Burn, Baby, Burn!

Dear Huntling,

After our trip to New York, we spent the Passover holiday in Chester CT with the family. It was a pretty typical Passover, with a fun ceremony, delicious food, and even a fire in the outdoor firepit at night. Your cousins Maddi and Isabel were the stars of the evening, and fun was had by all.

However, as we all sat around eating brunch on Sunday morning, your mom looked out the window and said "Hey, the neighbors are burning some brush!"

Your Uncle Eric, who had emptied the ashes from the fire pit that morning, said something that you will not learn to say for a long time, and we all ran up the hill to see a full-fledged brush fire! It has not rained in a long time, and the ashes from the night's fire had caught in the dry leaves from last fall, and the fire was starting to spread to the underbrush.

Your dad and Uncle Eric grabbed a watering can and a dogbowl full of water and began containing the fire, while your mom did the smart thing and called the fire department. While the firemen were on their way, we kept dousing the fire with water, and eventually, a fire extinguisher. It probably covered 200 square feet or so at its biggest, but we had it mostly under control by the time the firemen got there. The Chester Hose Company had a good time using all their equipment and thoroughly hosing down the entire area. If the fire had gotten a little further to the woods, though, it could have been very bad. But, it all ended well, and made for a Passover weekend we won't soon forget!

Jess is at 23 weeks!

Your Old Man is Older

Hi Totling,

You might not know it yet, but your mom can be quite sneaky when she wants to be. On Friday we drove to Connecticut, supposedly for Passover weekend. However, we seemed to take a rather strange route to get there. Your dad innocently accepted some flimsy reasons, and before he knew it we arrived at the New haven train station. Your mom had planned a whole secret trip to New York City for your dad's 30th birthday!

We rode the train into Grand Central, and then walked around Broadway and Times Square for an hour until we met Ellen for dinner in the 'garden' of a great Italian restaurant. Then, before your dad knew what was happened, we strolled around the corner to the Town Hall Theater, where your mom produced two tickets to a show!

We saw a rehearsal performance of A Prairie Home Companion, which we listen to almost every Saturday night. It might make us seem dated, but your folks love a relaxing night cooking a nice dinner and listening to the music and stories on the show. Anyway, the performance was really great, with wonderful music, comedy, stories, and the funniest sound effects man in the world! It was the perfect birthday present for your dad, who grew up listening to the show with your grandparents on the farm.

Anyhow, the surprises did not end- after spending the night at Ellen's apartment and getting bagels the next morning, we hopped a train back to CT. Your dad was absorbed in reading a newspaper when he heard the announcer call for a stop in Cos Cob.

'That's interesting,' your dad said, his nose still in the news. 'Cos Cob is where Jen and Jon live.'

'I know,' your mom said, with bag in hand, 'Get up!'

Jen and Jon Erensen are good friends of your dad's from Trinity College, and they and their little son Teddy took us for a great picnic lunch by the shore. It was a perfect spring day and we had a great time, and the whole visit was yet another birthday present for your future father.

So, your mom treated your dad to a really special birthday trip. You'll be lucky to have her as a mother. Just don't believe everything she tells you.

Hello Wee Hunt,

This was one of those weekends where we didn't do anything, but got lots done. We made a big effort to put some of the finishing touches on your future room, including finishing the floors, which look awesome. We took care of Matt and Kristie's dog Owen Saturday night. Will he be considered your cousin? Anyway, he wisely put us through our parental paces by waking us up at 2 AM with a bathroom emergency. It seems we need more practice at these things.

We think you'll love this time of year in NH- everything is just starting to sprout and bud, including our flowers, the garlic in the garden and the seedlings on the porch. And you too, perhaps. The days are warm enough to open the windows, but the nights are still cool enough to huddle beneath some warm blankets.

Your parents were actually away most of this week, your dad in Georgia and your mom in Connecticut, for work. Your mom has begun taking prenatal aquatics, which she really enjoys. Hopefully this will help you develop into a more graceful swimmer than your father or your Uncle Matt! We've been feeling you kick more and more! Jess is at 22 weeks.

Halfway there, baby

Hello Mini-Hunt,

This weekend we got a bunch more done on your future room, including trimming out the windows and finishing the walls. Next weekend will be time for the giant floor sander! Always a good time.

On Sunday your dad-to-be went backcountry skiing with Matt, Kristie, and Phil to the top of Doublehead and down. Yes, your father abandoned his pregnant wife and went for a jaunt in the mountains, leaving her at home to work and sigh and pine and suffer and...oh wait. Your mom went to the beach with Mel and Shawn and bought a new pair of shoes! Good times for all!

We've gotten a huge start on a library for you, thanks to Chris Manning giving us a huge load of children's books, which we will start reading to you soon. We've been reading to you at night from a book of classic folk tales that we got from the library. However, some of these stories are absolutely terrifying- avoid a story called Blue Beard at any costs! And who knew that Rapunzel means 'lettuce' in German? These are certainly not the Disney version of things. Jess is at 21 weeks!

Your first picture!

Hi Little Huntling,
Today we went to the doctor and got your first ultrasound. As you can see in the picture, everything looks completely normal, so we're- wait! What's that? How the heck did you manage to get one of those? That's it- you're not even born and you're already grounded!

OK, Happy April Fools. It's Jess's absolute favorite day of the year- she's already gotten Chris twice today. But we truly did go and get an ultrasound, and it was really great. Everything looks just perfect- there are more pictures at the end of this post (click on them for bigger versions). We didn't find out whether you are a boy or girl, even though it was a little difficult to keep our willpower. But the doctors all say Jess is doing just great. She also had her first Prenatal Aquatics class this evening, and Chris took his fancy new bike out for his first ride ever. Spring is coming to NH, we're glad you're along with us! Jess is at 20 weeks!