Getting Back Home: Late January

Ah....home sweet home...

After three weeks living with Mimi/Pops and Yaya/Baba while our floors were being redone, we were finally able to move back home. And- not that we didn't have fun with our family- but it feels good to be home and get back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Not to say that there wasn't work to do...

You guys have been huge helps in the remodel, you even put together IKEA furniture...

...set up the entertainment system...

...do whatever this is with whatever those are...

...and make sure the storage container is empty empty empty:

Despite a few differences in our landscape, it felt good to get back to our home.

can you spot the kiddos?

And...while we were still in transition we had some open spaces and open drawers and took advantage of both:

You were pleased to get back to your playground...

...back to our sunshiney house...and our old rooms...even if we didn't use the bed all the time..

...and to visit some of our old haunts, like the zoo:

So...now we're back home...and able to do some monkeying around...

Despite getting nipped in the butt on the remodel and unpacking from time to time...

In general, it just feels good to get back to hanging around without having to live out of a trunk.

#ZooPuns

Spotlight On You

Yesterday Holly's boss generously gave us some tickets to see a Shakespeare play at the new theater downtown. Taking full advantage of not needing a babysitter and doing things on the whim, as we've been doing lately, we decided to go check it out and take you to your first work by the bard: A Mid Summer Night's Dream. You've really gotten a lot of culture recently!

And considering that, now at Week 22, you pretty much hear everything we hear, you've gotten quite an earful of iambic pentamter, opera and music as of late.

While the spotlight wasn't shining on us, you were kicking and squirming. The play was a lot of fun and well-done, but yours and your Mother's favorite part, by far, was probably during the intermission when she got to tear into that King Size Snickers that was burning a hole in her purse. I had to beg to even get a tiny bite! But, it's probably better that way, I had way too much candy over the weekend with Halloween and all (don't worry, I'll show you our awesome costumes later this week).

Later that night we had to put the spotlight on you to test something we'd read in one of the baby books. Apparently at week 22, although your eyes are fused shut and it's incredibly dark in the womb, you can still see some light-- and will react to it as well!

So, I warmed up the end of the Maglight, clicked it on and placed it on your Mom's belly.

Once we found you with the light, it almost felt like you were trying to punch it out! After a few kicks, though, you WHOOSHED to the other side of the belly. Your Mom giggled when you moved to the other side...it must have tickled.

I turned the flashlight off and was about to put it away, but then Holly took it from me. She wanted to feel you kick and move some more! So, the light went back on and you kicked and punched a few more times.

Eventually, though, we think you either found a good hiding spot or just decided to fall asleep in the light beam.

How many people get to say they shared the spotlight with Shakespeare?

Sound Activated

You've already been exposed to a lot of differing types of live music: Paul McCartney, Ben Folds, Opera, and my amazing singing. Well, as of last night, you can add one more to the list: Bluegrass.

For your Nannah Joon's birthday, we took her to see Steve Martin (the comedian/writer/actor/banjo-er) and the Steep Canyon Rangers perform last night. It was a toe-tappin, hootenanny of a good time.

And you must have either really loved it or really hated it, because you were kicking and turning the whole time...without your Mother having to wake you up to play with you!

I'm beginning to think you're sound activated! And I think that's sound thinking.

Since we've been pregnant we've been attending more concerts than we ever have before. We're pretty well known for being mostly lame...but being pregnant with you has lit a fire under our tushies to get out and take advantage of opportunities as they come up: hence Paul McCartney, Ben Folds and now Steve Martin. I don't know if it's our feeling that we'll need a babysitter in order to go out in the future or that we probably won't want to leave you (for a while anyway!), but in either case, we're having a lot of fun hitting the town.

Plus, it's a lot of fun to show the bump off to the entire world!

Your Nannah was smart, though, and brought snacks for your Mom. It was a good call- Holly got starving just as the concert was beginning and ate almost half a bag of Gummy Bears.

But all your kicking and dancing to the music must've taken a lot of energy from both of you, because as the show ended, your Mom could only talk about how hungry she was again! But, this time she didn't know what she wanted...

Did she want Nachos with the 7-11 sytle gross cheese? Yes.

Or just Queso? Yes also.

She didnt' want toast or cereal or mac-and-cheese.

When we got home she figured it out: warm milk with honey and a banana...another banana! But don't worry, that's not cannibalism, she's eating tons of fruit lately. She scarfed two pomegranates yesterday as well!

Something about Steve Martin's bluegrass music got your toes a tappin'...but moreso it got you and your Mother's stomachs a growlin'.

So our evening of finger-pickin' readily turned into a late night of finger-lickin'.

Orange You Glad I went to the Airport?

You are officially well into your 15th week inside your Mom's belly. The fruit equivalent of your size, on average, is a naval orange! The site says that on average a baby at your age will be 4 inches in length...although you were 4 inches from rump to crown about two weeks ago!

But still, an orange is a pretty big piece of produce! You are continuing to grow in your Mom's tummy and nearing normal proportions. This week your legs should finally be longer than your arms. No wonder in the video you were so easily touching your toes! Your arms were longer than your legs. But not any more!

On a good note, though, Oranges are very good for you. And you've been very good to your Mother! The post-plane nausea has all-but disappeared, and she's gotten her appetite back; although she's now mostly hungry for Egg Drop soup and egg rolls.

The site also says you should be very busy in there, wiggling and squirming around, though your Mommy can't feel it quite yet. But she's looking more and more pregnant each day! Check this one out from our trip to Maine:

Someone else has been moving around like crazy this week too: me! But I wasn't in anyone's belly...I was in a plane. But at the airport in Chicago yesterday afternoon, waiting to come home you and your Mom, I saw stars from one of your Mom's most favorite television shows: "Myth Busters."

I went up to the stars, Tory, Grant and Kari, and got their autographs, a picture and chatted with them.

I even asked them for advice on baby names, since your Mom and I seem to have writer's block on baby boy names!

Now Kari, who apparently just had a baby girl 10 months ago, said she couldn't give me her best boy names, in case she had a boy next. Then she offered "a boy named Sue" (which is a Johnny Cash song and also completely not an option for your name).

After some moments of thinking, Kari and Tory both offered up the name "Buster."

"Buster" is their show's famous crash-test dummy who gets stabbed, beaten up, drowned, exploded and abused in every episode.

The bruised and battered "Buster."

I also pointed out that "Buster" from "Arrested Development" doesn't fare to well either (See below).

But, Tory added that "Buster Keaton" did quite well with that name. And, hey, the name "Keaton" isn't too bad... but it's not an option either!

So, needless to say, the Mythbusters, who can solve nearly every conundrum thrown at them, couldn't do anything to help bypass this baby naming boondoggle! Well, except maybe they contributed two names that are definitely off the list (and weren't on the list to begin with!)

But don't worry; your Mom and I will have a great name picked out for you by the time you are ready to come out into the world!