The Big Unveiling...

At long last, my nieces have received their gift from me so I can finally post pictures and let you all know what it is that I made them!

Behold...fabric "paper" dolls:

Each of these dolls is made of felt.  They have velcro attached at certain points which allow the clothes to just be stuck right on!  No more ripping paper dolls!  Each doll came with her own set of clothes...complete with shoes and bows for the hair.

My sister and I each have a set of these dolls, made by our aunt, from when we were young and I remember always loving to dress and re-dress my doll.  When I found out that I would be having two new nieces this spring, I thought this would be a fun gift.  No, they won't be able to use them for a few years yet, but I don't think I would have had the time in a few years to make them!  They were fun to make, but LOTS of work!

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Sidenote: I haven't been able to go through my boxes of baby stuff yet, seeing as they're at the back and bottom of our pile of boxes in the basement. *sigh* BUT, my sister-in-law, K, was wonderful enough to bring me a bag of gender-neutral baby clothes that they won't be using so I could get my hands on some little baby things and dream of the little person who will fill those clothes one day soon.  Some days it just feels too good to be true.  What a miracle and blessing.  I certainly don't take any moment of this pregnancy for granted...

Diapers, diapers, diapers...

The time has come for the (inevitable) diaper debate.  Cloth or disposable?  I have decided to use cloth (that depended on whether we would have our own laundry in the place we rent) but am now wondering what type to get.  If you have any experience in diapering at all (children of your own, babysitting, grandchildren, etc), let me know what you know! 

What did/would you choose, cloth or disposable, and why?

Which brand of diaper did/do/would you go with?

If you went with cloth, how many did you buy, where did you get them, and how much did they cost?

Did you choose diapers with snaps or velcro?  One size or multiple sizes? 

And those of you who chose disposable, feel free to throw in your two cents too.  If disposable really were that much better for you, let me know why!

A love/hate relationship...

So...how many of you have ever lived in Hepburn, Saskatchewan?  (Is it safe to write the name of a specific town on a blog???)  I went to Bethany College right after high school for two years and have been back every so often since now that my parents-in-law live there.  Last summer we set up our "home" in their spare bedroom and this summer it is kinda our "home base" again, at least until we start renting something more permanent in August. 

ANYWAY...Hepburn.  What is the first thing you think of when I mention this place?  What if I add the word "laundry" to this little game of word association?  That's right...Hepburn has HARD water!  This is where the love/hate relationship lies.  Between me and the Hepburn water.  It's terrible for laundry (turns your whites to more of an ivory or yellow), horrible to drink, atrocious to try to wash your car with, and it cakes everything with water touching it with a layer of white crust.  Not fun.  That is definitely the "hate" side of the relationship.  I have, however, found a "love" side to this.  This hard water is absolutely amazing for my skin.  I don't know what it is, but it seems that the longer I spend time in this town, washing my face with nothing but water, the more my skin clears up.  I seem to remember the same thing happening when I was here during Bible school and now, whenever we spend a week or so here, I notice the difference.  I guess that just goes to prove that there is often a silver lining to some of the less lovely aspects of life.

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In other news, Nathan and I just got back from looking at three housing options here in town.  We looked at two houses and a basement suite, all to rent.  I definitely liked the four bedroom house best, but for what we need and what we can afford, we decided to go with the basement suite.  (Maybe if we were looking to buy, we would consider the spacious house!)  I am excited to move in come August and make the place home for us.  It's so fun to be able to picture it in my mind and start thinking about what I am going to do with the place!  Time to start dreaming...

Life...

It has been interesting to get back into life here in Saskatchewan.  It almost seems like we were never in California at all.  It almost seems like a dream.  Were we actually there for nine whole months?  It seemed like forever at the time...

