The Name Game

So I think we have finally narrowed our name choices down to two!  However, I am not opposed to adding more at this time either.  Here is the criteria the name has to meet to even be considered...

1.  The Infant Name Test-How would I feel telling a stranger at the grocery store, "This is my little __________!"  If the name doesn't fit for a baby, it is out.

2. The Child Name Test- What would I think if I saw that name on my class list?  Is it a bad kid name?  A smart kid name?  A cute kid name?

3.  The Teenager Name Test-What would I think if my teenage daughter came home and said, "Mom, I'm going on a date with _________________."  Is it a name that would evoke fear in another mother?  Like Ricco or Casanova?

4.  The Adult Name Test-What would I think if I saw the name on a resume?  Would I want to work with someone by this name?  How would the name sound on a baseball card? (hehe)

So the top two names fit all four!  Yippie.  Here are the pros and cons for each name, though...

Name A
The Pros

• This name meets our goal for using only the letters in our names. 
• On a scale from one to ten, I would give this name a 10!
• It is what I consider a "strong" male name.  
• It is not in the Top 100 names, however it is in the top 200. 
• It sounds good with both the middle and last name. 
• The name is related to baseball in a roundabout way. 

The Cons

• We have two people in our extended circle of friends who have kids with this name. 
• There really isn't a nickname for this name that I like. 

Name B

The Pros

• This name nearly meets our goal for using the letters of our names, but we added a little pizzaz to the name as well. 
• On a scale from one to ten, I would give this name a 9.5. 
• There are several nicknames for this name that I like, and one of those nicknames used to be one of my top boy names.  
• We don't know anyone with this name. 
• It is not in the Top 100 names, but it is also in the top 200. 
• The name is related to baseball in a roundabout way.   

The Cons

• The name does not sound as nice as I would like to it to with the middle name and last name.   

Based on my pros and cons what are you thinking?  Although Name A has two cons, the con for Name B is a pretty big con.  

Ten on Tuesday

Again I got these questions from Roots and Rings. The questions are provided by Sue at Simon's Sista Saw (She’s not American, can you tell?!)

1. Do you prefer fabric or plastic plasters? (or Band-Aids if American)

I never once even thought about fabric versus plastic bandaids.  Kiel, however prefers the fabric ones so that is what I get now.  

2. Do you prefer gel pens, biro or fine liners for everyday writing?

I am not one of those people who has a pen fetish.  I pretty much use whatever I can find.  Our home has a hodgepodge of free pens we have gotten from various places.  

3. Do you have a fear or needles/dentists/blood (if all three, which is the worst) and is there a story behind it?

I don't really fear any of these things.  I used to HATE needles and blood, but I have had so many blood tests over the years I have gotten over it.  I still can't look at the needle or blood when it is drawn, and I can't even watch stuff like that on TV.  I don't really like the dentist, but I don't particularly fear it either. 

4. Do you like jelly?  Do you eat it at any time other than when poorly?

Jelly is jelly.  I don't love it, but I don't hate it.  I only eat it with peanut butter on a sandwich.  I don't like it in donuts or where ever else you might find it.  No matter how "poor" I am, I have never skimped on food! 

5. What are your Easter traditions? (if not Christian, insert your own meaningful festival here and tell us about that instead)

When we were kids, we would color hard boiled eggs a few days before Easter.  We also would have Easter egg hunts inside and outside depending on the weather.  My sister and I would go to the mall and have our picture taken with the creepy bunny.  On my Greek side we play the egg cracking game where we knock our eggs together and the person with the strongest egg is the winner.  

6. What’s your favourite book that you have read so far this year?

Either Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy or The Hunger Games.  As much as I have enjoyed reading the books, I am just not as into them as the rest of the world. 

7. Do you have any magazine subscriptions or recommendations that we should know about?

I get so many magazines for free, I actually can't stand it.  I have so many...US Weekly, Parents, Parent and Child, Glamour, Cosmo, Fitness.  If you want any let me know!  I want to get rid of them!!

