A (powerful) word about diapers...

In honor of Earth Day, which is coming next week (April 22nd)... and in honor of our baby, who will be coming who knows when, but who will be garbed in cloth and/or hybrid diapers, check out this video! It's a bit shocking and a good reminder for all of us about how much of an impact our everyday actions have on our Earth!

This video comes from g-diapers, which are "hybrid" diapers - they have cloth covers on the outside, but biodegradable, flushable and compostable liners. The liner can go straight into the compost as long as it's not poopy. Those have to be flushed :). Our plan for our primary diapers at this point will be bumGenius all-in-ones, but we'll have the g-diapers on hand for going out and about, traveling, etc.
Also, in case any of you are interested in buying baby stuff or kid stuff, if you go to www.diapers.com and use my referral code: KIRS1934, you'll get $10 off your first order of diaper related stuff plus free shipping on orders greater than $49... and I will get credit in my account for referring you! They have a pretty large selection and good prices, plus super fast (and free) shipping. I ordered some stuff yesterday, and it's slated to arrive today!
Happy Friday and happy diapering!

Guess where we slept last night...!?!

Believe it or not, last night we slept in our master bedroom for the first time EVER... since we've owned this house - 20 months and 27 days!!! As you can see we still have some finishing touches to add, like curtains, blinds, light fixtures, pictures, etc. But the lack of curtains allowed us to have our very own sunrise service in bed on this Easter morning! Happy Easter, everyone! We're celebrating on many, many levels!

Graduation Day... of sorts!

Today marks a special day! I'm 35 weeks pregnant today, which for many is just a bit closer to the due date, being more uncomfortable, tossing and turning more in bed, feeling more tired, getting more excited... and anxious, etc. But for me, it's also seems like a day worthy of celebration! I'm sure this has a lot to do with my doctor-who-delivers-babies (mild) neuroses, but I'm jumping for joy because 35 weeks is the cut-off age for babies to avoid a stay in the NICU based on age alone. For this, I'm incredibly thankful! I certainly don't have any history or conditions that would have put me at increased risk for having a preemie, but one never knows, until you pass the date successfully. Of course, babies end up in the NICU for a plethora of reasons, and we hope and pray that our precious life growing inside of my belly will successfully avoid a NICU stay altogether. We trust our Father to continue to keep our baby healthy and safe.

Yesterday we took a hike with some friends at Tucquan Glenn - one of my favorite spots to hike in Southern Lancaster County. It was a gorgeous Spring afternoon, and it felt great to get out and get movin'! I certainly could tell that I had done more physical activity than usual, however, when I promptly zonked out on the couch shortly after dinner last night... and then proceeded to sleep all night long. Tim tells me I was more restless than usual last night, and that I was moaning and groaning lots, but I awakened feeling well rested and ready to start my Monday morning at the clinic after being away from the office for me than two weeks.

We're making big progress around here - we plan to be in our master bedroom by next weekend. We still have quite a bit to do (volunteers to help are welcome :) ), but we're getting sooo close! Many thanks to Tim's parents and to several friends who have already come to help us out a ton. All of our helpers have made the light at the end of the tunnel seem significantly closer. Next week, our general contractor (and my dear brother-in-law) will start framing out what is to become the nursery and our office in order to blow in insulation. That being said, we have to be out of our guest room (which is to become the office) and sleeping in the master bedroom by Easter. It's super exciting and super overwhelming all at the same time. We're also getting closer and closer to having a functional new powder room on the first floor. Yipee! Pictures to come soon!

Speaking of Easter - this year, the thought of new creation and new life takes on a hugely different meaning for me. I've never experienced this motherhood thing before, and I continue to be in awe of the fact that God has chosen me to carry inside my womb a growing human being that will breathe life in just a few weeks. He's gifted us with the honor of becoming parents. We realize that we may not do this perfectly, but we desire to glorify Him with our own lives, and also in our parenting. We pray that our child will grow to know and truly love his or her heavenly Father, who gave all of us His son, who amazingly died for all of us, so that we can enjoy life eternal and the riches of His many blessings that we experience every day. Wow! What a sacrifice! As I'm about to have my own son or daughter, I ponder what that must be like - sacrificing your child - and it seems incredible to me! I can hardly comprehend it...