We have been back in Saskatchewan for two full days now (this is our third).  The first couple days were mostly just exhaustion for me.  I would be doing whatever and all of a sudden my energy level would just crash and I would not want to move!  Haha.  Today I've actually been a bit motivated so I transplanted some of my plants into fresh soil (I do love to plant things and watch them grow - as long as I don't need to get too dirty!).  I think they'll grow quickly now.  Nothing like fresh soil and a bit of water and sun to make something flourish.  Isn't that kinda like life?  Sometimes we just need to get rid of the old, stale dirt and get some new soil around us to kick start our growth again?  I'll have to think more about that...

We got to meet our new nieces yesterday.  It was wonderful.  I got my "baby-fix" (at least for a day or two!) and am now more excited than ever to meet this little person who is kicking me with more and more vigor each day.  The girls are already almost a month old, but thanks to being 5 weeks early (3 weeks early for twins), they're still just "newborn" size.  Newborn Size = The perfect size/weight to be able to hold them for hours on end while just looking in amazement at them (right, K?).  It was wonderful and I look forward to watching them grow up and develop their little personalities!

We were reunited with our dog on Sunday.  It was a great time.  At first he kinda sniffed us, but two seconds later, when he realized that it really was us and not just a cruel fantasy on his part, he went absolutely nuts!  It was so fun to watch.  He just couldn't get close enough.  We were worried that he wouldn't remember us or that he wouldn't want to have anything to do with us, even if he did remember.  But he does remember and he even still responds to our old "commands" and understands what we want him to do.  What a smart cookie.  It's great to have him back...

Some of you may be wondering what we plan to do in the next couple months.  Well, we wonder the same thing some days.  We do have a few things to look forward to in the next couple months.  Next weekend we head out to Manitoba to our old town.  I am really looking forward to seeing everyone again and re-connecting a bit.  We'll be there about a week while Nathan takes a class in Winnipeg.  We'll also spend some time with each of our parents (YAY!) and some of our friends around the Saskatoon area.  And probably as of August 1 (unless we just can't wait), we'll move into our own place - rented, not bought - and then let the nursery set-up begin!  I am just holding myself back from the baby stuff that I know I have just downstairs in a box that has been waiting for years to be used.

Well, there's not much else to tell, really.  If anyone has any suggestions for things for me to do in the next while, let me know!  How would you pass the summer days if you had nothing specific vying for your attention? 

The Trip...

We made it!  After 33 hours on the road, Nathan and I arrived at his parents' place last night around 8pm local time.  To say we were excited does not even begin to describe how we were feeling.  Well, ok...it does begin to describe it.  But we were also grateful to have made it, thankful that our car was reliable, sore from sitting so much, tired from so many hours in the car and poor sleeps during our stops along the way, and relieved that everything went well with Baby.  I will not say that traveling while 4.5 months pregnant is a good idea; the doctor was probably smart in suggesting that I fly.  But everything did go well and, aside from alot of extra soreness along the way, everything went smoothly as far as the pregnancy goes.  Praise the Lord!

We did take a few pictures along the way too.  Want to see?

This is everything that still needed to go into the back seat.  Well, not everything even.  Just some of what needed to go into the back seat.  The trunk was already full at this point.

Me doing dishes for the last time.  It's starting to get uncomfortable.  I don't think I'll be able to reach the sink anymore in a couple months...

We were driving through the desert in Nevada when all of a sudden we came over a hill and saw this.  Completely white, snow-covered mountains.  We quickly looked at a map and made a "plan B" in case the GPS wanted to take us through these mountains.  Fortunately the interstate went around them.  We saw many snow-capped mountains on our drive north, from Nevada right through Montana.

On our second day of driving, we listened to all of U2's albums, minus the live ones.  It took all day (about 14 hours).  I think both of us only grew in our appreciation for the band!

We always have fun driving together.  Sure, it would have been more comfortable for me to fly, but where's the fun in that?  Someone had to be in the car to keep Nathan awake with stupid questions and random statements...

Let's just say it was a...cozy drive. We left our bumper in California and Nathan likes to say that he left his money in Nevada.  Haha.  No more bathroom/leg stretch stops near casinos!

Our first stop once we were back in Canada: 

Tim Hortons in Taber, AB.  

Nathan loves these pictures...I mostly just love him.

