Baby name progress

After our latest round of vetoing, we are down to 24 names on our working list and only 4 letters to explore in the baby name book ( U V W Y), but I don’t expect to generate many (if any) names from them.

Names I vetoed: Alexis, Cambria, Cassandra, Melanie, & Mackenzie

Names Drew vetoed: Amara, Ava, Jaden, Larissa, Maya, Safiya, & Tatiana

Names Drew vetoed for a second time: Melissa, Roxanne, & Talia

Name that is back on the list after an initial veto from Drew: Malia/Malea

Can’t remember who liked the name enough to put it on the list in the list in the first place: Bailey, Barrett, Genevieve, Gwendolyn, Micah, Odette, Phaedra, Riley

Honestly, Barrett for a girl? What were we thinking?

Names that Lizzie regularly suggests: Paula, Chala, and Shala

Things I hate about pregnancy

1 - Getting fat (and knowing that I may never lose all the weight because let's face it, I haven't loss all my weight from any pregnancy so far).

2 - Having inconsiderate people comment on how "big" (a.k.a. fat) I am. For some inexplicable reason people seem to think it's okay to comment on my size. I don't tell my friends, family, and acquaintances how big they look to me, I don't know why they feel compelled to tell me how big I look to them. Today I was making copies at church and the librarian looked at my stomach and asked when I was I due. September. "Wow, that's still a long way away, is it twins?" Nope. Still, looking at my stomach she says, "you're just so big already." Not cool.

3 - Along the same lines of people saying and doing inappropriate things, I don't like people touching my stomach. I don't know why they feel compelled to do so. I mean, I don't go up to other people and ask to touch their stomachs. And it's not like they are going to feel anything. About half the time the baby is kicking near the bottom of my belly which is too near the groin area for anyone to put their hand, so really they are just touching my big fat stomach. What's the appeal of that?

4 - Growing out of my clothes. It's depressing. So are the constant weigh-ins at the doctor's office. I really don't like the constant reminders that I'm swelling to absurd proportions.

5 - General physical discomfort. Aches, pains, light-headedness, the awkwardness of movement that used to be second nature, enough said.

6 - Sleeping on my side. I'm a back sleeper. I hate sleeping on my side. It is SO uncomfortable to me and I have 13 weeks to go.

7 - Frequent urination and on a related note, occasionally peeing when I cough or sneeze. Not fun.

8 - Unsolicited advice on a myriad of topics, including baby names. When I was pregnant with a boy last year a friend asked if we were going to circumcise. We were. I didn't mind her asking, but I didn't like the lecture I received on the evils of circumcision. I think baby name advice is more common. I don't mind telling people the names we like, what I don't like is getting a negative response. What ever happened to: if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all? If you don't like a name, you don't have to pretend to like it, just don't say how much you dislike it or try to talk the parent out of using it. Ask something innocuous like: and what would the middle name be, is that a family name, or how did you decide on the name?

9 - Pregnancy and labor horror stories. Pregnancy is scary enough, why add to it by telling me about everything that went wrong when you or your mom or sister or friend or cousin or some random lady you met on the street was pregnant?

10 - The way time slows during the final trimester. I swear that's the longest part.

Down mint?

This afternoon while we were all working in the den Drew and I overheard Lizzie singing one of her made up songs to herself. It sounded like she was singing "Damn it" over and over again. We were a little surprised. She sings and says "Darn it" a lot (my bad influence), but I thought we had been pretty good about not exposing her to actual profanity. We kept asking her to repeat what she was saying, hoping she would enunciate better and we would find ourselves mistaken. In the end we figured that she may have been saying "down mint" (wishful thinking?) but we're not sure.Speaking of my influence, lately Lizzie has really been into drinking from goblets. Andrew was NOT pleased when he saw that I had introduced her to fun of drinking out of fancy glasses. Oh well.

Just bad timing

I can't believe what bad luck we had when I tried to take Lizzie and her friend Emilie swimming yesterday afternoon. We didn't have much time, just a little over an hour before I needed to be back to Emilie's house to babysit her siblings (mom had a dental appointment), but I figured that was enough time. I don't last long at the pool when I don't have another mom to talk to.

Well, when we got there the life guards were just adding chemicals to the big pool so they said we had to stay out of it for 15 minutes. Fine, we went to the baby pool. After a few minutes a life guard tested the chemicals in the baby pool and announced it would be closed for the day. So, I waited the remainder of the 15 minutes with two very bored little girls by the side of the pool.

