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!)

The Miracle of Life

We ended up having a 3-D ultrasound of the baby done just before Christmas, and had a mini photo shoot with our actively moving baby inside my belly. When we saw these pictures, it really sealed the deal for us, and made it seem even more so incredible that God has given us the ability to make and grow a baby that will one day live among us outside of my womb. Even though I take care of pregnant women every day and deliver babies all the time, this first-time personal experience is taking the miracle of life to a whole new level. My mom gave me a book of poetry for Christmas called The Joys and Challenges of Motherhood, and I found this poem there, which I think is worth sharing, as we share the 3-D photos of our little tiny miracle.

"The Miracle of Life"
Life is precious
We hear it so often
it becomes
a litany without meaning
until the moment when
life explodes upon you
Pain and ecstasy at once
place within your arms
that perfect precious entity
The absolute realization
of an idea
that words keep in the shadow
of our consciousness
A kind universe
The smiling face of God
Good beyond measure
This tiny individual --
this proof of hope and truth
and all things beautiful
The wonder of creation that is your child.

-Danielle Morrison-MacNeil

These pictures were taken when our baby was 19 weeks and 5 days old inside the womb. Any guesses on whether it's a boy or a girl? Leave us a comment and let us know your guess! We had our eyes closed anytime the ultrasound probe was approaching the revealing areas. A big surprise awaits us!

Christmas JOY!

We had full days over the Christmas week, with something to do and somewhere to be every- single-day for 8 days straight! Fortunately we managed to squeak in some rest and relaxation time amidst some wonderful moments with our families.
Our nieces and nephews are such a joy to watch grow up, mature and develop each of their personalities a little bit more. They are each soooo different, and each wonderful. They're all loving and affectionate, well-mannered, and respectful (I'm sure this is how they are always behaved in their own homes, too!). Our youngest niece, Ella, is almost three, and really starting to come out of her shell and warm up to us now. She's so fun to watch and so full of energy! I don't know that my brother ever expected to have his sister reincarnated in his own daughter, but I see little glimpses of myself as a child in Lauryn each time I see her!
We had some time to celebrate Christmas while Jill & Daniel were still up north before heading back to Florida. We also had some time with my parents, and with Tim's family, including all the siblings and their kids. Before Christmas, we attended the annual "Zimmerman Family Christmas," which is Tim's maternal side's gathering of anywhere from 130-160 people (yowsers!). We had a much smaller gathering of the Johnsen family after Christmas, with my dad's siblings and just a few of the cousins.
I think we were both very thankful for the peace, quiet and soft-sung worship that we were able to experience (albeit only for an hour and a half), while we soaked in all aspects of the Candlelight Christmas Eve Service at our church. With all of the hustle and bustle of the season, it seemed like just what we needed to help us inch our ways a little more into the Christmas spirit... the real spirit of the season! We've celebrated the birth of our King and Savior - the greatest gift of all!
Here's a sampling of our photos to share the memories of our Christmas joy! We are abundantly blessed!

Our first baby picture!

Little baby Johnsen Martin was a bit finicky for the first photo shoot, not wanting to reveal her- or himself completely to the ultrasound tech... but Mama Kirsten took a break and made a visit to the bathroom, and then the baby seemed to cooperate a bit more. We had a hard time getting images of the head initially, but then the baby did a nice job of posing for some side shots, and we got this great picture! As Tim said in the ultrasound exam room, "this makes it official!"
It's never too early to be proud parents, right?

A winter wonderland wedding

Jill and Daniel are married! Last night, Tim's sister, Jill, married Daniel. It was a beautiful wedding and reception, and our church had been magically converted into a gorgeous winter wonderland. It was wonderful to see Jill so happy and at peace - she was a radiant bride! We're thankful for how God has brought Jill and Daniel together and pray a special blessing on their life together.

I'm sure everyone, bride and groom included, are happy to have some time to rest before the next big events... we're not sure which will come first - a new niece or nephew (our sister-in-law is due December 25th) or Christmas! Either way, these are special times, full of joy and celebration.