20 down, 20 to go...

I can't believe I've already reached the halfway point in this pregnancy.  To be fair, though, a more true "halfway" would be 4 weeks from now because we didn't even know about McBaby growing in my tummy until I was 8 weeks in.  But 20 is halfway, nonetheless, so I am celebrating inside a little bit today.

I don't feel like the belly has changed much in the last few weeks, though when I look at pictures, I realize that it has.  I don't feel HUGE (and I'm not...yet) though some days I can tell that there is alot of stretching going on in there.  Baby continues to be quite active most days.  It is always reassuring to get a little nudge or kick.  If I had to describe the feeling to someone who hadn't ever felt it, I would say it kinda feels like...hmm.  Imagine your stomach is a balloon that is blown up pretty full of air.  Now imagine a ball about the size of a small bouncy ball and it's in the balloon.  If you move the balloon so that the bouncy ball rolls along the bottom of the tight rubber balloon, that's kinda what movement feels like (if you can imagine your stomach is the balloon and baby is the ball).  And if you give the balloon a shake and the bouncy ball bounces on the side of the balloon a bit, that's kinda what a kick feels like.  It's hard to describe but that's as close as I can get.  And that's what it feels like at this stage.  I'm sure it will change as the baby gets bigger and stronger.  What do other women who have felt this movement say?  Is that an accurate description or was it very different for you?

I am still feeling great.  The most painful part of the pregnancy so far has been the headaches I've gotten.  Every couple weeks I'll get these terrible migraines that get so bad that I get nauseous.  They usually last a day or a couple days and then they go as quickly as they come.  Not fun, but seriously, I'll take a couple migraines here and there...it's a small price to pay. 

Let's see, what else comes with 20 weeks?  My bladder seems to have shrunk down to the size of a walnut.  I'm up about 3-4 times every night and frequent "el bano" throughout the day as well.  There's just no room in there at all...I can't wait until our little peanut is a bit bigger and boots me right in the bladder.  That will be a moment when I truly experience the sacrifice of motherly love in all its glory... 

I think we have our names picked.  We for sure have one gender decided, and I think we have the other one too.  At our ultrasound last week we had the opportunity to find out the gender and I would be lying if I said that it wasn't tempting to find out.  One word and we could have known who is in there - or at least a name!  But no, we stayed strong and continue to guess.  At the beginning I was pretty sure that I knew what we were having, but now I am not so sure.  I keep going back and forth...but deep down, I think I may still know.  Only time will tell!

Facebook Statuses, ABC style...

Because I feel like making a list and telling you all about life at the SAME time (efficient and impressive, I know), behold, 24 facebook statuses in alphabetical order:

Niki...
...aims for perfection...but usually settles for less. : )
...burrowed under blankets and enjoyed a day inside when she saw the weather today.  Oh wait, that's what she should have done...
...could just jump for joy every time she feels a kick...but only kicks from one certain McCorkindale.  No one else.
...dreads hours 3-31 of the upcoming road trip.
...enjoys Sherlock Holmes as I type...with chicken alfredo pizza (yum!).
...forgets words quite often these days and has to spend forever just sitting and thinking until she remembers them again.
...giggled when the dog farted.
...hints at certain things, like chores and gifts and other such things...it's so much less presumptuous than asking outright.  That is, if you're subtle about it...
...initially thought that Ikea could do no wrong...until they discontinued the exact piece of furniture that she'd been hoping for.
...jokes around daily with her husband...it's just so fun to laugh together.
...kan't think of anything to write for her "k" status because it annoys her when people write "c" words with a "k" just so they'll suit their purposes...
...loves that she'll be able to spell words like neighbour and favourite the RIGHT way again soon!
...modified her sandals today so that they won't hurt her feet anymore AND will accommodate the swelling that is sure to come later this summer.
...notices the little look that her husband gets on his face that gives away exactly what he's thinking!  (Oh, the power I have...it's almost like mind-reading...)
...opened a strange letter from Manitoba Hydro today...would have rather had a taste of home in a more personal, less confusing form.
...packed alot of the apartment with her husband today. *sigh*
...questions their ability to fit everything into the car on Friday.
...randomly sees cars that remind her of old friends, like bright blue Geo Metro convertibles and light blue, old Honda Civics.
...says that she won't miss the sirens...but she might.  Then again, the silence of Saskatchewan WILL be nice...
...turned a 650 square foot apartment into a home over the last 9 months...and now back into an apartment in just a few hours.
...understands that life is tough...but doesn't understand why.
...values each and every thing that her husband does for her.
...watches the sky get darker and and cloudier and more like rain every minute...
...x-rated movies are not my favourite.
...yells in her mind when she drives...but just occasionally.  Usually she just sighs at the misfortune of others not knowing how to drive properly.
...zebras have stripes, not spots. (didn't you know?)