Finally we were allowed back in the big pool. As we got in Lizzie overheard the life guard say that something "is coming." She asked him what was coming. "The thunder." Well, naturally Lizzie freaked out. She kept trying to get out of the pool and run away which I obviously could not allow since I had another child to watch who was happily paddling away from us.

I finally forced Liz into the pool and within about 5 minutes Emilie noticed what appeared to a frog in the pool. We notified the life guards and one of them checked it out (though very reluctantly). Sure enough, dead frog. The pool had to be evacuated again which turned out to be good timing because as soon as we reached our towels the clouds erupted into a deluge.

Better luck next time I guess.

I Love Vacation Bible School

I love vacation bible school. This is the first year we have participated and so far it's wonderful. It's free, it's three hours long every day for a week, and Lizzie likes it too. At first I was a little nervous about leaving Liz with strangers, but I was relieved to see her teachers from the past two years of preschool when I walked in the first day. Apparently they attend that particular baptist church and were volunteering at the day camp. Lizzie was certainly excited to learn that her good friend, Jordan, was assigned to her same class. For me, it's been nice to have some extra time to get things done during the day or to just take a break (I liked getting a pedicure without Liz sitting next to me constantly asking "how much longer?"). According to the other moms there are tons of these week long camps in the area. A friend from Lizzie's preschool recommended one in July at Faith Evangelical Presbyterian Church near our Stake Center and my friend, Ryann, recommended one at Immanuel Bible Church in August. I'm very tempted to sign Liz up for both of them--I kind of like the idea of a monthly break.

I took the above picture of Liz and her friend, Jordan, at a stop light on the way home from bible school for a playdate.

Drama Queen

Liz can be sooooooo dramatic. I find some of the things she does amusing, others are merely annoying. Last week Andrew caught her hiding my sandals. Lizzie's explanation was that my sandals were prettier than hers (they have sparkles) so she didn't want me to wear them. I didn't think the petty girl stuff would start so young. Then on Saturday Elizabeth wanted me to play with her instead of clean the den so she piled up whatever she could in front of the den entrance in an attempt to prevent me from working (see above picture). Her efforts were futile.

Often Lizzie's drama is associated with her various expressions of negative behavior. Sometimes when I put her in time out she spends her time chanting "I am right, Mommy is wrong. I am right, Mommy is wrong. . . . " or "I am nice, Mommy is naughty. I am nice, Mommy is naughty. . . . " Lucky for her that just makes me laugh. It's kind of nice that currently the meanest thing she can think of to call us is "naughty." I imagine her terminology will be more diverse by the time she reaches her teen years. The first time she yelled "You are naughty!" at the top of her lungs and stomped out of the room, Andrew turned to me and said "You know that's the worst word she could think of. If she knew how to swear she probably would have."

Oops

I spent this evening at a friends house. Before I left I told Lizzie she had to have a bite of vegetables before she ate anything else which I still think was a reasonable request, but what was not reasonable was to make the demand and then leave Andrew to fight the battle. I felt kind of bad when I got home and Drew reported the Lizzie cried herself to sleep without eating meaning they didn't have any nice together time. Also, at one point she said to Andrew, "Remember that special treat I gave you for being such a nice daddy? You're not being a nice daddy anymore."

Back to Relief Society

I think I'm finally back to Relief Society on a regular basis. I had barely gone since Jacob died because it was so agonizing for me to see (and hear) babies and pregnant women which were all really hard to avoid. I usually just sat in the hallway and read a book. A couple months ago I hit a low point when two different mothers asked me to hold/watch their babies before church even started and another mom, whose son was born just days before Jacob died, insisted on hugging me while she was holding her baby. I went home and told Andrew I was just plain done with church, but some how things got better after that and I have been slowly going back to class. These last couple weeks I have not felt uncomfortable at all. It's a nice change. I feel like church is once again I place to be edified, rather than endured.

A day at the beach

Liz and I spent last Friday at Sandy Point State park with our friends, the Murphys.

It was a lot of fun. The girls enjoyed digging in the sand, especially after Ryann dug a pit for them to fill with water.

I was grateful when Ryann took all the girls in the water. It was a little cooler than the last time we went so I didn't want to get in, but eventually I ended up wading out with Liz.