I received an e-mail with the following slide show in it (A New Creation from Mennonite Central Committee) - I found it a powerful and wonderful reminder of how God has freely given so much, including His one and only son. May it be a blessing to you, as it was to me!

Thai Curry Yumminess!

Tomorrow we have a fellowship meal after church, and I've decided to repeat one of my favored and favorite recipes... Thai Curry. I got this recipe from my dear friend, Stephanie. I've modified it a bit. It sure is absolutely delicious (in our opinion), and the last time I took it to church, several people asked me for the recipe. I told them I'd post it on our blog, but that was 3 or 4 months ago... So, I'm trying to be a bit proactive by posting the recipe tonight, in case someone asks me tomorrow. The recipe below is for a single pot, but I almost always double it, because we're either serving it up to lots of people or just because we love it so much and are big fans of leftovers.

First, I mix the following together:

• 1 can coconut milk - use the real stuff - the "lite" version just doesn't cut it.


• 2 Tbsp of red curry paste - I use a brand called Maesri, which is available any Asian market and serveral grocery stores, if they have an international section - you can add less if you like things less spicy or a bit more if you really like a kick.


• 2 Tbsp of fish sauce


• 2 Tbsp of lime juice


• 3 Tbsp of brown sugar

Then, I throw in all sorts of veggies chopped up into bite-sized chunks... tonight I added the following:

• Tofu


• Carrots


• Green beans


• Red and orange bell peppers


• Zucchini and yellow squash


• Broccoli


• Bamboo shoots


• Baby corn

It's best to start with the vegetables that take longest to cook, so they all end up done at approximately the same time.

Finally, I sprinkle a little bit of salt over top and either a bunch of fresh basil leaves or some frozen basil, depending on what I have. I never use dried basil.

And of course I taste test it a few times, and then add a pinch of this or a dash of that, a little more curry paste, lime juice, brown sugar, etc... or leave it just as it is, if it seems great already.

We serve it up with Jasmine rice and love, love, love it!

Give it a try! You won't be disappointed ;).

The photographer on the beach...and some lovin'!

My friend, Julia, and I went to beach to watch the sunset on Monday night. It was lovely, and we got some great shots...including some that we took of ourselves together - you know the deal... hold the camera out, try to sort of center yourselves and snap the picture, right?! Well, we were pleasantly surprised when a woman passed by and offered to take some pictures for us. We said, "sure, that'd be great." She asked if our camera was a "single lens reflex camera," and we confirmed for her that it was. Of course, this made us believe that she knew her stuff about photography, because she knew the lingo, and that's half the battle! So, we got all cute and posed on the beach in front of the sunset, and our photographer told us how great of a picture she was getting. Julia had one arm around me and her other hand was on my belly making small talk with the baby. Our photographer friend continued to tell us how good the photos were: "I think I got some really nice ones!" She handed the camera back to Julia and went on her merry way. We were anxious to check out the "really nice photos." I thought I hadn't heard the shutter open and close, because of the crashing (albeit small) waves behind us. But much to our dismay, the last pictures on the camera were ones that Julia had taken. And that was it. Nothing else! Apparently the photographer lady was under the impression that she was taking fab photos, when all she was doing was looking at the two of us through the view finder! But, boy, we must have looked pretty darn good ;). We couldn't stop laughing at our new photos and the expertise of our photographer!

Even though we never got to see the photos that our photographer took, we did get some fun ones on our own... and a good story to tell as well!

To add a little sap for today's post, I have to share my beach-written message for my love, Timmy Dean, who is at home working very hard to get more and more projects done, while I'm learning all about infectious disease, hanging with my friend, Julia, and soaking up some sun! This is what I sent to Tim, for him to find in his inbox when he opened his e-mail on Tuesday morning! :) I love lovin' Tim (and baby loves him, too)!

