Austin remembers his life in mommy's tummy! While we were cuddled this afternoon for a little beddie bye num num (nursing) break, looked down and asked him, remember? Did the chshmmmchshmmm heartbeat sound. His eyes crinkled with amusement and with a mouthful of mammary managed, "'member!" I said, you remember sucking on thumb? sucking on toe? Things we had seen him do in ultra sound. Punching? After a while he said, "(nutria) turning! turning!" That's what he did alright! A lot of turning! Later, he said, "Hiding!" In the evening, he did his imitation of the heartbeat sound and then pretend suckling with his mouth! That's what he did in there!

He's having a great outdoor experience everyday. Out in the backyard garden, beautiful patio flowers, he picks me lettuce to eat, corn is zooming up, tomatoes are growing upside down. Kicks a blobby deflated basketball and finds sticks in the field, with the neighbor kids Lia, Koda, and Little L Larry, fishing on the river bank and throwing rocks in! Spotting cats, making friends with dogs (today a giant great dane dalmation and a tiny zucchini dog, called "the twins"), getting everyone's soccer ball (today a beautiful ruby-- folks seem to have their signature ball). He likes to stay out until dark and shreiks with delight when he gets some spray from the sprinklers which we anticipate at 9:10PM. Saw a raccoon bending the top of the neighbor's cherry tree last night.

This is such a wonderful time of life. Austin is a handful-- climbing on the dining table and running away from clothes, shoes, and diapers. But he's so cuddly- Mommy sit down (with me)! Baby sit down! (Let's do the same thing!) Mommy shoes on! Baby shoes on! (So we can go outside and play). All we need to be happy is time together and some rocks to throw. He gives me a handful of sand as a gift. I say thank you! Its not the rarity of the commodity, its the fact that he gave it to me that makes it a treasure.

p.s. 7/2009: Austin will sometimes bring up the in utero subject himself. Shyly makes psyoooo psyooo heart sound. Squeezes eyes together, then opens and looks at or just around me intently. Purses lips, looking at me (remembering he didn't breathe via lungs in the womb?) Once, he cupped hands to his ears and said, "See Baba, hear Baba".

p.s. 7/16/2009: Asked him if it was dark (in the womb). He shook his head, closed his eyes and pointed to his temple. I hummed a b-flat tone, very high like a mosquito whine. He repeated the tone back in a middle/low register. Also repeated sound of silence ahhh that you hear with ear to seashell, also meditation, perhaps also "sound of many waters/ multitude" /roar of fire. He repeated it back, his style of affirmation. (If he wants juice, he repeats the offer, or says no juice). It's kind of funny be cause he nurses, then has to let go to do his little sound effect, then resume nursing. Sometimes with all his smiling little teeth, that's a little ouch!

What will happen if we keep talking about the subject as he gets older? Will he forget? Will he be able to divulge more details?