8. Favourite etsy store (if you know the owner IRL, also include your favourite that you didn’t originally know IRL)?

I have never purchased anything from etsy.  I have browsed a few times, but that's about it. 

9. If you had play money (£100/$150) that could only be used on shoes, what shoes would you buy?

A couple of pairs of Toms.  I don't have any yet and I really want a pair or two!

10. If you were going pet shopping tomorrow, what would you choose?

I wouldn't want to get another pet at this point.  I love my cats and I don't want another animal to take any attention away from them!  Sometimes I log for a dog.  I think it would be nice to have one to walk/run with.  But I think a baby will do!

28 Weeks- The Beginning of the 3rd and Final Trimester!!!

Things keep moving along.  I keep getting bigger.  Baby keeps growing and moving like crazy.  And the room has seen NO progress!  That's okay though since next week is VACATION!

Today I had the dreaded 3 hour glucose tolerance test.  Everyone talks about the dreaded drink, well that was the least of my worries.  I never heard anything about the crazy carb loaded diet they make you eat.  I could not follow it!  My body just could not handle all the carbs.  I felt so sick after eating (especially lunch) and that made dinner super hard to get down.  On Saturday and Sunday (nights 2 and 3 of the diet) I only managed 2 of the 5 things on the dinner menu.  I just couldn't stomach any more!  This morning I woke up at 4 am STARVING!  I managed to get back to sleep and luckily when I woke up just before 8 I wasn't so hungry anymore.  Kiel drove me over to the lab where we waited an HOUR before they even took my baseline blood test.  Yes, that means my 3 hour test turned into a 4+ hour test.  Lucky me!  After the first blood draw I got my drink again.  It was only 10 oz again, but definitely more concentrated this time.  It was a little more difficult to get down, but honestly, not all that bad.  As I waited, the first hour was the worst.  I wasn't dizzy, but just kind of foggy.  I had a hard time focusing on my reading.  I also was super hot.  As time went on things got a little better, but by noon with only about 40 minutes left, my stomach started to really growl.  I was dying!  And then Kiel came back and my brain clearly associated his arrival with FOOD and the growls kicked into high gear.  When she took my last blood draw I noticed how sore my arms were.  Two draws on each side were a little more painful than I thought.

I stuffed my face with an Easter ham leftover sandwich in the car and when I got home passed out on the couch.  I was not feeling great.  It felt kind of similar to the feeling you get after being sick for a few days. Just wiped!  I woke up about an hour later shaking.  I wasn't hot or cold just really shaky.  It was kind of scary.  Hopefully, it was nothing!  I'll find out the results by Wednesday.  I'm hoping just a change in diet will be necessary and not insulin shots!

I'll get a 2nd Trimester: Good, Bad, and Ugly post ready for later this week.

-The Weekly List -

How far along? 28 Weeks, and into the 3rd trimester. 

Total weight gain/loss: +19 pounds, which isn't too bad considering all the junk I was forced to eat over the last 3 days. 

Maternity clothes? Yep and my husband's clothes. 

Stretch marks? Still none, and I have been bad with my cocoa butter.  Gotta get my butt in gear!

Sleep: Still sleeping well.  I wake up to roll over and I consistently wake up at 4 am hungry.  Baby boy is always up at 4 in the morning too!

Best moment this week: Seeing his arm or leg move across my belly.  Feeling his hiccups!

Miss Anything? No, but if I have to give up chocolate, that might be a major bummer!

Movement: Still moving like crazy.  It feels really strange when he adjusts himself. Kiel felt it last night and he was really grossed out by it.  (I'm sure you aren't surprised by that)  

Food cravings: Nothing really.  And just so you all know....I never had any of those crazy pregnancy cravings.  Like the ones where I have to have something RIGHTNOW!  I just have had foods that taste really good at that time.  If that makes any sense.  

Food aversions: Nope!

Anything making you queasy or sick: The high carb diet made me super queasy.  

Ailments: Not that I can think of!  Feeling pretty good still! 

Have you started to show yet: Yeah, and everyone who came into the lab today had to make small talk about the baby.  I need to make a recording of all the answers so I can just hit play, rather than answer the same questions over and over all day! 

