Only 4 1/2 weeks until my due date: September 26! My sister is hoping the baby comes 2 days early (on her birthday) and my uncle wants the baby to come 2 days late (on his birthday). My guess is that our little one will arrive on September 30th. We’ll have to wait and see! Stay posted for the announcement. -K
Archive for the ‘Kidd News’ Category
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Friday, August 27th, 2010Christmas Newsletter 2009
Thursday, December 17th, 2009by Kristin
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
We hope this newsletter finds you all well.
We have been truly blessed by our gracious God again in 2009, having enjoyed health and strength, loving fellowship with one another, our daily provisions, and the coming of our precious son Justin.
In February, we celebrated our first Valentine’s day as a married couple. Being the unique couple that we are, we took a stroll through the aisles of Home Depot to mark the occasion. Memory fails me as to what we purchased, although Ryan could probably tell you.
The baby was due on March 6th, but by the end of February we were already impatient to see our little one. Thus you can understand our dismay when March 6th came and went. After a little over two weeks of anxious waiting, I went into labour early in the morning on Saturday, March 21st. At approximately 5:30pm Justin Wilberforce Kidd was born, and we rejoiced to have been given a healthy baby boy.
Justin was received into the Covenant Family of God through the sign and seal of baptism on March 29th. Ryan took two weeks paternity leave to help with running the house and caring for Justin while I recovered from the birth.
During the month of April, we were thrilled at the opportunity to get to know this new little person better and watch him grow. Determined to be good parents, we bundled Justin up and took him for his first bike ride in his baby bike trailer on April 13th.
In May, Justin helped with raising donations for the Pregnancy Care Centre Walk for Life, and was the youngest participant in the walk. He hitched a ride in his snuggly with Daddy. My graduation from the Philosophy B.A. Honours program at Tyndale University College took place the same weekend. Towards the end of the month, we celebrated our first wedding anniversary by going on a family bike ride and picnic in Sunnybrook Park followed by a stroll through Edwards Gardens.
During the spring and summer, Ryan kept busy assembling and selling tandem bicycles. Justin spent many a happy hour watching his Daddy work on bicycles. I planted a variety of vegetables in my tiny plot of garden in the backyard and reaped a fairly good harvest.
On the Canada Day holiday, we went on a short bike tour of the Niagara region and saw the Brock Monument, the Arboretum, and the Niagara River and the Falls. We enjoyed dinner and a fireworks show with our friends, the Wells, and spent the night at their place.
In August we drove out to Ottawa to visit our friends the Zinks, and had a great time of fellowship. Our Justin and their little Heidi (who is only a few months older) enjoyed some happy playtime together.
In October we attended two different conferences. The first was the Deconstructing Darwin conference at Westminster Chapel, and the second was the Ignite the Culture conference organized by the ECP Centre. Both were excellent.
We enjoyed time with both families on Thanksgiving weekend, and went on a great hike on a section of the Bruce Trail.
At the end of October, we made the decision to upgrade our quarters, painting and renovating the main and second floors of our home on Shawnee Circle. Most of November was spent cleaning out junk, painting the walls, re-finishing the floor, and doing other renovations to prepare the house for us to move in. We have now moved and are slowly settling in while we continue to finish the details.
As for Justin, he is a happy, content, and outgoing baby. He’s had a great year of growing and developing. Born weighing 6 lbs 9 oz. (3 kgs) and measuring 21 inches (53 cm), he now weighs over 20 lbs and measures almost 30 inches. He cut his first tooth when he was just four months old, and now boasts seven big chompers. He was sitting (with support) at about six and a half months, and in the past few weeks has started the combat crawl. He loves to play peek-a-boo and to kick his feet. Justin’s favourite things include mommy’s milk, banana, tags, zippers, and paper. With his Daddy’s help, Justin is well on his way to becoming a man’s man.
God is good and we continue to rest in His love toward us demonstrated in so many ways.
