A Who's Who of our Family

btw - you can click the little HD button on the lower right side of the video for higher quality, and the button just to the right of the HD button will make it full screen. give it a moment to buffer if you click HD.

this was taken w/ our new HD Flip video cam. notice the much better video and sound quality!

Two! Two Two Two!!!!

she likes to count now, but is basically fond of only the number that follows one.

First Sentence!!

More cheese please!

Who's my little Terrorist?

This weekend was an outdoor weekend - now that the weather's nice, we try to spend as much time outside as possible. Yesterday morning was spent prepping an area of the yard for a new vegetable garden - Jackie enjoyed holding (and nearly crushing) her first rolly-polly bug (it was my first time holding one, too), helping us put the removed grass into the compost bin, and throwing Nathan's toys around for him to grab. Lunchtime was spent at the playscape near Barton Springs w/ some of my co-workers and their kids, and then back home for naptime and more outdoor work. It was great to spend time outside and get some exercise!

Today was similar - woke up to a hugely grinning and babbling Jackie (such cute babbling that tho Cindy was planning on sleeping a bit more, she felt the need to get out of bed and come play). Spent the morning out in the yard, getting the walls to the garden all set, and pushing the Jackster in her swing. She rewarded us with a new trick while swinging - a fist bump. High-fives are too passe' for this little one. She also says 'kerl' for squirrel, and can tell you what sound a bee makes. It blows my mind how quickly she picks things up - and how much she understands, so it's definitely time to watch what we say...

Movin' Right Along...

soooooo... it's been a little over 4 weeks since we last posted. at this stage of the pregnancy game, 4 weeks is a huge deal - the baby's growing about an inch a week, but has gone through her major growth already. now, as i understand it through my amateur ob-gyn wife, it's pretty much advanced organ and brain development and weight gain. last week we went to the first of our biweekly ob-gyn checkups - we go every two weeks from now through the last month of the pregnancy. the last four weeks we get weekly checkups.

as long as everything progresses as expected, we won't be seeing any more ultrasounds. as much as i want to see chicklet move on video again, i'd rather wait and see her live in person come november. on the flip side of not getting to see her via ultrasound, she's made her presence known by allowing us to actually watch her punch and kick cindy's stomach. it's really cool, though simultaneously disconcerting, to watch Alien occurring inside Cindy's stomach. freaky, but cool. just a few weeks ago, in fact, i was talking to Chicklet via the bellyphone (belly button), and she decided to pop me in the head.

these few weeks have seen a lot more than just Chicklet and Cindy growing. since we last wrote, Cindy and I have closed on a house, personally renovated the interior, moved in, and had 8 friends visit for a weekend. it's been supremely chaotic, and we still don't have time to catch our breath. we're looking forward to things slowing down to a normal pace in the next few weeks just in time for us to gear back up for Chicklet's arrival.

as a side note, our interior renovation included repainting every room, removing carpet from every room, ripping out glued-down vinyl sheeting, and laying hardwoods in the living room, dining room, hallway and office (those 2 are actually still awaiting the wood). we did all that in the span of a week and a half. right now the chem-free exterminator is treating the house w/ all of the non-chemical goodness to keep the bugs away but our family safe. next week comes the tree doctor...

Chicklet decided to say Hi!

all day Saturday as i was in the midst of my numerous graduation ceremonies, Chicklet decided that this momentous occassion was important enough to say hello. while Cindy started feeling Chicklet move this past week, Saturday was pretty intense. he/she kept popping around: 'Dad! Dad! Congratulations on graduation! Dad! i hope he can hear me...'

Hi From the Womb!

Hi Guys!

I had a really busy morning this morning. I was sleeping peacefully when suddenly someone started poking at me. I tried my best for several minutes to ignore it, but whoever or whatever it was just wasn't going to leave me in peace. Thanks to the infusion of orange juice and apple juice that I got early this morning, I had the energy to punch, kick, jump and try to swat the thing poking at me. Everytime I waved my arms or kicked or jumped up and down in frustration, I heard muffled voices saying "Oooh!" and "Oh, my god!" It was crazy, it was like someone was watching my every move on a monitor somewhere. I have to find out what this is all about. Whatever it was, it certainly woke me up and got my heart pumping (at a whopping 161 beats per minute, I might add!). I may only be 2 1/4 inches from my butt to my head, but I won't stand by and let someone prod me all morning. As soon as I'm big enough, I plan to throw some of the jabs and left hooks that I've been practicing so that they think twice about waking me up. I think in another month or so I'll be able to make those jabs felt. The very last poke that was directed at me settled over my chest. I think they were trying to listen to my heart. I heard a muffled, deep voice (I think it was the one they call "Kenny") say it sounded like the alien radio signal from the movie "Contact." Whatever. This Kenny guy sounds like some sort of sci-fi geek.

I do know that the paparazzi were after me and got some shots of me, even though I tried to hide by curling up in a ball. I managed to get some of the images, and have included them. I think the one of my face makes me look like an alien, but the profile pictures are dynamite! I have a fantastic nose, if I do say so myself. I'm definitely star material, and I think these headshots could go for thousands on Ebay.

My quarters are getting tight, and I'm thinking I need to upgrade to a larger space. So far, I've been pretty considerate of my neighbors and haven't taken up too much room. Space in my 'hood is at a premium, but I hear rumors that there's room in front of and above my pad for me to expand, maybe add a few more inches so I can stretch my legs. I haven't done it yet, but I'm thinking about it. Maybe I'll get around to it in the next month or so.

That's all for now. I have a photo shoot set for two months from now, so I'll send more of my rock-star quality pics then. In the meantime, I'll be practicing that left jab. I'll be ready for them next time...
Chicklet out.

(pre) baby pics!

Cindy's mom says it looks like me. i'm not sure what that means - it's sometimes hard to tell when she's joking...