The Name Game

Okay, it's REALLY time to start talking names. And I know you all probably think we don't take any name suggestions seriously, but we do! In the end it is our decision, but we love hearing the names people like. We're kind of stuck -- so please let us know your favorite boy names! Feel free to post more than once, as you think of them. :)

30 Weeks

So, I'm not going to write much. I'm 30 weeks 4 days along now, and feeling even more so! I wanted to get the pic posted -- this time I wore the same shirt and stood the same as I did with Lauren. Better comparison... what do you think?



Okay, so I think he's bigger, and definitely sticking out more. I wasn't shaped like this for another week with Lauren! (No wonder my pants won't stay up... look how low and oval my belly is!)

I'm a Genius!

I just took this genius test for fun on facebook, thanks to an invite from a friend. What can I say, I was curious! My results were that I was "profoundly genius" -- Plato, Aristotle, and Einstein are morons compared to me! I have to admit that I giggled a little, but it was my happy thought for the day. :)

(FYI: The friend that challenged me to take it scored the same as me the first time around, then got higher after taking it twice more.)

Dr Appt, 29 Weeks

I had another doctor appointment today. Saw Dr. Greathouse again, but only because Dr. Stowell was delivering a baby. I'm scheduled with him again next time. It's been a while since I've seen him! Anyway... things are going very well. Baby is moving a lot, and seems to be moving during my exams. I measured 30 cm (30 weeks, a little ahead of where I am now), had good BP, and baby's heartbeat was excellent. Everything was normal with the glucose test last time as well.

I told the doctor about the sharp pains I've been getting. She confirmed my suspicions that they were ligament pains. I mentioned them because they're so much worse than my previous pregnancies -- so bad sometimes that I can't move! I also feel nauseous with them sometimes. She said they actually do get worse with subsequent pregnancies, which surprised me because everything's already been stretched once! They're at their worst when my uterus goes through a growth spurt. I notice them when I've been active or bending a lot. But, nothing to worry about. I go back in another two weeks!

Oh, and a milestone reached -- THIS IS MY 100th BLOG POST!! :D

Duh...

So I was on a website and one of the ads on top read, "Wanna know how to get pregnant?" Seriously... I think we all know how that happens! I know there are some technicalities separate from the au natural way, but I wouldn't click on an ad for that.

You know, someone that found out I was pregnant with number three asked me, "You do know what causes that, don't you?" Like it was some mistake and I shouldn't be having a third. I don't know what was going on in their minds! Even if they were attempting humor, it didn't humor me at all. Rather, I found it very rude.

A Rose by Any Other Name...

This was posted on Baby Gaga by the Sarcastic Journalist. It sounds like Matt and myself, except for the name choices...

One of my favorite parts about having a baby had to be picking out the names. Since I was a little girl, I would obsess over what names I wanted to give to my child. I am not sure why I did this; I guess I just like names.

My husband and I had very different ideas when it came to names. I was more “This sounds good and so does that! And that!” while he hated every name I liked.

With our daughter, I made a long list of names that I liked. He crossed out all but two: Ellie and Sophie. I picked Ellie.

With our son, we agreed on a girl’s name pretty quickly but couldn’t agree on a boy’s name to save our lives. My main choice happened to be a “color” name (Grey) while his (Ash) was after a character in a cheesy movie.

Every day, I’d bring up the topic of names and every day, we’d argue over it. I thought his name (Ash) was too out there, he thought it was cool. My names (Jonah, Henry) reminded him of someone he’d rather beat up than father.

It was an uphill battle, that’s for sure. I finally gave up my hopes of having a baby boy named Jonah or Jonas and agreed to compromise on the only name we both could like: Sam.

Be careful who you tell about your choice of names, however. I had one friend that would tell everyone she knew one of the first choices in the Great Name Search during our daughter. This name was never seriously considered for more than a few seconds, but she felt the need to tell everyone and let them give their opinions.

So, my advice is simple: Unless you really want to hear what people think, keep your mouth shut until the big day. It is much harder to insult a name if it is attached to a living baby.

29 Weeks

So I've been slacking... actually, I was out of town again. I missed another week's update, and another picture. Promise... I got one this week. :)

I've been feeling a bit sluggish lately, but we've been pretty busy. I've also been used to sleeping in and then being lazy in the mornings, and now I've got to get up, get ready, and get the kids going to get Carter to school. I know, it's still not very early... but tough when I'd just rather take it easy. :) It is getting harder to get things done -- I can only do so much before I'm tired out or get sore. I've been getting this sharp pain on either the right or left side of my lower belly. It feels a lot like ligament pain, and it usually comes when I've been exerting myself. I'll talk to the dr about it Monday just to be sure.

