A rose by any other name

In typical fashion for our house hold, the only name we'd firmly decided on for the Hun was a girl name. So, of course. He's a boy. Can anyone say "let the games begin?"

We've been looking around at some websites, but those can be dangerous. A fun one is the social security name index (which isn't wanting to open for me or I would link it for you). MM had a little TOO much fun with that one, however, by looking at the popular names in California, and suggesting names for the kid like Fernando, and Carlos, and Juan, just to name a few.

There is nothing wrong with those names. But we are probably one of the whitest couples you will ever hope to meet. We both are German stock, and on my side, you can toss in plenty of Scandinavian, too. Our baby will not have the tan to pull off Carlos, Juan, or Fernando. And neither of those names goes very well with with the baby's last name. Sounds really funny.

We seem to be headed in the direction of family names. We presently have 3 names in the offing. Naming the baby after MM, naming the baby after his grandfathers, or naming the baby after his great grandfathers.

I know what your thinking. I'm being a tease. But, I don't really use our names on the blog. I am aware most of you know our names. Or at least mine. But I haven't really put MM or MG's name out there. And the boy is probably going to be "Mustang Boy" on here. At any rate, we are not firm on his name yet. What we are doing is trying each name on for a week, to see how it sounds, how it feels, if its a comfortable fit.

In other fun news, sleeping has become a major issue for me. All my ligaments and muscles are relaxing, making things more roomy for the Hun to stretch and grow. Good for him, but my hips, and sciatic are groaning! Finding a position to comfortably sleep in has become my mission in life. We got a long, black body pillow to try and help ease things, but trying to find the right way to fit the two of us, and that thing in our queen sized bed is like wrestling a steer in the dark. Add all the sheets and blankets that I get all tied up in during the wrestling match, and I end up a very frustrated sleeper. Then, when I go to sleep? Foot cramps. How fun. I always get them when I am cold. And we've had a shit ton of snow this last week, and now that we've managed to clear some out, another storm is coming in Thursday, to dump more on us. Thankfully, we only lost power once this time, and only for a day.

Still awaiting the amniocentesis results. They said it could take as long as 10 days. Its been less than a week, so I am being patient....

long day I am glad is behind me!

Yesterday was a long, tiring day.

The amnio went fine, but I have to tell you, I am not in a hurry to ever have one of those again. Though I was prepared for it, it still really discombobulated me.

The genetic counselor that talks to you before the event was really nice. She did a little family tree with us, and told me that she felt we were not any higher risk for any problems than anyone else in our age group having children.

The usual routine is that they do this in depth sonogram, measuring every aspect of the baby, and then they do the amnio, and then you get to leave. Well, the MD specialist had to leave early that day, and the sonographers were all busy, so I ended up having the amnio, first.

Yes, it hurt. Not a big torturous hurt or anything. A different kind of "hurt". Pressure, in a path all the way down my abdomen. The needle stays in for less than a minute, but it felt like hours. And I had my arm over my eyes and a death grip on MM's hand the entire time.

Then, when that was done, I was all happy, thinking, now the sonogram, thats cake, and we get to watch baby acrobatics again!

Yes

and no.

Lets call the sono tech lady Ursula, shall we? She looked innocent enough, long brown wispy hair, and braces, spoke with a lispth because of them.

She used that sonogram paddle like she was giving me, and the baby a deep tissue massage! Damn! At times I thought she was going to be measuring my spine pressed into the chair, not the baby! I'd flinch or gasp and she'd say "well, sorry. but I have to press hard".

So she goes about her business, and we get to see the face, brain, heart, bones, lots of various things. And then, she uses a little arrow pointer, and says "There you go, I am 95% sure its a boy".

So there you have it. Ursula scared the child into showing his junk. And we're having a boy :).

My reaction was laughter. And MM? Looked kind of stunned. You see, we really thought it was a girl. 90% of our people thought it was a girl. I am beyond thrilled to be having a son, though. I honestly had no preference, and I think having a boy will be great fun. Plus, it creates a nice balance to the house, gender wise.

Now, though, we are totally name shopping. We are starting to narrow things down, but we are still in discussions.....

I think this baby is going to be a prankster...

I had an OB appointment today. I have to really say, I accidentally chose the exact right OB for my personality. Dr. D is laid back, experienced, low key. I like that.

Being as the amnio is tomorrow, he wanted to just do a quick check to make sure we were all systems go.

I am 16 weeks along now, towards the end of that "limbo" stage where everything seems to be there, but not there. I am starting to feel some of those first flutters of movement. Not anything definitive, like a kick, just these odd little "thrills" every now and again.

So, there we are, and Dr. D is measuring my belly, doing the things that go with a routine check up, and he breaks out the doppler, for the heartbeat check. Last time, when I had that spotting, he didn't find the heartbeat with the doppler, we just used a quick ultrasound instead, and watched the heart beat. So I was kind of looking forward to hearing that woosh woosh.

Except

the baby had a different idea.

Un cooperative little bugger.

He/she wouldn't come out of hiding. And at 16 weeks, it's not like the baby is large enough to really find THAT easily.