Yes, I'm huge now. I hit 26 weeks the day we went to the beach and I'm certainly bigger than my previous pregnancies. Oh well.

Lizzie is really going to miss her friends Maddie & Emi when they move to England in a couple weeks. I'm going to miss their mother, Ryann.

Yum, Liz just finished off her portion of a lemon icey.

One of those days (& week update)

Today was just "one of those days." It seemed to me that our baby had diminished movement last night and this morning so after I dropped Drew off at work I went straight to the doctor's office. The nurse found the heartbeat almost immediately, but she still hooked me up to a heart monitor for awhile and had me meet with the doctor who reassured me and did a quick sonogram. They were all very nice. At one point a nurse moved me from the monitoring room to an examination room and told me to undress from the waist down so the doctor could examine me. I was surprised, but I complied. The doctor came in and talked to me for a bit then was like, "so why did the nurse have you undress?" Um, don't you know? He just told me to put my clothes on so we could do the sono. It was kind of fun that Liz got to see the sonogram, but not fun to explain vaginal examinations to her (she was amused).

Lizzie and I were still in our pajamas when we were at the doctor's office. I intended to get us both cleaned up before we went my friend Amanda's house to babysit in the afternoon, but somehow I only managed to change my clothes. We went straight from Amanda's to pick up Drew from work that evening and he assumed that I had already gotten Liz ready for bed. If only. It reminded me of when Liz was a newborn and I kept us in our p.j.'s most of the day, only to change us right before Dew came home so I wouldn't feel (or look) so lazy.

Other highlights from the past week:

We spent last Thursday at the beach. Technically it was Lizzie's third time at a beach, but her first time there in a swimsuit (and probably the first time she could remember). She loved digging in the sand.

We had a ward campout last weekend. It was crazy hot, but a lot of fun. Lizzie and I made little cakes in hollowed-out oranges just like I did when I was a kid. Unfortunately I left my camera's memory card in my laptop so I have no pictures of our fun over-nighter. Andrew said one of his favorite things about the night was hearing the pregos walk past our tent throughout to the night on their way to the bathroom (me included). I think there were six or seven of us. Father's Day was fun. We gave Drew some shirts and ties. Every time Drew opened a new gift Liz would exclaim "Happy Fodder's Day!" I also gave Drew a scrapbook with an interview of Lizzie. Liz gave Drew a suitcase that she had filled with the toys she and daddy like to play with together.

On Monday we spent a fun day at the pool. It was Lizzie's second time wearing water wings, but her first time really venturing out in them. I was so proud of her for trying. At the beginning of the day she wouldn't let go of me, but the end she didn't want me to touch her as she paddled around.

Lizzie's friend Maeve (in town from Africa) spent Tuesday with us. The girls enjoyed a fun-filled morning playing with paint, playdough, and my little ponies. In the afternoon we went to Burke Lake Park where we rode the train and carousel.

On Wednesday we enjoyed another playdate with Maeve and our other playgroup friends. That evening I had a girls night with Maeve's mom Chanda and friends Ryann and Wendi. It was so fun--just like old times. I'm was so sad to say goodbye to Chanda at the end of the night. At least we know we can see her (and family) for a brief visit every summer.

Grading your spouse

A friend of mine told me that she asked her husband what grade he would give himself on housework. She told him she would give him a B--to be polite, she really thought he deserved a C (turns out he also thought he deserved a C).

So, the other day while we were waiting for our "Strengthening Your Marriage" class to start I asked Andrew what grade he would give himself. At first he wasn't sure. I told him I wasn't sure either, but it was somewhere between a low B or a high C. He seemed a little bothered and said he deserved a solid B at least.

After class I asked Drew if he wanted to assign grades to other roles and aspects of our relationship. He declined, saying "I don't think I want to play that game. It can only lead to trouble."

More video clips from our South Carolina stay

One week anniversary

Today it has been a week since Liz tumbled down Nana and Papa's stairs. Her black eye has faded a lot--she just has some purple on her eyelid (plus a little on her lower lid like eyeliner) and yellow skin surrounding her eye. Of course tonight when she and Andrew were wrestling she managed to jump over him and off the bed, in the process cutting her lip. The cut was very minor and didn't bleed long. I'm sure it will not be noticeable tomorrow, but it is a little amusing to me that just as she recovers from one injury she sustains another.