A different kind of belly shot!

So, I'm in Florida for a continuing medical education conference, and this evening I went to the beach to watch the sunset (more photos to come later). I realized it's been 10 weeks (!) since I posted a belly picture, so I took one tonight - it's a bit of a different perspective then previous shots. I'll have to post a side profile shot soon, but for now, here's me, attempting to still see my feet.

I'm 33 weeks today! Wow, how time flies! I'm incredibly blessed to feel healthy, happy and without complications. And yes, my dear husband, I did my exercises today (Julia made me :))!

Projects...making progress!

We're knee-deep in remodelling and projects around here... not to mention knee deep in plaster dust! Oh, the joys of an old house with plaster walls and ceilings!

Tim has been working hard on all sorts of things - hanging dry wall, patching walls, making holes in walls to upgrade electric and add hard-wired smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors, painting, building closets, etc. His brother, our general contractor :), has also been doing lots of stuff around the house. We're making lots of progress, but I'm learning that things must get worse before they're better!

I'm leaving for Florida tomorrow for a week, and leaving my hubby behind - this will be our longest time apart since we got married (sigh...) - but it sounds like when I get home things will look different! He's hoping to get our master bedroom painted, and the fixtures for our new downstairs bathroom just arrived today, so perhaps that might be nearly finished too. We ordered a Toto Aquia II dual flush toilet - yeah! - which has yet to arrive, but almost everything else is here so far and looks great! Our GC will be here next week to get some more stuff done in the bathroom and elsewhere. And just in case there's time, I picked out paint colors for the upstairs hallway too! Never hurts to plan ahead.

I'm guessing the furniture for the nursery might arrive while I'm gone as well, but we'll have to find a temporary place to store it til we move on to getting the nursery ready.

Fun times!

Check out the pictures of all our holes, dry wall, project progress, etc.! Some day they'll be history!

Family Weekend Getaway...to a cabin in the woods!

Tim's parents arranged for a family weekend getaway to a Cabin "up north," and we were all able to make it, except for Jill & Daniel, who live in Florida. Although we missed their presence, we all had a great time - the weather cooperated for the most part, we rested and played, we hiked and skipped stones across small ponds, we climbed trees (well, not all of us! :)), and we enjoyed good food, family time and most of all... being together. This was the first time I had joined in on a family trip since we're married. It was quite a successful weekend, in that no children (there were 7!) got injured, the cousins all played very well together, I was just shy of 31 weeks pregnant and did just fine, and our newest family member, Ryan, did very well for his first trip away at 5 weeks old.

Adventures in Nicaragua

We've been gone for 10 days! Our last vacation was close to a year ago, so we were ready for the time away - it was a lot of work to get ready for the trip, but very well worth it! We arrived home just after midnight last night after our babymoon excursion to Nicaragua. Tim, baby and I all had a great time... we're spending today trying to recuperate from vacation (funny how that happens) and slowly get back into the swing of things... but oh, how wonderful it would be to relax in a hammock with a good book or a daydream for days on end! We are very thankful for the time to be away, and I'm sure eventually we'll be glad to be back to our regular routines. Probably the highlight of our trip was staying at Finca Esperanza Verde which is a coffee plantation in the northern highlands of Nicaragua. It's an ecolodge that grows organic coffee and has an organic farm, where they grow all the food they serve at the lodge. We did quite a bit of hiking and relaxing, which was great, but most of all we enjoyed learning about the in-depth process in growing and producing coffee. We have a much better understanding of what goes into every step along the way to our delicious java brew, and now have absolutely no reason to gripe about the cost of a cup of coffee. The baby even had its first sip of real coffee here in Nicaragua - how could I resist, when we were staying on a coffee plantation?!? It was delicious - truly the nectar of the gods - and the baby seemed to be pretty excited about the experience too - which was rather energizing (so to speak) for the growing one inside of me. We also spent Valentine's Day at an organic chocolate factory, El Castillo del Cacao, also in the northern highlands of the country. They have just recently converted the house portion of their facility to a bed & breakfast, and Tim & I were the very first guests to stay there! We were surrounded by chocolate, which seemed divine for Valentine's Day! Here, we learned the step-by-step process of making chocolate... the chocolate they make at El Castillo is much more like an artisan form of chocolate, as they do most steps by hand, and they only use cacao and sugar... plus for some of their varieties add a few other ingredients like cacao nibs, coffee bean pieces or nuts. Delicious! And we brought some home to share :). There are so many stories to tell from our time away... but there are also things to be done around here, now that we're back home and back to reality... Here are a few highlights!

