Farewell, kits. Enjoy your new families.

Thursday morning the kids and I packed newborn kits into all of our reusable shopping bags.

 We loaded up the back of the van..

 ..and hit the road. Early in the afternoon we arrived with the kits at MCC Ontario (MCCO)'s Kitchener warehouse. 

We were warmly welcomed at the warehouse and after unloading the kits we were given a tour of the place. 

The kids and I found out that the newborn kits are bundled in bales of 48 kits (woo hoo, we almost made an entire bale!), then trucked to Manitoba where they are joined by donations from across Canada. Next, they are loaded into a container that is sent by train and then boat to their final destination.  At the warehouse, we saw the baler squash a large bundle of blankets together. We saw a number of AIDS caregiver kits and relief kits that were ready to be shipped out.  We saw hundreds of notebooks, pencils, and boxes of pencil crayons that will soon be assembled into school kits.  We saw a large quilt being tied by three men working around a huge quilt-tying frame.  It was such a great place. 

Thank you MCCO staff for the great visit.

Well, I have to admit that I'm a little sad to see the kits go. The playpen is empty. There are no more stacks of diapers, undershirts, and socks crowding the crib. I am happy to have the space back as our little man will be making his appearance in a little over two weeks.  But, there was an excitement and pastel-coloured flannel fullness that will be missed.  

I guess we Fabrizis have officially caught the kit-building bug!  If YOU have also caught the kit-building bug, you need not fear the pain of withdrawal! You have the links to all of the MCC kit lists and you can build any kit at any time and mail it or drop it off at any of their locations.  And if you have a kit-building party please invite me too!  The people at MCCO told me they are busily getting their school kits ready (these kits mostly stay in North America) so why not grab a couple sets while you're doing your back-to-school shopping?

One final note: after the kits were all built we had some extra items including a massive pile of onesies, leggings, and pyjamas (thanks to our awesome neighbours Richelle and Zee).  These extra pieces will be going to kids in Rwanda via Shelter Them.  I encourage you to go and see what they're all about.  

THANK YOU!!

Curious to see what a pile of 38 newborn kits looks like?

Our playpen runneth over! Thanks to everyone who lovingly shopped, crocheted, and sewed baby items. Thank to everyone who gave of their time, their efforts, their resources, and their support. Thanks to everyone who pricked their fingers on diaper pins but kept on going. Thanks to everyone who went from store to store to store looking for flat-fold diapers or flannel pajamas.

 I couldn't help but unwrap each and every kit so I could "ooh" and "aah" over each one. Here are just three examples of the beautiful kits that were collected:

 Here is a close-up of one and a half kits:

My friends, my family: you are amazing, generous, wonderful people. I am so deeply touched that so many of you willingly partnered with us in this effort to share our joy with new moms around the world. You are such a blessing to our family, and to many others who will never meet you but who will be touched by your generosity.

Lots of love,

Jen, Rich, Grace, Ben, and Sean xoxoxo

Countdown to the shower!

It is one week until the baby shower for MCC! If you are planning to attend, please let us know. Thanks!