Belly Dancing

We got a little bored on Saturday night after working on some house projects and watching a movie, so we got this idea to play some music on my iPhone for the baby to see what he would react to. It started because I was working on a canvas for his bathroom that uses some of the lyrics to Swallowed in the Sea by Coldplay. I figured I should see if he likes the song as much as we do, since I had just spent a lot of time on the project! He didn't react much to that song, but he did to some others. For memory's sake, here's how our little experiment went...

1. Coldplay - Charlie Brown (Ryan's Pick) - Verdict: Basically no movement. I actually think he was trying to move himself away from the phone. I can't blame him... this song is not one of my favorites.

2. Jay-Z - Dirt off Your Shoulder (My Pick) - Verdict: Again, basically no movement. This makes me question his taste. Come on, son, everybody loves Hova.

3. Dave Matthews Band - One Sweet World (Joint Pick) - Ryan wanted to play him some DMB since they're our favorite band and I chose this one because it's my favorite opener to hear when we see them live. It just sounds like Summer to me. Verdict: He is definitely our son. He LOST IT when this song started playing. I don't know if it's the slow intro or what, but he was moving so much that my iPhone was moving up and down on my stomach. I've never been so proud of him!

4. Justin Bieber - Baby (My Pick) - I secretly wanted him to love this song so it would totally freak Ryan out. Verdict: Nothing. Not so much as a flutter. Apparently, he is not a Belieber.

5. Taylor Swift - The Best Day (My Pick) - I thought maybe he liked country and for some reason this song is the one that popped into my head. I really didn't give country music a chance, since this isn't actually country. Verdict: Very little movement. I think he was intrigued, but not exactly a fan. He's probably just heard how bad she is live. 

6. Kings of Leon - Talihina Sky acoustic version (Ryan's Pick) - This is my all-time favorite version of my all-time favorite Kings of Leon song, so Ryan thought our son might like it too. Verdict: We have a winner. He went crazy, kicking up a storm and moving the phone again. I see Bonnaroo in his future.

7. Kings of Leon - Back Down South (Ryan's Pick) - We decided to stick with the Kings and try Ryan's favorite. Verdict: Still moving a little, but slowed down a LOT from the previous song.

8. Dave Barnes - Nothing Fancy (My Pick) - This was our wedding song, so I was hoping he would be a fan. Verdict: He was still moving around a lot but not much kicking. Maybe he was just slow dancing??

9. Kentucky Fight Song (My Pick) - Since this one is a non-negotiable in his life, we thought we would expose him early. I mean that too. He can pick his own religion, he can be a cross-dresser but by God he will NOT be a Louisville fan. (See Also: Tennessee, Duke, North Carolina, Indiana, etc. He can ask his parents for the complete list upon arrival) Verdict: He liked it. I wish I could say it was his favorite, but it wasn't. He was moving and rolling and kicking, but it wasn't the biggest reaction of the night. It's okay, I'm sure he won't hear the happy tune of the fight song much until football season is over, so we'll work on it.

So the big winners were Talihina Sky and One Sweet World, and the big losers were Charlie Brown and Bieber. I'd say he has a pretty good ear, seeing as how his ears have only been working for a few weeks now. We strangely had a lot of fun with this, so I'm sure we'll be doing it again. I hope we can show him this one day when he's older and likes music so he can see what we subjected him to before he was born. I have a feeling he'll be pretty proud of himself for the reaction to Bieber!

Updates

I need to write a big hodgepodge post of things I've been thinking about so that I don't forget everything. I know I will thank myself someday for documenting everything!

First, we had our 24 week checkup last week on July 9th. It was one of those boring in-and-out appointments but at least we still got to hear his little heartbeat. His heart rate was 150 and he was moving all over the place when she was trying to monitor it. This is not unusual - this little guy is quite the mover. If I ever feel like he hasn't moved much, I just have to lay back slightly and he goes to town. He has also started responding to Ryan's voice when he talks to him. He has a very deep voice that we think most children are slightly frightened by, so I'm glad our son is getting used to it! Just last night, Ryan put his head on my stomach and said "wake up" and in just a few seconds, he got a kick to the head. I think I already like his sense of humor.

Everything else at the check-up (BP, fundal height, etc) were all normal and my weight gain is up to around 10 pounds. Ugh. Needless to say, I made sure to go to the gym as soon as I left. Going to the gym has actually been one of my favorite things to do even while pregnant. It is definitely frustrating to do lower levels on the treadmill or elliptical when everyone around you is working out like an Olympian but it's better than nothing. This week I finally got back up to doing an hour of cardio, which makes me feel like a normal human being again!

We have also made a LOT of progress on our nursery in the last week. The crib is still on back order from Pottery Barn, but I think it should be shipping next week. I searched and searched for a dresser that we could use as a changing table and finally found this one from Ikea:

Actually, let me back-track. Here is how dresser construction started out:

And this was taken somewhere around hour 4:

Ha Ha Ha! Luckily, it was all worth it. It is exactly what we wanted, and I love that you can buy drawer inserts that fit perfectly inside for OCD organizational purposes:

We also bought a bookshelf, because I am obsessed with books in a nursery. Ours is still pretty bare but I added some little buckets so the emptiness wouldn't stress me out! ha!

The chair we ordered from Buy Buy Baby also came in. We ordered a custom version of the Best Chairs Camilla Glider in lime. I don't know how you describe the fabric we chose, but I really love it. It's really thick and soft and comfortable. The color is actually a little brighter than it is in this picture, but it's really hard to get an accurate color from my iPhone! Someone already enjoys gazing out the window from "his" new chair...

His closet is still a work in progress, but Ryan did get it painted so it looks better already. We still need to put up a second shelf and add some baskets for storage, but we're getting there!

His closet and dresser are already starting to fill up, thanks to our family and friends. My mom and I took our first baby shopping trip one Saturday and loaded up on cute clothes and accessories; and my aunt and cousin also gave us a TON of clothes, blankets, diapers, wipes, etc. that they have been buying for us since they found out that we're having a boy. One of my sweetest friends (who just had her first baby 5 weeks ago) brought me the a gift the other day of necessities that she has been loving since she brought her little one home. It was actually a bunch of items that I had on my list to buy but I was weird about registering for, because they were breastfeeding related. ha!

And lastly, when I was shopping with my Mom, we ordered his going home outfit from a local boutique called The Cottage. I just got to pick it up and I LOVE how it turned out!

I know I have to reign in my "monogram every possible thing" attitude since I'm having a boy, but I couldn't resist this for his going home outfit. Luckily, Ryan loves it too. He is still having an issue with the whole "gown" thing for a little boy, but I keep telling him that he will love them once he has to change multiple diapers a day. When I first showed him a gown that my mom bought, he said "So.. what's going on with the legs?" haha.. I think he now sees the benefits of the gown but refuses to call it as such. He suggested we call them capes or cloaks or robes. Oh my.

I'm so glad we are getting things done and marking things off the to-do list. Only 101 days until I'm due! Ahhhhhh!!!!