From the top of the Cathedral in Leon... a view of one of the 16 other churches in this very historical city...
A common site in Nicaragua - these guys can carry anything and everything! Sure saves on gas prices!

Laguna de Apoyo, a lake formed by a crater that erupted from a volcano about 200 years ago - supposedly has the cleanest water in Nicaragua! We stayed at a resort here, and shockingly were the only guests in the entire place! It was a nice, tranquil stay between two stops at busier cities.
Timmy outside one of many churches in Granada, another historic town. There was a poetry festival going on while we were there - not surprising since Granada is considered the literary/cultural center of Nicaragua, not to mention the birthplace of Ruben Dario, Nicaragua's claim-t0-fame poet.
Warm beautiful colors of Granada, with the Cathedral in the background.

Kirsten along the edge of the Masaya Volcano... we had a great whiff of sulfur at this spot!

The beautiful beach on the Pacific Coast of Nicaragua. We stayed in a nature lodge here called Punta Teonoste, and had a long strip of gorgeous beach to stroll and turn into lobsters ourselves! The perfect sunset at the beach... and a wonderful end to our trip, before heading back to Managua to catch our flight back to cold, wintry weather here in the States!

Dear Baby

Dear Baby,

I figured it was due time to write you your first "letter." I've been thinking about doing it for a long time, and have decided that the time has finally come. Your daddy is out playing basketball, so I'm enjoying a quiet night, resting with my feet up, and enjoying some time alone with you.

It's a truly amazing feeling to carry you in my womb. With each new day, I feel more and more of your kicks, punches and rolls... it is such an awesome sensation - sometimes it makes me giggle, at times I just saw "whoa!" and occasionally it brings a tear or two to my eyes. I can't wait to meet you, but at the same time I love knowing (and feeling) that you're safely inside of me. I certainly don't want to rush this process, but I'm sure we'll be ready to warmly welcome you anytime after April 20th (when I turn 37 weeks). My belly continues to grow, and each week it seems to "pop" a little more. I find it interesting, however, that most of my patients tell me how small my belly looks when they find out how far along I am. Just in case you were wondering, I'm measuring right on, and when I had my last ultrasound, your growth was perfect.

This is a picture of my belly today, when I'm 23 weeks and 1 day!

Your papa and I have decided to take one last vacation before you join us and change our world forever. We're going to one of the more special places I've ever visited. We'll be in Nicaragua for 9 days in a just a little over a month. Your daddy has never been to Nicaragua, and I'm very excited to take him there and share the people, history, food (gallo pinto, of course!), culture, language, beauty, geography, and so much more with him. During our time there, we plan to rest up in expectation of your arrival, but we also want to do some sightseeing with some mountains, beach and volcano time. We're also planning to spend a few days working with some missionary friends doing some volunteer work. My prayer for you is that you develop a similar heart for missions and a passion for culture, travel and language, like both your father and I have had for many years.

People have often joked that my mom (one of your grandmothers) must have been pregnant with me when she first went to Nicaragua in the early 1980s. This actually is impossible, because her first trip was when I was already in elementary school. But nonetheless, I have learned to love Nicaragua (and many other countries in Latin America and around the world), and I hope to share that with you as you grow up and are nurtured in our home, similar to the way it was modeled for me growing up with Grandma and Grandpa Johnsen.

