baby's first concert

well, we have done what we can to ensure that our child starts off on the right track. at 6 1/2 months old our little gollum can hear really well in the womb. it feels a little awkward to sit and talk to my stomach, but i make sure i turn up the record player loud enough so that the babe can bounce along to beat. the little one's first introduction to live music is one i can be really proud of...last night we went with mebbie, cam, sarah and ridley to a concert i have been looking forward to for years--the national. third row seats. at the fabulous fox. (!) bens and i have loved them from their first album but unfortunately with their sporadic touring and bad luck with our schedules, the national is one of the few bands we have wanted to see and have been unable to. we had a great time but i learned a few things from prego concert going...

1) having a seat is essential. if we were farther back from the stage, then i probably wouldnt have been able to see anything while sitting, but since we were super close, i could see while i sporadically sat down to rest my feet!

2) eating a huge meal beforehand is not essential. i am at the stage where my stomach is starting to get squished by the babe and i was way too full for comfort.

3) seeing a band you LOVE is essential. i would not have been in the mood for the standing/dealing with obnoxious people yelling out the same song request after every song/stomach discomfort/loud music if it was not for a band i love. however, i could not wipe the smile off my face the whole show :)

4) doing 3-4 hours of yard work and then vacuuming before a show is NOT essential. i tend to self sabotage. when i have major plans for the night, for some weird reason i find all of these difficult chores i have to do during the day. i planted all of my fall annuals, redid my front planters and put out pine straw. then i remembered i needed to vacuum. it was a really bad idea to do all of that bending over before a late night of standing. when i got home, i could barely get out of the car--it felt like someone was twisting a knife in my lower back. i really need to stop pushing myself physically!

5) going to a concert with some of your closest friends is essential :) i was thinking this morning how much i am going to miss being able to just relax and hangout with people the way we can now. there is no rush to hurry home to a sitter, no checking the phone for messages, no guilt over leaving a baby at home, no insurmountable tiredness to contend with....i may be slightly crippled by being a small whale, but all in all, things are still normal.

i wonder if that might be one of my last concerts for a few years? (try not to think like that betsy!!)

random and blurry band shot but i liked it

if someone is good with computers and can tell me how to edit these photos before/after i upload them, would be appreciated! i am sure randar water toting dude would appreciate not being in this shot. i would appreciate it too!

love mebbs and sarah

big girl. sans makeup. cassie has it and once she gets back from her honeymoon i can reclaim it.

unsure if this video will work. yall know how i am with technology. it was pretty cool how they did the last song with no mikes though.