Gender prediction: Perfect little baby boy!

Labor Signs: Noticed the Braxton Hicks contractions just a few times this week.     

Belly Button in or out? Flat and kind of raw.  It hurts a little bit. 

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and anxious!

Looking forward to: QT with my husband,  getting baby boy's room organized (it will happen!), seeing his perfect little face.  

Crazy Busy

Life has been so super crazy busy that I have been kind of slacking on the blog thing.  I had a lot going on last week, all was good so let's recap....

Tuesday night-I got to meet up with my girlie friends for some pizza and baby time.  Little Miss Savannah was so well behaved for the several hours we spent munching on pizza and gabbing about pregnancy, labor, babies, and people we graduated with!  I love spending time with my girls!

Wednesday-We went to our first childbirth class.  I LOVED it.  I love learning new things and hearing all about what to expect.  For me it is a relief to be informed about all the things that could happen during labor.  For Kiel???  Hmmm, not so much.  He nearly puked just listening to what could happen.  He has my permission to get up and leave this Wednesday when they show THE VIDEO.  You know the one!

Thursday-I tutored, prepped my class for Monday, and went shopping for all the carbs I needed to load up on. Kind of boring...

Friday-My mom picked up my sister and I and we headed to New London, NH to watch my brother play a double header against Colby-Sawyer College.  It was so nice to just gab and not worry about anything for a change.  After the games my brother got to spend a few hours with us, which was a wonderful treat!

Saturday-We had two more games at Colby-Sawyer (Nik played in all four games) and Corey's fiance, Chris, his parents, and Corey's friend Hillarie all came to watch the games.  It was nice catching up with everyone.   Mom and I made the long trip back home after the games and Corey headed to Vermont with Chris and his family to celebrate Easter.
 By the time I got home I was feeling pretty yucky.  My high carb, high sugar diet is proving to be too much for my body.  Let me back up, I have to eat a diet high in carbs and sugar to prep for my glucose test tomorrow.  It is making me sick to have this yucky food clogging up my system!  I can't wait for this test to be over with!

Sunday-Today we had breakfast with my parents and lunch with Kiel's parents, as well as his brother and our sister-in-law.  All the food was amazing, and I even was able to eat everything on "MY" menu.  

On the agenda for tonight?  Eating some more carbs (blah), cleaning up the kitchen a bit, and RELAXING!  

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!

I failed...

Not used to the whole failing thing, but I had a feeling all along that I was going to be hit with gestational diabetes.  I only failed the glucose screening as of right now.  But I have to eat a special diet on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and go for my 3 hour glucose tolerance test on Monday.  Oh joy!

I also found out that I am now anemic too!  Sheesh!  So in addition to my prenatals I now have to take an iron supplement with vitamin C too.

How can all this be wrong with me when I feel fine???

I hope little boy isn't feeling the effects of too much sugar and not enough iron!!

Ten on Tuesday

Here is this week's installment of Ten on Tuesday provided by Chelsea at roots and rings. 


1. How do you feel about April Fool’s Day?
I loved that April Fool's Day was on the weekend this year.  My students think it is funny to point at something and make me look only to say April Fool's.  I did not experience one April Fool's Day joke at school yesterday!  That was awesome.  So as you can probably guess, I'm not a fan of stupid jokes.  


Oh and what was up with all the fake pregnancy tests and sonogram pictures on facebook on Sunday?

2. Do you like birds?
I HATE birds.  My friend, Sammy, had a bird when we were young and it would attack my mouth since I had braces.  Ever since then I have HATED birds!

3. How often do you wear your hair in a ponytail?
Not very often, but in the summer it always ends up in a ponytail.  I hate feeling hot and sticky.  

4. Do you believe in love at first sight?
Yeah.  It is complicated, but yeah. 

5. What is your favorite appetizer?
Cheesy fries with bacon!

6. What is your favorite brand of heels?
Whatever feels comfortable.  I am not a shoe girl!

7. Are you a picky eater?
I don't think so, but everyone else says I am! I just like what I like!

8. Is there a tv show you like that nobody ever talks about?
Impractical Jokers!  I flipping love that show.  I laugh till I snort watching it.  I highly recommend it.  It is on Tru TV and everyone should watch it, but just remember to go pee before you turn it on!