Blessings to you this Christmas from the Kidd Family,
Ryan, Kristin, & Justin
Justin’s Corner
Tuesday, April 14th, 2009For more photos of Justin, view our
We will attempt to update this web album periodically with new photos of our growing boy.
Baptism Photos
Monday, March 30th, 2009It was a joyous occasion with many friends and relatives in attendance as Justin was formally entered into the promises and oaths of covenant with our God.
Glad Tidings: A son is born
Saturday, March 21st, 2009
With deepest joy and gratitude to God for the safe arrival
of our precious baby,
we would like to announce the birth of our first son,
Justin Wilberforce Kidd
born at 5:33 pm on Saturday, March 21, 2009
weighing 6 lbs. 9oz. (3.0kg)
The Baptism:
Justin will be baptized at
2:30pm, on Sunday, March 29, 2009
at the New Horizon Church in Scarborough.
See www.newhorizonchurch.ca/map for directions.
Everyone is welcome to attend.
There will be a time of refreshments after the service.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are Justin’s birth specifications? A: weight: 6 lb. 9 oz. (3.0kg); length: 21inches (53cm), brown hair, brown eyes (for now), no major birth marks.
- How long was Kristin’s labour? A: 15 hours total, 8 hours active labour.
- Were there any complications? A: Nothing but a minor internal tear. Praise the Lord!
- Where was the birth? A: Justin was born in 18 inches of warm water (birth pool) in our dining room attended by midwives.
- How is breastfeeding? A: As of day two (March 23rd) Justin has had a few pretty good feeds, and is latching properly at times, but he’s still more sleepy than hungry.
- Why did you name him Justin Wilberforce? A: Justin means “just” and we want him to become a man of boldness and tenacity like William Wilberforce (see the movie Amazing Grace) to reverse today’s social evils such as abortion.
- What’s Justin’s theme verse? A: Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? (New King James Version)
- Why are you choosing to baptize your baby? A: We do not believe baptism will make the baby go to heaven automatically. But just as male babies received the covenant sign of circumcision in the Old Testament, we believe that God requires us to put His mark of ownership on our children, and in baptism He promises to save our children if they grow up to repent of their sins personally and to love and obey the Lord Jesus.
- Do you need meals or anything for the baby? A: We have received so much and are abundantly supplied with pre-cooked meals and baby things. At this point, you might consider sending a gift to the Christian Blind Mission in honour of Justin’s birth. CBMI provides eye operations and life saving treatments to children in the third world who are truly in need. Donate Online Thank you all for your love and prayers for us at this precious time!
Delayed Arrival
Tuesday, March 10th, 2009Friends and family have been staking their bets, making predictions as to when our little baby (fondly nicknamed ‘Jed’) will arrive, but there have been no signs yet. Already our little one is 4 days past his/her due date, and a few of our friends and family have been forced to change their prediction to a later day.
This amusing situation reminds me of a scene from the movie “Airplane.” For those of you who have not seen it, the movie is basically a spoof off of a number of films. The general plot involves a passenger plane which suddenly experiences several cases of food poisoning, the pilot and co-pilot being among the victims. A psychologically traumatized fighter pilot who happens to be onboard is called upon to fly and attempt to land the aircraft at the destined airport. He eventually consents, and as he brings the plane careening down the runway, it rolls past its docking bay where a crowd of passengers is waiting to board. The announcement is made over the airport intercom that the plane is now stopping at “docking bay number 21…number 22…number 23…number 24.” The waiting passengers climb to their feet, looking confused, and begin moving from docking bay to docking bay with their luggage, eventually running through the airport trying to keep up with the arriving plane.
In similar fashion, it seems the our little one is forcing everyone to move from one day to the next in their predictions. Rather comical, if you ask me. 
