That's right...we were having a ball on the second leg of our life in exile.
There was a lot of music and learning and reading going on!
Julia, one day I decided to use Yaya's xylophone to teach you a song. You were way excited, and wanted to learn more and more!
Aidan, you got the reading bug in a BIG way...something clicked with you and you wanted to start reading more and more, and reading bigger and better books. You exclaimed "Dad, I'm a reader now!"
We spent my birthday playing, playgrounding, and Sweettooth Hoteling... and velvet tacoing...
We sang songs, we playgrounded more, we comic booked, we hung out with Yaya and Baba...
Lots of art and notes were made and received too...including these love notes to you, Julia!
These puppets by you Aidan...
And this request from a homesick you, Julia. (note: you did ultimately support me and Mommy going on a date)
Julia, you worked night and day on that frog, and Aidan you worked hard to master the art of the jetplane.
We did a puzzle, danced about, and had some chess challenges:
All in all, we had a lovely time with your lovely Yaya and Baba...
Before we knew it, it was time to pack up our belongings, our chess set, wash up and head home...
While it was lovely to return to our own home, we'll never forget the fun we had living in exile.
Recently some lost footage of you was found, Aidan. And by lost I mean we never talked about it. But it's too good not to share.
Over the summer, you really started living a rock and roll lifestyle:
The trend of rocking out continued in public over Thanksgiving. We went to the new deck park with Aunt Rebekka, and you got a private concert from a Piano Man. You danced, you spun, you clapped...and you did it all seriously. Here's a snippet of a seated and eated rockin' and rollin':
You also know how to rock and roll in private WITH clothes on.
You also can rock out with your own original covers. You should make a record.
And just like a record, baby, you also got to spin right round, round round. At a trip to the zoo with Pops, you experienced your first Carousel ride!
It's not often you get to see pure wonder on someone's face. But this was it. You really, really loved the carousel.
Speaking of spinning, on the same trip to the zoo, you also got to experience centrifugal gravity. Or whatever it's called at those museums where you drain your parents of all their loose change in that black hole vortex thing. Whatever you call it, you got a kick out of it, and Pops was your enabler.
But life isn't all fun and games. Sometimes it's donuts!
And sometimes it's being a daredevil:
And sometimes it's chasing your dreams (or a bug):
You have to march to the beat of your own drummer, though, especially if you're a rock star. Maybe not if you're the drummer...but otherwise, you can be independent as a drummer. Or something. I don't really know what I'm saying, but look: here's a video of you playing it safe in Mimi and Pops' backyard.
See? The videos were great! And sometimes great footage just falls through the cracks. But that's why I'm here: to shoehorn it all into one random post that basically just tells you what you already know: Your mother and I think you're amazing and hilarious and a star. We love you.
I don't know when it started Aidan, but you've got some music in your heart and a song to sing. You've always been pretty fascinated with music (having your favorites), and certain songs (that we have to listen to over and over again), and instruments (you like to play my guitar and the big bass and LOVE to drum). I remember that zaideco music was the only thing that would calm you during those witching hours when you were an infant. You've loved trying to sing "Twinkle Twinkle" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider" for a while. But something recently just clicked on in your brain, turning into a full fledged music man!
We've been working on singing for a while, learning crucial songs like "Let it Be" and "I'm a Little Tea Pot."
You love the Beatles (whom you call the "Beatle-bees"), and love singing duets.
But, imagine your mother's and my surprise when you recently just started singing whole songs solo! You rock out to the ABCs whenever you get a chance, but you also serenade yourself with some Beatle-bees too! Your Mom was quick enough to catch you in action!
Oh, and that awesome backbeat...oh yeah, that's drumming.
You LOVE drumming. In fact, I'd say you're obsessed with it. It all started with the Muppets, because we all know that Animal can lay down a killer beat. Some old favorite songs of yours have been heavy on the drums: Muppet's Bohemian Rhapsody, Man or Muppet and Rainbow Connection (from the newer movie). You love to drum at the appropriate parts, and/or run out to let us know "drum! drum! drum!"
Recently though, Aunt Rebekka and your Daddy have been bringing out your inner Ringo. We made a CD for Mimi's 70th birthday party, and you LOVE to listen to the songs. One song, which you named "Bekka sing" or "Bekka drum" really gets you going on a drum trip.
And this practice happens just about every time we get in the car. You're getting REALLY good at drumming, which is part rhythm keeping, part looking awesome. I think you've nailed both components of an awesome drummer.
So, yeah, you love to drum! Drumming is one of your favorite musical activities (aside from singing, maybe). And recently you've gotten a few chances to drum on real drums at the Children's museum (in a fireman hat, and in an African drum circle)
You also play a pretty mean trumpet, dance to the music, and play DJ too:
You're working on the words, though really we're already very impressed with how many words to songs you've picked up just from listening:
Drumming, singing, guitars, dancing, clapping, trumpets, Beatle-bees and Nursery Rhymes: you've got the music in you, young man. Your Mom and I can't wait to see how you continue to, as you say, "Rockout!"
