have been working away slowly at the basement, encountering many issues unrelated to our house that have caused things to take much longer than they should have. However...they might be done in the next couple weeks so the ceiling, painting, tiling, doors, etc. can begin! Being 20 weeks along means that our time is half way up and the clock is ticking. Because of the intensity of summer ministry David has to complete everything before June as he won't have time until Fall otherwise. I'm working at trusting the Lord and His timing and control through all the unknowns. Even as our excitement grows my heart continues to ache for three friends that were expecting a couple weeks before or after us and have had miscarriages. That certainly puts minor house issues into perspective.

18 Weeks - taken January 17

For those wanting to see "the baby belly" that has started, here's proof.