The move is coming quickly.  We're into our last week here.  It is so unreal.  We only have three more full days here.  I did laundry for the last time here today.  We packed alot of our stuff today.  We only have enough food to last until Friday...but not enough to have a balanced diet until then!  That's just how it is right before a move, though.  Eat what you have and try to get rid of most things before you go.  I'm getting more and more excited every day to see our Lennox again and to see the drab prairie brown again and to sleep in my bed again and...to be home.  California has certainly become home over the last 9 months, but it's not like Saskatchewan.  Saskatchewan will always be home like nowhere else.  I guess that's what living there for almost 20 years of your life will do...it's where I grew up.  It's where I met the love of my life.  It's where I got married.  And it's where I'll (hopefully) give birth to our first child.  Manitoba really, really became home more than I ever expected it could be.  But Saskatchewan does hold a special place in my heart. *sniff, sniff* So cheesy, I know.  Deal with it.

Thanks for all your prayers for our upcoming trip.  Please continue to pray.  I've been feeling very well lately and don't anticipate any problems with the drive.  But it is also a long trip and there are many miles between major cities on the route up.  Please remember us in prayer this weekend as we travel.  Thanks!

Happens every time...

Haha.  It seems that every time I say that I have nothing to post and that I probably won't post for a while, I come up with something the very next day.  Oh well.  I'll post this, but don't be surprised if there is silence until after our move...which is only 7 days and 23 hours away!  Did I miss the sign for the time machine I just walked into???

I have been planning to get a haircut (a professional one) since I found out I was pregnant.  But, just like every other time, my hair got shaggier and shaggier, and I got more and more annoyed with it.  And there is something about not having had an income for the past year that just seems to keep me from booking an appointment with a hair stylist.  So this morning I got out the scissors and gave myself a trim...again.  It feels SO much better, and makes my mornings so much easier without the daily "hair straight, but not completely straight, fine but tons of body" fight.  I'm someone who really does love my hair and wouldn't trade it for someone else's, but that said, it really does need to be the right length.  It's like a dog...if it's given firm guidance, it'll behave exactly as I want it to - most days.  But if it's left to it's own devices, chaos ensues.  Must I say more?

Sorry, I have no "before" pics, and even the "after" pics are kinda messy and sloppy, but if this is better than what was, you can only imagine the freak show this morning!

Side view...

Front view...much joy on face...

Other side...not great, but an improvement nonetheless!

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While I'm here, a quick update:

We're moving soon.  It's come up so quickly.  While I'll miss parts of being here (WEATHER, people, being in the city), I look forward with much anticipation to parts of being back in Canada (people, fresh air, meeting the dr who will deliver our baby, country living).  Can't I have both at the same time?!

Nathan is basically done his homework for the semester.  He has one more page to write today, and a paper to proof-read and then he's done!  I'm celebrating with him, because I've been proof-reading all his papers this year, and if he's almost done, that means that I'm almost done too!

We get to have Lennox back soon!  Oh, how we've missed him this year!  It's gotten easier as time goes on, but now that we are only a couple weeks away from seeing him again, we are both getting VERY excited!  