So, I found myself disappointed, and needing to wait for a bit, so that we could do a quick ultra sound look again.

Eventually, I get to the US room, and Dr. D puts the machine on, turns the screen towards me, and then the little prankster starts doing tricks!

My first pose involved the arm going over the head, almost reclining. "How you doin'" type of thing. Then, just because he/she can, the arm comes down, and the leg goes up. And over the head. "Can you see me now?" Then, just for fun, the pike position, like a little diver. This kid was moving all over the place! I mentioned to Dr. D that we would not mind if he revealed the gender, we plan on finding out anyhow. So he goes for a look, and sure enough, show time over! Legs clamp shut. "What you lookin' for"?

We did, also, see the heart, merrily pumping away, as it should be. The reason why it was so hard to doppler is that the baby is hanging out high in the uterus today, up near the thickest part of the placenta, so that was harder to find and get through. No worries there. All in all, Dr. D is very happy with how we are coming along now, and expects that everything will be fine tomorrow with the amnio.

I have to say, the OB appointment days are both very sweet, but a little scary. That thought of something being wrong drifts through my head, and I kind of hold my breath. Then, seeing that screen, the actual baby. It takes my breath away for a different reason. And there I am, crying. Then, and now. I realize I am lucky with my choice of MD's. I've been able to see our baby at every appointment. Most ladies get ultra sounds at the first appointment, then the fifth month.

I still want to hear the woosh woosh. But there is something really comforting at watching the baby acrobatics on that big screen....

I got nuttin'

I seem to have entered this 'limbo' period of time where things are just kind of, well, status quo? Its interesting, and, frankly, a little frightening. Most of my first trimester woes are either gone, or much less extreme. I am so happy to say I have not vomited for a very long time. My hormones still seem to be getting the best of me at times, but I am actually working on that, on staying calm and happy instead of either angry, frustrated, or weepy. Having all the symptoms be gone makes me a little paranoid though, honestly there are times when I worry, "is the baby still there?". It sounds silly, but yet, there it is. I am not quite 4 months, so I don't really feel the baby move yet, and I am not 'showing'. I talk myself out of the worry, pretty easily. Babies don't just disappear, and I have no symptoms of anything gone wrong. I lump the paranoia in with the hormone production, and try to move on with my day.

My appetite is still completely changed. Its less. And that causes me worry, too. I am doing my best to eat well and healthy. But sometimes? I am just not hungry. And I am getting these 'what to expect when your expecting' updates, that tell me I should be eating every TWO HOURS.

Every 2 hours? I Can't. I really can't. Now, I started this adventure *not* a petite woman. My OB told me the baby would be fine without me gaining any weight (and he's right). But I've LOST weight. Its freaky. But yet, I've had countless women tell me they lost weight while pregnant. And their babies were fine. I figure the baby is taking all the nutrients it needs. But I wonder, where is that going to leave me? I don't feel horrible or anemic or anything. So I guess we're both okay.

In less than a week, I have an OB appointment, and then, a day later, the amniocentesis. With any luck, by the end of next week, or the beginning of the next, we will know the baby's gender.

I am actually letting MM tell people the gender of the baby. I get to do all the other kinds of things, I think it is going to be so much fun watching him share the news of what we are having... I will try to get him to do a blog post announcement for you guys. But it might be over on his neglected blog....

In 'not baby' news, not a lot, either. MM had a lovely birthday, MG is surviving her junior year in high school, and doing well. We are having some extended family troubles with my niece, who REALLY needs to pull her head out of her ass and grow up. But, sadly? I don't see any hope of that happening any time soon. She is not doing well... all I can do is support my sister, and pray, though. Its in hands that are bigger than my own...

The month of Love

I've always been a fan of February.

And not just because it's my birthday month. Matter of fact, you'd think I'd like it less because of that.

But no, I think this is a great month. Its short and sweet, and is jam packed full of things to celebrate. Along with my birthday, we also have MM's birthday, and of course, Valentine's Day. I miss being a kid, and having that big, construction paper heart receptacle hanging from my desk, that the other kids would put those small, white envelopes in. Because we lived in a small town, most of us had limited choices of Valentines, and we'd give out the same kind as at least 2 other kids. But we didn't care.

And I love the conversation hearts. Those chalky, silly things. It's not VD without them....

The one thing I don't love about February is the weather. This is usually the month of the most inclement weather. One year, it snowed so much on Feb. 13th that a tree fell against the house. THANK GOD, the top barely grazed the roof. But still. It made digging out on VD a pain in the arse. And it's been years and years since I've celebrated a birthday without rain. Or snow.

The sun is actually shining today, which is kind of misleading, I think.

What I am really looking forward to, this month, as well, is finding out what gender our little Hun is. I am NOT looking forward to the method, though. I can admit it, the Amniocentesis is scary to me. Not scary enough that I won't go through with it, because it's important. But a needle? That long? *shudder*.

I am a nurse for a reason, it's much better to give, than to receive, and I hate being on the receiving end!

So.

February.

Even the spelling is great.

Happy month of Love, everyone!

(Oh, and I wonder if that poor ground hog isn't frozen into his burrow this year! Poor thing :)