One thing that your papa and I are thinking and praying about right now is whether or not to take malaria prophylaxis while we travel. We have consulted my doctor as well as many other doctor friends, and are confident that we'll be led to make the right decision. We still don't have our definite itinerary planned, and that may affect our decision, but we desire more than anything to do the best to keep you (and your mama) healthy and happy. Dear friends and family, we welcome you to partner in prayer regarding this matter!

The one thing I lament in preparation for this trip to Nicaragua is visiting coffee plantations and not having the opportunity to drink and taste some of the best coffee in the world, like I have done in the past. I have been caffeine-free for several months - even before I became pregnant with you - in anticipation of your conception. I guess I'll have to live vicariously through your daddy, who will have ample opportunity to enjoy the delicious nectar!

We were very excited to finally welcome your new cousin, Ryan, to the world on Sunday afternoon. Your aunt waited a l-o-n-g time to have him, and he came over two weeks late! But he's a beautiful, healthy boy, and we're sure you'll love playing with him. You'll only be four months apart, so we hope you'll grow up together and be great friends. He weighed 8 pounds, 12 ounces - he is a big boy! We only hope that you won't be as big, for your mama's sake! :) I keep rubbing my belly and telling you "6 pounds, 6 pounds, 6 pounds!" We'll see how well my tactics work - if you could at least stay under 7 pounds, I'll be eternally grateful!

Last night we took a tour of Babies"R"Us. We were given a parent's checklist. Eek! Mostly we just wanted to walk through out of curiosity - if I'm honest, it was me who wanted to do such a thing, not your papa. We've been working on a registry of sorts (our Wishpot), picking out things that we think will be helpful to have around when you arrive, but we're trying very hard to not get sucked in to the overwhelming baby craze culture that's out there. Your dad put it well when he said that just because it's on the checklist, doesn't mean we need to have it. Amen! We want your needs to be met (and our needs for caring for you), but we don't want things to get out of hand. We also are very interested in having items that are not harmful for you or for our environment. And we also would rather have fewer things that are of better quality with less of a carbon footprint than lots of "stuff" taking up space. We're thankful for those who have gone before us, who can help to guide us through this process. Thanks, Rachel and others, for the items you're sharing with us. We certainly appreciate it.

We are excited to prepare for your arrival, and are thankful for how fortunate we are to be able to gather things to raise you comfortably. Both of us have seen poverty and have lived among and worked with other children who are significantly much less fortunate than you will be. Our desire is to share with others some of the blessings that we have received. Your daddy came up with the idea of contributing a certain percentage of any money we spend on purchases for you to an organization that specifically works with children's ministries. We'd like other children to have a better chance at food, shelter, education, health, and daily necessities. We know there will always be much more that one can do, but we hope that we'll be able to make a small impact by sharing this gift with other children. We also pray that you will have a similar heart, and that we do our best as your parents to model giving and missions.

Just today, we received our first gift from our Wishpot! Audrey and Duane (cousins you'll adore) sent us a belly casting kit, so we can make a long-lasting impression of what you and I looked like together while you were growing inside of me! Thanks so much, Audrey & Duane - we're excited to tackle our belly project!

We have been thinking of several different options for names for you, and have a long list to narrow down and from which to choose. We have both girl names and boy names on the list, and hope that whichever name we choose will be one that you enjoy and that honors you (and that others can pronounce without too much struggle!). We'll welcome any suggestions - it would be fun to see if any of the suggestions are actually on our list (which we won't reveal at this time).

We want you to know how much we love you already, and that we can't wait to meet you. We're new at this parenting thing, so we ask for your patience and understanding in advance. :) We'll learn and grow together. What a gift from God you are and will continue to be! We're so thankful for you and for the opportunity to be your parents. Counting the days 'til your arrival!

Love, mommy (and daddy, too!)