Christmas Newsletter 2008
Wednesday, December 17th, 2008Dear Friends and Family,
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
And a very happy year this past year has been! Ryan and I were engaged on January 4th, and made our marriage vows before God on May 19th in Bowmanville, Ontario. We celebrated the occasion with a great crowd of family and friends. After a wonderful reception, we made our escape on our bicycle-built-for-two with the paparazzi on our heels!
We enjoyed two weeks of honeymoon (or “mangomoon”, as Ryan liked to call it) at the cottages of relatives, and a third week at home in Toronto settling into our honeymoon suite.
About mid-June, Ryan and I donned our wedding suit and gown once again and went to Sunnybrook Park downtown with a photographer friend for some beautiful outdoor “wedding” photos. The festivities also continued as the two of us were warmly welcomed by the Kidd family’s friends and community at a “Meet the Newlyweds” party in Collingwood.
In early July, we discovered to our joy that our twosome had become a threesome: our first child was on the way!
Between working full time at Open Text, basement renovations, and devoting time to his new bride, Ryan was very busy throughout the summer and fall. Building three bedrooms and a bathroom into the basement and re-laying the walkway and patio were just a few of the projects he tackled.
Despite morning sickness and fatigue from mid-July to mid-September, I tended the vegetable garden and began to take on the responsibilities of managing the house. With Ryan’s help, I made a list of the gifts received from the wedding and one-by-one sent out the thank-you cards to friends and family.
Together we enjoyed several snorkeling excursions in Lake Ontario (even though it was “icy cold!”) and Lake Wilcox, a large pond near Stouville, north of Toronto. We also enjoyed many short cycling tours on local trails on our tandem bike.
In September we celebrated as Ryan’s brother Dan was married to Shannon in a beautiful outdoor ceremony in Markdale, Ontario. In the reception that followed, Ryan and I made our first attempt at Irish ceili (”kay-lee”) dancing. Despite a little trouble with two left feet, we found it to be exciting and good exercise!
Later that same month, I resumed studies at Tyndale University College, taking on an introductory Latin course and finishing up the honours thesis I had written in the summer of 2007. Ryan and I also began attending the morning service of a new church plant in downtown Toronto, offering “startup support” as we like to call it.
At Thanksgiving, Ryan and I made our grand announcement about the new addition in the family, which sparked a good deal of excitement. The excitement level tripled in November when Dan and Shannon, and Nathan and Lisa, announced that they too were expecting. Now three babies were slated to arrive in 2009 — a 300% increase in Kidd grandchildren in one year!
Though neither of us were able to run in the federal election, Ryan and I did lend support to the efforts of the Christian Heritage Party candidate in our riding.
Early in November, we attended the Christian Heritage Party leadership convention in London, Ontario. The opportunity fell into our laps last minute, and Ryan already had vacation booked. We bid farewell to our faithful leader Ron Gray, contributed to policy discussions, and welcomed our new leader Jim Hnatiuk. We also took advantage of the hotel’s heated pool, and had a few good swims, imagining ourselves in the tropical waters of the Dominican Republic!
On Nov 22nd we also attended the Open Text Christmas Party.
Ryan and I are still caught up in married bliss after seven wonderful months, and love to laugh and tease each other at every opportunity. We look forward to and are preparing for the arrival of our baby in March of 2009.
We wish all of our family and friends God’s richest blessings for the new year!
Married Life…
Wednesday, December 17th, 2008Almost 6 months!
On November 19, 2008, Ryan and I will celebrate half a year of marriage. God has been so good to us, and we are happily adjusting to the cares and joys of married life. We are growing in grace and continually learning how to sacrifice our interests for the sake of the other, and how to serve and love one another as God has called us to. Becoming selfless is not an easy process, but God is greater than our selfishness, and will continue the good work that He has begun in us.
The Big News Is…
The first big announcement we have is…we are having a baby! Lord willing, our little one will arrive in early March.
Please pray for mother, child, and father; for a safe delivery; and that God would grant Ryan and I the wisdom and strength we will need as parents.