We moved into the new house on Halloween, one day after closing, which is why we don't have any Halloween-related pictures of Thomas. We had a couple of guys come in and move all the heavy furniture and all the boxes that we'd packed up until that point, which was a lifesaver. They did it in 2 1/2 hours using one huge truck that we didn't even fill halfway. Mom and Dad had just arrived the day before, and they helped us move which was also awesome! There are still plenty of our personal effects lying around the old house that are slowly making their way to the new house, thanks to them. I think we're all adjusting to the new house pretty well, except for Matthew of course who had to go on his trip after sleeping in the new house for only two nights. He worked really hard getting the major systems of the house running so that we would be comfortable while he's gone. Every room is full of boxes of course.
Thomas will be 2 years old tomorrow! I can't believe how quickly it's gone. His comprehension is growing by leaps and bounds, so I can ask him to put on his shoes, or put various things down, or velcro Mommy's shoes so that I don't have to bend down to do it myself! He's learning new words very quickly these days, like "mailman" and "boom-boom" which is his word for speed bump. He also understands that FedEx, UPS and USPS trucks are "mailman" and that a lake is a "big pool." He no longer points out every mail truck with a loud "MAAAAAAIL!" but he does like to point out all the yellow school buses. He's settling into the backseat of the car much more easily these days: we no longer have to entertain him every moment to keep him from crying or screaming, but he does have a limit of about 15 minutes in his car seat before he gets restless. Amazingly, I have found a set of CDs that he will listen to, called "We Sing" which is just children singing nursery rhymes and silly songs, like "Twinkle Twinkle" or "John Brown's Baby." It's a great soother for Thomas, and I keep one in the CD player at all times. He mimics us from the backseat of the car often, and loves to laugh when the adults are laughing. He's also just started nodding his head and saying "oh yeah!"
These last two weeks, Thomas' favorite book is "Days with Frog and Toad." He will sit quietly through all five stories if you let him! It's the only book he wants to read before naptime and bedtime. He also knows about the baby in mommy's tummy, and which room will be the baby's when she comes. He seems to be adjusting to new house pretty well, and is (at this time) not really curious about the contents of the many boxes strewn around the house (thank goodness). He seems to be content watching Totoro or Blue's Clues on the new TV set, playing with his toys in the toy room, exploring outside, and riding his tractor around and around the house. He's even been great (after a couple of minor mishaps) understanding that Chloe's cat food and water are "no-no" (we've had it fenced off at the old house). I'm not sure if this is related to the move or not, but for the past couple of weeks, the going-to-bed process has been on-and-off difficult. He'll be SO tired but unable to fall asleep for one reason or another, which makes for a cranky Mommy (and Daddy when he was here). Who knows what it is, maybe growing pains?
Baby getting big, only 2 weeks to go! Matthew is coming back on Sunday so Michelle my hypno-birthing teacher and I created that this time the baby will wait until Daddy comes back before coming out! Some of the mommies in my Moms Club got together and threw me a little shower, which was very nice! They brought all kinds of clothes that their little girls had outgrown, so now we have enough little-girl clothes for three more babies! Seriously, these clothes are cute. Pink, ruffles everywhere, skirts, shoes, even a little hula bikini for a 6-month old. Really. Cute overload.
Sophia Michiko Perry, born November 22, 2009 at 1:15am. 7 pounds, 8 ounces. 
Water broke at 10:45pm, which started the contractions. I called the nurse line to see if I really HAD to go to the hospital, or could I stay at home for a while first? They told me I had to go! So we called Mom and Dad, who came back to babysit Thomas. Matthew and I arrived at the hospital, "racing" another couple down the hall to triage ... which was otherwise empty! Got checked-in at about midnight ... and then the contractions became very intense. Good thing Matthew told them that labor was very fast last time, because they whisked me up to a delivery room without even putting in an IV. The contractions were coming thick and strong and my brain power was rapidly diminishing, so I was relying on Matthew to do all the thinking and answering of all the tedious questions! 
Up in the delivery room, it took the nurses three tries to find a good place to put an IV. In the meantime, I practiced relaxation techniques I learned from Michelle ... between contractions. During contractions I squeezed Matthew's or the nurse's hand, pretty hard I think. I did notice that none of the nurses came round to my side of the bed ... only Matthew in the end! So, after an hour and fifteen minutes of being in the hospital, Sophia was born! She was crying loudly straight out of the womb! The doctors and nurses even put her on my tummy right afterward, which was so fulfilling! We donated her cord blood, and took some pictures, and Matthew cut the cord. Yay!