Baby is very active! My belly bounces around a good part of the day. Still no name for him, and not much done for his room either. Still deciding if we'll wait until he's here to transition the kids (since he'll be in our room for 2-3 months anyway), or if we'll go ahead and bunk them together beforehand. It'll definitely be a big change for all of us!

I have a doctor appointment Monday morning -- just routine. I never got a call about my glucose test, so that's good news. Hopefully there'll be nothing surprising at my appt! I'm anxious to see if he is still head down this early. I have been achey in my pelvis, but that could just be from being active and busy. Look for another update after my appt!

(29 weeks today... 29 week belly shot with Lauren. Maybe he did flip, as I am more oval than round. I was more oval with Lauren at 31 weeks.)

A New Member of the Family!

We have a new member of the family... Bella Memford Wolf! My parents' cat had seven kittens, and we welcomed one into our family. This one was nicknamed Memford, because she behaved a bit like our dog Emmy -- rolling onto her back to sleep and eat, the first one over to momma to eat, very playful... Since we can't get another puppy at this time (with the baby coming), Orion's new friend will be a kitty. They're slowly getting used to each other, mostly from a distance at this point. But neither is hostile towards the other, just very curious!

Bella is five weeks old today and has been doing very well in her new home. She's still eating the weaning milk from a syringe (she now knows me as the mommy with the milk!), as I'm still trying to get her to lap it from a bowl. She has started using her litter box, and lets us know when she has to go! Bella's bed is in the office/playroom, separate from Orion, and she lets me know when she's ready to go there. I wish babies were this easy to get on a schedule! :)

Carter and Lauren both love the little kitty. Lauren walks around meowing, starting as soon as she walks out of her door (and looking for Bella). Bella and Carter love playing with each other! Here are a few pictures, and I'm sure more will be posted.

Dr Appt, 27 Weeks

I had another prenatal checkup this morning. It was time for the oh-so-wonderful glucose screening. When I got there, they had me drink the orange glucola. Mmm... especially on an empty stomach! Then came the waiting -- they couldn't draw the blood for an hour. I saw Dr. Greathouse again, and she was much better today. Maybe because it was a little earlier in the morning and I was alone (and in a better mood!). She just seemed to be much friendlier today and talked with me more. My belly measured about 29 cm (which is 29 wks, and I'm 27 wks 3 days). Baby's heartbeat sounded perfect! She felt around my belly, and his feet are up! She giggled as she found the feet, it was so cute. I was just telling Matt that I thought he might have flipped as I've been feeling kicking where there wasn't kicking before. She said he still could move around more, as he's just enjoying all the space. I know Lauren wasn't flipped this early!

I start going every two weeks from now on. I've started making my appointments while Carter's at school, and Lauren goes to Matt's work so I can have a peaceful appointment! As for the glucose screening and other blood tests, no news is good news. I'll hear by the end of the week if more needs to be done. Otherwise things are going great -- good weight gain, great blood pressure, good fetal movement, very little swelling... :)

27 Weeks

Did you think I forgot how to blog? ;) Nope, just busy... Was out of town last weekend, so I missed the posting (and pic). Onto this week...

27 weeks... It still seems like a ways to go until you think 13 weeks or less! (Well, technically it could be up to 14 weeks, but let's hope not.) I've been really tired and feeling the strain of pregnancy lately. Baby moves A TON and I can tell he's getting bigger. Physically, it's getting hard for me to keep up with it all. Somehow I just keep going, with many little breaks in between. :) The past two weeks I've gained 3.5 lbs, but still only makes it 19 overall (and I lost 17 before I was pregnant/started gaining...).

(17 weeks now; 27 weeks with Lauren)

Here's what's going on with baby: "This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with his legs extended. He's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes, and perhaps even sucking his fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if he were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother him, so just relax and enjoy the tickle."

And with Mommy: "The second trimester is drawing to a close, but as your body gears up for the final lap, you may start noticing some new symptoms. Along with an aching back, for example, you may find that your leg muscles cramp up now and then. They're carrying extra weight, after all, and your expanding uterus is putting pressure on the veins that return blood from your legs to your heart as well as on the nerves leading from your trunk to your legs. Unfortunately, the cramps may get worse as your pregnancy progresses. Leg cramps are more common at night but can also happen during the day. When a cramp strikes, stretching the calf muscle should give you some relief. Straighten your leg and then gently flex your toes back toward your shin. Walking for a few minutes or massaging your calf sometimes helps, too."

Last week of second trimester! I have a doctor appointment on Monday morning, where they'll do the glucose screening and some other labs to be sure things are going okay. I'll post an update then!