Adventures in Naming

Art and I have been in baby name negotiations since we found out our baby's gender 4 weeks ago. I started out by making a "long list" of names and gave it to Art to cross out and add too. 2 weeks of nagging later, he looked at the list for 5 minutes and gave it back to me with EVERYTHING crossed out except Mia, Isabella, and Liana. All middle name options were crossed out.

I really only put Mia and Isabella on the list because I know he likes those names a lot, but I am opposed to any first name that is in the top 20 popular names. Mia is number 10 and Isabella is number 1. I told Art I would move Isabelle (instead of Isabella) to the middle name list, and consider Mia and Liana as first names. I made a middle name "long list." Art narrowed it down to 4.

I printed a list of all the name combinations, which was 8 in total. From there we narrowed it down to 6 names, but then both of us arrived at the conclusion that we're not sure if Mia or Liana are the right first name. So back to the books I went. After reading another 15,000 names or so, I made another "long list" of which Art only liked 2, which were the ones I wasn't really crazy about, but put them on the list anyway.

I'm not really sure what to do from here. I wish there were a couple names I was really crazy about so I could talk Art into them, but I am unsure at this point and relying on Art's opinion which differs greatly from mine. At this rate, I'm pretty sure we won't have a name picked out before the baby is born in 4 months. The obstacle of naming is exactly why Art and I could NEVER have a "surprise." There is no way we could come up with a boy name AND a girl name in time.

I asked Keira what she thinks Sister's name should be and she said her name is "Baby." I said, "I thought you are Baby." She said, "No, I'm Keira. Sister can be 'Baby' now." I thought that was cute. She is passing down the title to her sister, which is a big deal for her. And the adventures in naming continue... which is a big deal for me!

Potty Training Troubles

Keira's has been using the toilet for a LONG TIME, like, a year and a half already, but she goes through phases of being really good about it and phases of lots of accidents. Thankfully she has been very consistent with pooping in the toilet with the exception of a short revert that was resolved with a Dora potty chart and incentive prizes every time she would get number 10 on her chart. Since I have been pregnant, she has reverted a LOT with going pee. She is using it as a means of getting attention and got to the point where she will just flat out pee on the floor like 3-4 times a day. Never have I been so glad that I own a carpet cleaning machine.

Needless to say, I got tired of that REALLY fast so I decided to start a brand new potty chart. I fashioned a chart with a picture of 10 Disney princesses and about 95 squares. Every time she goes pee (or poo) she gets a star, when all of the squares are full she gets a scooter. If she pees on the floor, we take off a star. We've been doing the new chart for a few days and it's made a big difference. We keep her in panties all day and only put a pullup on at night since she doesn't stay dry at night yet. She has only had 2 accidents, which is a big improvement, and has done perfect away from home. I'm hoping that she sticks with it, for her good and for my sanity.

Nesting

I'm 24 weeks pregnant, and I'm nesting like I'm 34 weeks. I can't help it! I feel the constant need to clean and organize, even if the place/thing I'm cleaning/organizing has nothing to do with baby preparations. I guess it's not a BAD thing though. I figure, I will go ahead and give in to my nesting instinct now while I'm feeling good then all I have to worry about in my third trimester is keeping up with Keira (which is hard enough).

I have retrieved all of the baby clothes from the garage, sorted them, washed them, and stocked a newly purchased dresser in Keira's closet with all of the newborn to 0-3 month size clothes. The 3-6 month clothes are stocked in the hanging cubbies, ready for when I need them. All the little dresses are hung and the blankets folded on top of the dresser. In the top of the closet you can see the diaper bag, which is in the process of being stocked for the hospital, and the white laundry basket is filled with other things I will need like my nursing pillow and my sling. In my kitchen, I have a cabinet cleaned and organized with bottles, pacifiers, and other necessities. Our pantry has a shelf cleared and filled with bibs and burp cloths.

Since I have almost everything I need for the baby, I have decided to have a diapers, wipes, and formula party instead of a regular shower. It will be open house style at my house sometime round about the first Saturday in April. I have made a list of the remaining random items I need, and already bought more than half of it. I'm telling you- I am SO ready for this baby. I feel way more excited this time than I was when I was pregnant with Keira. Probably because I know what to expect now and I know how much I will love my baby daughter.

I am feeling pretty dang good these days and my appetite is growing along with my tummy. As of my last checkup I have gained a total of 8 pounds. I have had a couple cravings which have most recently been oranges (a few a day) and I have an undeniable urge to eat a bowl of cereal after every meal. I don't eat a lot at once, but I do eat frequently throughout the day. I have been eating lots of fruit, but vegetables don't taste so great. Besides some occasional insomnia and lower back aches, I really can't complain. I just can't wait for May.

It's a GIRL!

Now that I'm well into my 2nd trimester, I am feeling much better and my appetite is increasing. I have gained a whole 5 pounds now. I know, not much, but I'm sure I will catch up in no time. I had my 20 week checkup on December 22nd, and found out we are expecting another beautiful baby girl! We are so excited. The baby looks healthy and is measuring well.