9. Do you prefer hot tea or cold tea?
Ice tea unsweetened with lemon! Lots of lemon!

10. Gayle or Peeta? (If you don’t know how to answer, read The Hunger Games.)
I am still at the beginning of book 3, but I am a Peeta girl at this point.  Not sure if it will change during this book.  I'll keep you posted!

27 Weeks

This is the last week of my second trimester!  Wooohooo almost 2/3 of the way done!  I'm happy to report my body is still cooperating with me.  Not much has changed, although I have noticed more Braxton Hicks contractions.  On a positive note, they don't hurt at all!  I only realized I was experiencing them when I rubbed my belly and noticed it felt funny.  I poked at it and it was as hard as a fully inflated basketball.  No joke, it really felt like that.  I have only noticed it a handful of times, but it is good to know my body is prepping for the big day!

I have been feeling very overwhelmed by all that I have to do for work and home between now and the end of June and it is causing a lot of stress and anxiety, which means sleep was kind of yucky this week!

On Saturday I went to my cousin's baby shower and I loved seeing everything she got!  It was so fun seeing all the cute baby boy gear!  It is crazy to see how similar the two of us are carrying our boys.  Obviously her belly is a little bigger than mine since her boy is close to 5 pounds and mine is only about 2, but other than the size we both seemed to be carrying high forward (if that makes sense).

Oh, and I finally took my measurements.  I had actually taken them less than one month before I got pregnant and as of right now I haven't gained any inches in my arms or thighs.  I gained 4 1/2 inches in my bust (yeah, holy canoli!), 8 inches in my waist, and a little under 2 inches in my butt/hips. I don't think that is all that bad!

-The Weekly List -

How far along? 27 Weeks-Baby boy's due date is exactly 3 calendar months away!

Total weight gain/loss: I am so confused by the weight gain.  I think I am about +17 pounds at this point.  I have been watching my sweets (but I definitely indulged in the baby shower cake!) and trying to watch my portions.  I haven't gained anything since my appointment on Friday, which is a good thing!

Maternity clothes? Yeppers!

Stretch marks? Still none, and I am shocked!

Sleep: So I was stressing at the beginning of the week so sleep was not great.  Then it got better, but when I wake up to adjust I feel the baby moving and I don't want to go to back to sleep because I know I am going to miss feeling him move inside of me once he is born.  

Best moment this week: Feeling more of his movements.  They are starting to feel more controlled.  He also seems to be responding more to sounds and pokes/taps!

Miss Anything? Still no.  I am actually enjoying the pregnancy at this point!

Movement: So much movement!  I am convinced he really recognizes Kiel's voice.  He moves so much when Kiel talks in the morning or when I get home from work.  I can't wait to see if he turns to Kiel's voice once he is born.  

Food cravings: Really just fruits and veggies.  I don't think I had ice cream or oreos all week!  

Food aversions: Nothing!

Anything making you queasy or sick: No.  Like I said, I am really lucky and enjoying this whole pregnancy thing!

Ailments: My doctor recommended Tagamet for my heartburn and it really worked.  I took it two days last week and I haven't had to take it since.  I noticed an improvement in just an hour or so!  

Have you started to show yet: Oh yeah, and a lady at Michael's stopped me the other day to ask when the baby was coming.  She was shocked when I said July 2nd.  She is another person who doesn't think I'll make it to my due date!  

Gender prediction: Perfect little baby boy!

Labor Signs: Just those painless Braxton Hicks!  

Belly Button in or out? Still flat and looking kind of alien.  I predicted it would be out by now, but I was wrong!

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Stressed!

Looking forward to: Having time over vacation to get his room painted and his furniture sanded.  I have a box of clothes that needs to be washed and I think I'm going to order some clothing dividers I found on Pinterest so I can organize his clothes.