You have now completed your 22nd week of growing into a fully formed baby Weinstein!
And your Mom continues to grow more and more beautiful.
So, here we are: you are the size of a papaya. Pretty crazy to think that just 22 weeks ago you were smaller than a poppy seed.
Even crazier to think that about 2 and half years ago, your Mom was 22 weeks pregnant with your brother.
Week 22 with Aidan, October 2009
I'm not rushing things at all, but wait til you see how awesome things are here on the outside world. Your brother was pissed at us for just a few moments for taking him out of your Mom's belly, and you will be too...but so much can change in 2 years. Life happens, and it's beautiful. You're going to love it. But, you've still got 4.5 months or so to go, so, for now, keep on rocking life in the belly and keep on hitting those developmental milestones.
And now that you're 22 weeks old, your beautiful face is fully formed and you're able to hear noises from outside the womb. The blurb says you'll find your Mother's voice most soothing, but you also have been getting quite an earful from me and your brother lately. As you saw, he's talking up a storm, and I'm rarely quiet. So, you should be sonically adjusted to all three of us pretty soon.
I held my phone up to your Mom's belly the other day and played you a song, the Paul Simon one about how there'd "never be a father loved his daughter more than I love you." I sang along with the chorus.
Tonight I'll play you another song:
And Aidan will probably shower you with kisses and say "baby!" and your name too! And "Beatles" (he just learned to say that the other day...I'm very proud). Or maybe you'll be treated to a lovely two-year-old fit (they DO happen). Or maybe you'll hear all the hammers and nails banging around outside as we expand our home to make extra room for our growing family.
No matter what you hear, little one, don't be alarmed. You're doing wonderfully. You're sleeping about 12-14 hours a day; you're growing all the time; and you can hear us whispering about how crazy excited we are to meet you.
Little one, you are 19 weeks old and the size of a mango. It's no surprise that your really that big now. Your Mom is show-show-showing (so much so that she doesn't want to take our weekly pictures any more...I'm going to have to get creative).
But, the magic of this second trimester is that even though she's show-show-showing, she's all go-go-going. She doesn't have boundless energy, that's for sure, but she certainly has a LOT more energy than she did in the first trimester.
She's teaching her full course load, working on a bunch of illustrations, chasing Aidan around all day and even volunteering us to watch 3 (?) of our neighbor's children too.
But, of course, all this crazy second trimester energy takes its toll. By the end of the day, her feet are swollen and sore...and it's just starting to get to be that famous Texas summer heat outside.
Luckily, I've got two hands with nothing better to do than rub said feet, and I try to keep the snarky comments to a minimum.
Your brother's learning your name quite nicely too. Oh, didn't I mention that we have decided upon your name? Okay...we're 98% decided, but with only the one name on the list, we've been calling you by that beautiful name. And your brother's learning it. Curious? Okay, I'll give you a hint: It's Beatles-related!
And it follows our family pattern: five letters, minimum of two vowels.
At any rate, I digress, we're not playing the name game right now, and if you're reading this, you already know your name! I'm just not quite ready to announce it yet.
The point is, Aidan is learning to be your big brother. He knows you and knows where to find you...mostly. We'll say, "kiss your sister, Aidan," and most of the time he gives a quick smooch on the belly. Sometimes he hits what your self-conscious mother calls "another fat part" of her body and announces that there's a baby. An arm...a boob, you know.
One day last week, he even ran up to your Mom and kissed her BUTT and then said "BABY!"
Not quite...but close enough.
From outside the belly, we sing to you, read to you and kiss you goodnight. We're getting excited to watch you and your mother continue to grow from Mango to beyond, and soon enough we'll be able to read to you, sing to you, hold you and kiss you in person. Until then, we'll work on Aidan's aim.
I'm pretty sure that song's from Mary Poppins. Or Bed Knobs and Broomsticks. Something from Dick Van Dyke's vast repertoire.
And if the name "Dick van Dyke" doesn't make you laugh, then we know a few things that have a pretty good track record:
First, of course, hearing animal sounds, especially a seal, will make you laugh!
Secondly, obviously, some of the more serious works of Lennon/McCartney make you giggle!
And, everyone's favorite, the Piano-playing Moose is sure to let those laughs fly loose (ly)
We love your laugh, and we love to make you laugh. It's hard to imagine that just under a year ago, when you were first born, you couldn't laugh or even really smile. And now? Now you're such a big boy, laughing, and smiling, and spreading the love.
Through some clever finagling, I managed to swap my telecommuting day from Thursday to Friday, since today (Friday) was a half-work day (due to Independence Day weekend), I could work from home til noon, and be free to be with you 100% just in time for your Mommy to go to work!