We decided to keep the baby's gender a secret until Christmas morning, which was lots of fun. MOST of my friends and family thought for sure I was going to have a boy. As soon as people hear that I didn't feel well this pregnancy, but I was fine with Keira, they were like, "Oh it's definitely a boy." I don't believe in such old wive's tales. Every pregnancy is different and the baby's gender has nothing to do with it. So I wasn't surprised to find out we're having another girl, but lots of other people were. I bought a pink onesie and stenciled a bib to say, "It's a GIRL!" and put them on one of Keira's teddy bears. I brought it to church with me Christmas morning to show my family.

I'm amazed how much earlier I have been able to feel the baby's kicks. I know that when I was pregnant with Keira, I didn't feel solid kicks until after 20 weeks. This time, I have been able to SEE my belly moving and every day around 8 PM, she's in there performing a dance routine of some kind. Art has been able to feel several kicks. I don't believe that it's just that I'm more aware of the kicks. I'm pretty sure if my belly was visibly poking out during kicks that I would have been able to tell there was something going on in there. Keira was an EXTREMELY active baby. My theory is that you either a) grow more nerves in your uterus after the first pregnancy or b) your uterus is thinner from being stretched out from the first pregnancy. There has to be a physiological reason why you have more feeling in subsequent pregnancies.

So now begins the task of choosing a name. The number of hours in labor is minimal compared to the number of hours spent agonizing over a name. I'm undecided as to which process is more painful. Art and I don't easily agree on names, which is why we didn't even bother to start thinking about names until we knew what direction to go. I'm in the process of forming the "long list" then I will hand it over to Art to cross out and add to. This will probably be going on until after the baby is born, with the nurse coming in every hour to ask if we have a name yet. Technically you don't have to have a name picked out when you leave the hospital, but I fear what might happen if we did that. We'd have a 3 year old daughter running around answering to "Baby." Oh wait, we already do. :)

First Trimester Recap

I am already in my second trimester! Time flies when you're laying on the couch sleeping and/or suffering from a constant stomach ache. Still no baby bump to show for it, but I'm working on it.

I had my 12 week checkup on Halloween morning and everything looks fine. I haven't gained any weight at all, which means I have technically lost a pound or two. By this time with Keira, I had already gained about 6 pounds, but I felt much better when I was pregnant with her than I do now. Plus, when I got pregnant with Keira I only weighed 105 pounds. This time I started out at a little healthier weight, 112. Being that I have a 7 pound head start, I'm not concerned about the fact that I haven't gained any weight yet.

The doctor did a quick ultrasound to take a peek at the baby and I definitely have another wiggly baby in there just like big sister. It's arms and legs were waving like crazy. Here is the ultrasound picture, which shows a very good profile, but only managed to capture one foot.

I haven't had a very good appetite due to the constant stomach ache, and I have to eat small meals at a time or else it gives me diarrhea. Sorry if that's TMI, but it's the truth. Turns out my morning sickness acts in reverse. Instead of living on refried beans and Mexican rice like I did with Keira, I have been eating an abundance of Ling Ling potstickers and pumpkin pie. Not at the same time though, that would be gross. If I do eat Mexican food, it has to be something crunchy like nachos, taquitos, or tacos. Thankfully, now that I am easing into my second trimester my stomach situation is improving.

I am already waking up once or twice a night to go pee. One night I had to get up FIVE TIMES! That worried me, but it hasn't happened since. The only other ailment I have been tolerating is a bad pain in the bones in my lower back area. The doctor says it's just from my ligaments and tendons loosening. I can even hear/feel something in my back pop when I walk sometimes. The pain was really bothering me for the past couple weeks, but it seems to be getting better. I just have to take it easy.

On a happier note, on Sunday Art and I were sitting at the kitchen table looking at newspaper ads and I felt a pretty good baby thump! I told Art right when it happened and he was in disbelief. I can't wait until he can feel them too.

My Big 3 Year Old

The New Addition

'Twas the night of September 4th and I was feeling antsy. My period was a couple days late and I demanded answers. I talked to Art before he left for work and pleaded with him to buy me a pregnancy test, not really expecting him to do so. Art believed from my past experiences that taking a test would make me immediately start my period. I decided that in the morning if he didn't show up with a test, that I would save my pee in a cup until I could go to the store and get one myself. Much to my surprise, he actually bought one so I hurriedly took it and quickly received the positive result I had been praying for for nearly 2 years.

I patiently waited for my 8 week appointment, and got to see the baby on an ultrasound October 3rd. We saw a heartbeat and the baby is nestled snugly in my uterus.

I didn't experience ANY morning sickness when I was pregnant with Keira, so I was caught by surprise when around 7 weeks I began to feel nauseous all day every day. I am just shy of 9 weeks and there has been no improvement. I have been SUPER exhausted. I take a nap every day and spend the rest of the day on the couch. My house is a disaster, my husband and daughter are neglected, and I can't remember the last time I cooked a meal. Thus is the nature of the first trimester. Just the beginning of many sacrifices to come during the incubation of our beloved baby, who is scheduled to appear in mid-May.