by 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