Belly Music

Last night, Todd and I went to BYU's Symphonic Band concert. He wanted to go because there was a really cool trombone piece in it, and I wanted to go because I wanted to get out of the house and experience some last-minute culture before Baby makes concert-going impossible. I was taking a test in the Testing Center that ran a little long, so I actually missed the first part of the concert, but then I got to my seat and settled in next to my sweetie.

Then I realized something funny: Evie was dancing! Even in her now-cramped quarters, she was boogie-ing along to the music. Then, the band hit a huge crescendo and pounded on a big drum which startled her, causing her to jump a little bit and tense up. By this time, I was laughing. Todd looked over and I gestured to my belly. He put his hand on our little girl's tense little bottom and we felt as she slowly relaxed and started enjoying the music again. Before too long, she was back to dancing.

This isn't the first time she's shown an interest in music, either. Todd is in the Orchestra on Temple Square, so he performed in the Christmas concert with David Archuleta. All during the concert, Evie would be kicking along to the beat and getting especially active during high notes. I told him afterward that I didn't know whether she was enjoying the music or protesting against it. I'm thinking now, of course, that she was enjoying it.

Even earlier than that, at our halfway ultrasound, we saw Evie's little hands against her head, with her right hand keeping steady time. I told Todd, "Look! Our baby is right-handed! And probably musical too; look at that rhythmic tapping!" He chuckled and said, "Don't do it, Baby. It'll make you poor," but I told her, "No, it's okay, sweetheart. Heavenly Father's already given you a talent!" At the time, I was mostly joking, but I'm starting to think there may be more truth to that statement than I originally thought. My daughter is still in the womb, in an increasingly tight space, but she still reacts to music by getting her groove on. Todd, of course, is not surprised. He told me last night that he'd be more surprised if she didn't like music, with a trombonist for a father and a chorale vocalist for a mother. True. For now, it's fun to just feel her. Later though, I think it would be cool if she turned out to be a musical child prodigy. We could have our very own Mozart!