My appetite has COMPLETELY recovered from first trimester, and I find myself hungry ALOT.  The things that sound best these days are those things that my mom often made while we were growing up.  Beef stew, noodles/meat/tomato/corn dish, meatloaf, etc.  Thanks to my appetite, both me and baby are growing quickly.  Me feeling movement is a daily thing now...and I smile every time.  We've been given the go-ahead for me to travel by car to Canada, but of course there are always a few nerves that go along with a long trip like that.  Please pray that my circulation will work extraordinarily well and that the trip will go smoother than smooth for us.  Pray for safety for me and baby...and Nathan too, of course!

I just can't believe how soon our move is!  It's next week!  (I know I've mentioned it a couple times already this post, but I just can't wrap my head around it!)  I was just reading back in my blog to our move down here and that really made it feel like yesterday.  Wow.  Our time in California has been alot shorter than we first expected it to be.  But I don't think it's a bad thing...God leads in mysterious ways.  I trust that I won't miss it TOO much next winter when I'm freezing my butt off in Saskatchewan...

Posting...

I haven't felt like I've had much to post lately, so perhaps this is just a "blank" post to carry you all through until I have something to post about again.  Or maybe it is a notification that I probably won't post much until we are back in Canada later this month.  I'm not sure which one it will be yet.  Probably a little bit of both.  But for now, silence.  Enjoy it for a second...

There, now wasn't that nice?

The latest...

Crocheted outside...

fabric inside.

It didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped, but I guess I'll just use it as a pattern for the next one I make! 

I did this...

A couple days ago I really felt like doing a puzzle.  I had a sneaking suspicion that there was a puzzle hidden away on campus somewhere, so Nathan and I raided the storage room and sure enough, there it was.  Fifteen hundred pieces of fun!

I finished last night but was disappointed that there was one piece missing.  Not bad for the roving campus puzzle, I guess.

I did question Nathan about the missing piece quite a bit.  I happen to know that he likes to sneak a piece of the puzzle midway through so that he can have the honour of putting in the last piece.  (Whoops!  Did I just say that out loud???)  Alas, he did not have it, so I had to put the puzzle back in the box with only 1499 pieces completed.

Oh, and yes, that glare was on the puzzle almost the entire time I worked on it.  Near the end, I resorted to matching the pieces by shape instead of colour because that was all I could see!

Update:

We received this email from two very thankful new parents and were told that we could pass it along to anyone who has been praying for these two special girls.  Since I asked for prayer on my blog, I thought I would also share this so that you all know where everyone is at.  Thanks for your prayers!

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Hello,

First, I would like thank all of you who were & still are praying for Avery and Lexie. Both K and I (J) were very moved to hear that so many people felt compelled to pray for our little girls.

I'm sure most of you since then know very little of what has happened. Please allow me to give you a small update. At the end of last week the doctors in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) made the critical decision to put Lexie on a ventilator. Her breathing was not improving & as a result her body was working far too hard which was effecting many of her systems. While this was very hard news for K and I to hear we knew that in the long run it was the best thing for our little girl. As the doctors anticipated this helped her incredibly and she began to improve within 12 hours. After that the doctors continued to administer antibiotics to improve her lungs which in turn would make it easier for her breathe. After a couple of days the ventilator was turned off, feeding tube removed & IV taken out. She took to eating approximately 75 ml of formula every 3-4 hours, this was instrumental in her being able to leave the NICU only 3 days later.

Since then your prayers & thoughts helped guide the doctors & strengthen our little Lexie. On Wednesday afternoon after a long day of waiting we were able to take Lexie home and reunite her with Avery. Lexie is slowly adjusting to life at home, she's gaining weight & still eating lots. It's only been a few nights with the four of us together, but both K and I are incredibly thankful for all your prayers for our little family. It was a great strength to the both of us to know that we had so many people behind us.

I would like to thank all of you from the bottom of our hearts for all of your prayers when so much was uncertain. I ask that if the Lord leads you, you would continue to pray as we all adjust to life at home. Balancing family time (ie: grandparents, uncles & aunts) and family time with just the two of us.

Thank you,

J & K