More baby names get the axe

We still haven't made it through our baby name book, but last night we decided to go over our current list and make some cuts.

Names I vetoed: Aubrey, Deanna, Melinda, and Haley.

Names Drew vetoed: Reese, Brice, Camille, Blaine, Natalia, Sophia, Chloe, and Zoe. He vetoed Annika because he said it sounded too close to Anikan Skywalker to him. He vetoed Jasmine because he said it sounded like a stripper name.

Names we both vetoed due to the meaning: Cecily (blind), Cameron (crooked nose), Lorelei (alluring), and Isabel or Isabeau (just Elizabeth in another language).

Lizzie's eye Friday morning

Falling down . . .

This morning when we were about to leave for the children's museum Lizzie fell down Nana's wooden stairs. I heard a big bump and then a series of bumps and cries as she toppled down. I ran out of my room just in time to see her roll down the last few steps. She had a big lump, small cut, and lots of bruising on the side of her left eye. She immediately said she wanted her daddy.

A nice break

Today my mom watched Lizzie while I went to a local strip mall to browse (but not buy anything since I left my wallet in Virginia) and watch "Baby Mama." It was actually my first time going to a movie alone and was a really nice break from parenting responsibilities . . .

Now tonight I'm sorting through all the baby clothes and supplies I have been storing at my parent's house. I did not buy many new clothes for Jacob because a friend had given me so many hand-me-downs, but a had a few things and I was surprised that it didn't upset me to see and handle them. Previously I burst into tears when I saw the swimsuit I bought him, now I'm okay. I guess that means I'm making progress. I'm still going to play it safe though and leave all the baby gear here. Last summer I spent a lot of time hauling baby stuff to my apartment only to have to haul it back at Thanksgiving. This time I'm bringing the carseat and clearly labeling everything else so my mom can bring it if everything works out.

Speaking of my mom, the other night I got to define MILF for her. Thank you Jay Leno.

Here's another little video for Drew:

South Carolina so far

Lizzie and I have had a nice time in South Carolina so far. My mom has been sewing a few things for me and I have been trying to get Liz back to our usual routine. I expect for grandparents to indulge their grandchildren and Lizzie was certainly pampered last week. She is upset that I will not sit in the backseat of the car with her to keep her company, let her watch movies in bed at night, play with her constantly, and so on. Yesterday, in apparent exasperation she snapped "you're not the ruler of this house!" Indeed. Tonight she cried herself to sleep because I would not lay down with her (or let Nana go keep her company). Between tears she said "I miss my daddy. My daddy is my friend. My daddy is nice to me. . . . "We have enjoyed playing in the pool together and I especially like that I can carry her because now she's too big to lift when we are out of the water. Today my shoulders started peeling from my Florida sunburn. Lizzie said that my skin was "gross" and would not touch me (she seemed to think it was contagious). Other fun Lizzie moments: Yesterday we went into a "family bathroom" at Walmart. There were two toilets so Liz insisted on using one for #1 and then moving to the other one for #2. She keeps calling her cousin Willa, "Cawilla," and yesterday she prayed that we would "fight well enough to kill the bad guys."

I put pigtails in Lizzie's hair while she was watching TV. She hated them. Next I tried braids. Same reaction. Argh!

In the above picture Liz is enjoying icecream at Red Lobster. She had fried popcorn shrimp for dinner because we told her they were chicken nuggets (apparently Nana and Papa told her the same thing last week). Every now and then a piece of shrimp would fall out of the breading and she got really suspicious so it probably won't work again.

For Daddy

Here's some videos for Drew since he's missing Liz.

A week at the beach

We just spent an enjoyable week at the beach in Panama City, Florida. It was great. We slept in, each read a couple books, saw Indiana Jones (wouldn't recommend it) and Prince Caspian (loved it), and lounged around on the beach. Andrew also spent a day golfing and another day motorcycling.

We stayed in a corner condo on the 21rst floor. The view was amazing. The water was the clearest I've seen (and the warmest) since the Caribbean. The first two days we were there we could see rays playing amongst the waves. I was surprised at how close they came to the shore and even people in the water. We enjoyed watching the sunset every night. A view of the sunrise wouldn't have helped me much since I stayed in bed till about 10 every day (though it took me a couple days to actually sleep in).