And the day started off with a bang. I was upstairs working when I hear your Mom whisper-yell (a skill all parents need to learn s they can yell at their spouse and get their attention without waking the baby)...she told me to peak into the nursery...and this is what I saw:
Your Mom saw it too...that shouldn't be visible above the crib rail, should it? No way! You're on your tummy! This was my first morning to see the evidence of you doing what you've secretly been doing all week in bed! You were sleeping on your tummy (and blending in quite well to the crib sheets too...we've got to stop dressing you in baby camouflage)!
I was amazed with you, but then again I'm pretty amazed that I was amazed, because we've been super amazed with how grown up you're becoming all week!
Last night as I was reading you your bedtime stories, you reached out and were grabbing the book! Holding on to it...
The other day we were bathing you and you grabbed on to the bath toy and just held on to it! Even you look amazed at that!
And Daddy and Aidan day proved to be no less amazing! Today as we were playing tummy time the second I put you down on your back, you rolled immediately over to your tummy and stayed there for a long time, just looking around, scooting in a circle and watching your dogs play (or laughed at them for looking so forlorn). Becoming a dad makes people overly sentimental...and we can't help it. This morning, I just lay down next to you on your multi-colored play mat and was talking to you, playing with you and having a really good staring contest with you. You smiled and laughed and looked confused and farted. You went through just about all your awesome faces. And then iTunes played a mean trick on me (about as mean as playing a "cotton: the fabric of our lives" commercial in front of a menopausal woman.) ITunes played the song that Ben Folds wrote for his son, which goes like this:
And while the song was playing you just stared at me...looked deep into my eyes. And I sang to you. And by the time I was singing the second round of "Everybody knows, it hurts to grow up. And everybody does. So weird to be back here. And let me tell you what, the years go on and we're still fighting it..." ...and then the part where he says "you'll try and try, and then one day you'll fly away from here." I started seeing you growing up before my eyes...growing a head of hair, falling asleep at a carnival and me fireman carrying you home, you leaving for college (Go TUFTS (if we can afford it), and I started tearing up. Twice in one week this happened to me. Stupid Toy Story 3 made me do the same thing when Andy was leaving for college, and now here I was welling up. But, college is not for 17 years and 6 months, so let's make the most of every minute we have together.
So, it turns out your old man is kind of a softy. Don't tell anyone. Okay, fine, tell whoever you want! I ain't ashamed!
I dried my single tear, you farted again and drooled all over the place and we decided to go downstairs so I could feed you. You got pissed at me and screamed at the top of your lungs. Thank to an insider tip, I figured out that you were telling me you needed to be burped, so we walked around and I patted and rubbed your back for about 20 minutes until--- burp! -- a teeny tiny burp. Was that it? Perhaps! So I took you downstairs, and you downed your entire bottle in one go! Amazing!
While you sat in your new green chair (thanks Uncle Taff and Aunt April!), you were playing with "Green Man" (also known as the notorious Crinkle Frog!), and you were holding on to him by his handle. Yes, actually holding on tight! I picked you up and you picked Green Man up! You held on to him for a good long time.
Then you napped like a pro...from 2:30 til 5:00!
During dinner, you were having a conversation with your Mommy and me...we would ask you questions and you'd reply (of course it was all gobbles and garbles and jibber jabber baby flabber fun stuff). Your Mom said, "I have a feeling you're gonna be a talker, just like your Daddy!"
To which I replied, "That Aidan...he always has to have the last word!"
And then your Mom added, " Like you." Totally disproving her point, since she, in fact, had the last word.
I even tried my hand at bathing you for the first time tonight, in honor of Daddy/Aidan day, even though your Mom was here. Normally I'm towel boy/dinner man, so while your Mom bathes you, I fiddle around with dinner and then when it's time to get out of the tub, I swoop in and catch you with the towel. But tonight, we switched it up. Your Mom and I cooked dinner together, ate (at which we had the aforementioned conversation), and then I got to bathe you! I did a pretty good job, I must say. You were shining like new.
And I was beaming. We put you in pajamas, read you a story, then picked you up to put you in bed and, while your Mom was holding you, the lullaby was interrupted.
You had to amaze us once more before bedtime: you threw up all over your Mommy's arm and your shoulder. I was on clean up duty, and your Mom asked me to check the floor, and I didn't see anything there.
The lullabies continued...and I looked down and noticed two new white spots on Preston's back, where he didn't have any white spots before. Good aim son! Now that's amazing!
To finish off this amazing day, your Mom and I sang you "The Rainbow Connection," and then a riveting Beatles medley consisting of "Golden Slumbers," what we could remember of "Carry that Weight" and "The End."
...and in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make.
Wise words. Today I felt the love; and even though I feel the love every day since day one when I first saw you and you held my hand, this was extra special because it was Daddy and Aidan's day all by ourselves (unless you count the dogs...which, apparently, you did...because you puked right on one of them).
And thus wraps up the week marking your 4th month on the planet! Happy monthi-versary week, Aidan!
I can't believe how much you've grown in just one month.
Here you are at 3 months:
And here you are at 4 months old (on the dot!) Let's see that again. 3 months: 4 months! I know as the weeks go on, you will only get more amazing! I love you, son.
Posts
