Someday Soon (this baby will come)

Here are some video excerpts from the past couple of days. We left out the footage from Chinatown, Old City and the Art Museum. Maybe when we have time, we'll add that in:-)

Stick around after the song for the firework finale!

New York & Crib

We had a fun day yesterday. My step-sis, Anna (missed you, Lauren and Graham!), took a field trip to New York City with her choir. And Donna went along as a chaperone! So we got to hang out with them in Chinatown, the subway, and the Natural History Museum. It was great to see them, and really fun to be in NYC.

Leah and I were especially impressed with the train ride into Penn Station. Apparently, NJ Transit got some cool new double-decker trains. The seats were pretty comfy, although not designed for taller-than-average folks. But anyway, we thought they were really cool. A clean, smooth, quiet, fast ride.

Also, we put the crib together this week! Our friends, the Koerwer family, gave us a crib and dresser. They're really nice (the crib and the dresser and the Koerwers). Definitely something we would have picked out for ourselves if it had come to that. And as an added bonus, our kid will get to use the same crib as some of the coolest people we know.

So the room is starting to look more baby-ish. We got some baby-friendly paint, but haven't run that by the apartment manager yet. And we have a bunch of frames lying around, but nothing to put in them just yet, although leah's got some cool ideas.

Today, we're off to shoot a wedding! It's actually taking place at a really cool and very old public library in Philly. Should be fun.

Simon Goes To The Dog Park

I hope you enjoy this video of our dog Simon. You might notice some of his fur missing. A cat mugged him several weeks back, and the vet had to shave patches in his fur to treat the wounds.

But he's now enjoying springtime in the park:

Springtime

The weather is beginning to change in Philly! We've had a bitterly cold winter, and now we're seeing signs of spring. The temps this weekend will be in the fifties with plenty of sun.

Since Leah and I work from home, it's easy to work all day without really getting out. We begin to feel pale and dusty after a while. So lately we've been taking more walks and trying to stay active. Philadelphia really does have some great parks and rivers, so we have no excuse really.

The baby is growing fine these days. Supposedly he's about the length of an ear of corn. And speaking of ears, his are developed by now and he's able to hear our voices. I spoke to him for the first time the other day. I had been planning on saying something profound so that he would enter the world with a firm sense of what he's getting himself into. But instead I just said, "Hi there, Baby. My name is Drew and I'm your dad. You hang in there and I'll see you soon. I hope you're not too warm."

Here's a photo I took along the Wissahickon River in Philadelphia. We saw these angel statues that we've probably passed a hundred times but had never seen before.

Baby Gender, etc...

We had an ultrasound last week and discovered the gender of the baby!

Out-takes

Believe it or not, we didn't shoot that video on the first try. Here are some of our other attempts.

Comparing Apples & Babies

At seven weeks old, our baby was the size of a blueberry. At fifteen weeks, our baby was the size of a red delicious apple. Now at nineteen weeks, our baby is apparently the size of a large heirloom tomato.

Each week, Leah gets an email from BabyCenter.com that gives her all kinds of fun, interesting and helpful facts about her stage of pregnancy and development. For example, this week we learned that our baby has eyebrows now, and can hear. We also learned that because of Leah's increased estrogen levels, she might suffer from red palms. So far her palms look normal, but we'll keep an eye out for that.

The comparisons seem harmless enough, even cute, when you're comparing a baby to a kumquat. But there's a certain cruelty that becomes common in the later weeks when the unborn baby is compared to a pineapple, a watermelon and a pumpkin. I'm not looking forward to the day Leah gets that in her inbox. And as far as week 37 goes, what the heck is a Swiss chard, anyway?

But as strange as it feels at first, I am used to it now, and will continue the comparisons after the baby is born. So if one day you hear me say that our baby sleeps like a grape, or eats like a pomegranate, or talks like a mushroom, or dresses like a bell pepper, or dances like a glob of horseradish, you'll know exactly what I mean. 

On The Road: Panera Bread

On the way from Philadelphia to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, we stopped for lunch at a Panera Bread, and Leah patiently answered a bunch of Drew's silly questions.

Rwanda & Burundi

When this baby does come, I can't wait for him or her to see and hear all that there is to see and hear in the world.

This song works best the way Leah and I experienced it in real life: so very loud.

Turn it up!

Babies R Us

We actually had a really good time going to Babies R Us. Our awesome family and friends in Wisconsin are throwing us a shower in February. The shower was originally supposed to be for Leah's sister, Kendra and her hubby Adam, who are due in April. But then Leah and I found out we're pregnant. Now the party has grown.

So this is the story (in two parts) of our first trip ever to Babies R Us...

Part 1

Part 2

Over Coffee

Some baby talk at a coffee shop in Philly...

In The Park

After my first Spanish lesson, Leah and I walked around the city and ended up eating apple turnovers in Rittenhouse Square.

Baby's Heartbeat

You'll hear some static chaos, then our baby's heartbeat will emerge strong and clear...