The Name Game

As you know boys names come much harder to Tim and I then girl's names. We have spent hours making lists, highlighting in books, looking up meanings, etc. We went through categories such as biblical names, family names, president names, etc. At one point Tim threw out 'Mark, Matt, Clayton, Justin and Andre" which at first I thought were all fine names and later realized he was going through the Dodger's baseball lineup. As you see we were constantly thinking baby boy names. We were even watching the credits of movies to see if anything caught our eye. In the end there were about five names that we both liked, but we struggled to decide which one stood out the most as our son's name. Well everyone can rest easy, our son has a name!

Over the weekend, Tim and I agreed that our son is JACK BRYANT TATUM. It's already displayed on wall and Hannah is saying it instead of baby boy which is so cute to hear. They have matching piggy banks and Hannah keeps saying "My pink pig big money, Jack's pig no money." Okay so back to the name, according to the US Department of Social Security (which in my opinion has the most accurate rating of baby name popularity) last year Jack was the 45th most commonly used baby name. It's meaning is "God is Gracious" which I love. It is such a wonderful reminder of God's love and that in all things we should be thankful. I like looking up the meaning of names because let's just say you won't find the meaning of Lesley in my baby book "The Gray Fortress." And now to clear a few things up, thinking of my reader population I'm going to guess that only two of you even know this, but yes, Jack Tatum was a famous NFL player back in the day. Personally, never heard of him, but I'll just throw it out there to clear the air. No, we are not naming our child after a man who is most famous for paralyzing a guy after tackling him. Ok, good, glad that's clear. I like Jack because it's timeless. I think it's such a cute name for a little boy running around and yet you can walk into a board room introduce yourself as Jack and feel good. It's easy to say and spell and I think it fits with Hannah. Daddy says your nickname is Jax which I think is cute too.

On to the middle name. Son, I'm sure you and your father will enjoy pretending that you were named after Daddy's favorite basketball player Kobe Bryant, but sorry, it's just not true. The real meaning behind your middle name is that Bryant Ranch is where Mommy and Daddy first met and the name forever holds a special place in my heart because of it. I can still picture exactly where I was sitting when Daddy walked in the room. When I first heard another intern would be joining us, my first reaction was 'oh good, I can size up the job competition, I bet he's got nothing on me.' But as soon as I saw Daddy I knew there was something special about him and we became instant friends. We understood each other and have been each others support every since. We have so many good memories of the groups we ran together, crazy parents we worked with, and work outings we attended. I can still name and picture all 10 1st graders we worked with and it blows my mind to think those little guys are currently in middle school. Anyway, without Bryant Ranch, Daddy and I would have never met. So to me your middle name is a reminder of love and that God has a special plan for all our lives. You never know when your competition might turn into your greatest ally. The internet meaning of Bryant is "Strong" which is also a wonderful meaning. Remember to be not just strong in build, but Strong in faith, family, morals, mind, and heart.

Mommy and Daddy love you Jack Bryant and can't wait to meet you. And P.S. I hope you like your name :)

Bump Watch

Yesterday Hannah and I went to my monthly doctor's appointment. The appointments are pretty quick and easy. Hannah loves hearing the baby. She tells the doctor it sounds like a choo choo train. Baby boy sounded great. Heart rate at 158 and doctor said he was moving like crazy. I feel him move daily which I love, but it's still fairly delicate. Doctor said my placenta is in front so that is common. I am looking good, gaining weight appropriately, etc. I am excited that I get one more special ultrasound in two weeks because my doctor just does one more for a growth check at 32 weeks which is a long way away. Wait no more, here is my month five, week 20 bump watch picture.

Half Way Point

Today is a big day as we have reached 20 weeks, the half way point! Baby boy is now the size of a large banana. Last night I was feeling him move so much and I know movements are going to get even stronger which I'm excited about. Baby also has all his taste buds and can develop preferences already based on what I eat. I am feeling good,a little tired, but doing well. When I am on my feet a lot I feel the separated pelvis I had with Hannah (due to my fall) returning. The doctor said this is common because your bones naturally soften with pregnancy so it often brings up old injuries. With Hannah I couldn't even walk and I remember Tim carrying me up out apartment stairs. I just pray it doesn't get to that point again. Activities where I have to separate my legs are what hurt the most. In particular everyday things you usually do without thinking. The worst are putting on pants, stepping into a shower,and getting in and out of a car. Hannah still thinks she also has a baby in her stomach. I haven't found it in my heart to tell her otherwise yet. She thinks we should call the baby 'baby boy.' I feel like we are inching closer to a name, but still go back and forth between a few. Hitting the half way mark makes me think just how fast life flies by and I know he will be here before we know it. Below is a picture of Hannah and her best friends one year apart. Life goes so fast and I just want to enjoy each day. Coming up this week is a doctor's appointment on Wednesday and posting my 20 week: 5 month bump watch picture.

Safe to Buy Blue (or green cus that's the color of his side of the room)

Today Tim and I went for our anatomy scan and fancy birth defect screening. Good news is that everything is perfect. In fact, it is so good that the doctor said she would use our babies anatomy (heart, brain, kidneys, etc.) pictures in a textbook. My numbers are 100% which she said she never sees and joked that I am setting the curve for the whole office because he looks so perfect. Tim laughed and said it reminded him of when he asked my dad for his blessing and my dad's first comment was that when I was born I received a 10 on the apgar score. At the time, Tim didn't even know what an Apgar score was, but now he gets it that a parent is forever proud of their baby and a parent never stops believing their baby is perfect. That's the way it should be. Being a mom of a baby with a birth defect, it just felt so good to hear because I think I will forever blame myself a little for Hannah's struggles as a baby. This doctor seconded the fact that Hannah should have never gone 9 days undiagnosed. She said she likes to give colleagues the benefit of the doubt but that that was a major oversight. Anyway I digress, back to my perfect baby BOY. Yes, it is confirmed. I felt 90% sure it was boy, but finding out so early you just never know. But for anyone still skeptical see photo below. There is no doubting it. More good news, my hematoma is gone! Additionally, the office we went to specializes in baby echos. and when I told her that the daddy had open heart surgery at 29 she jumped right on it. We got a million shots of the mitral valve and looks like the valve takes after mommy because she said heart is 'beautiful.' Heart beat was 160. Baby boy was sleeping the whole time and it was a long ultrasound. They have many different imaging techniques which was interesting. Baby for sure has a normal lip and nose. The hard part to tell is palate, but based on all their measurements of various bones and how far the chin protrudes etc. it looks like palate is intact. They are going to have me come back one more time in four weeks just to verify again. I think they feel bad about what happened to Hannah so they want to be totally confident. So moral of the story, we have a boy and he looks perfect! Boy is still nameless. I promise I am not holding anything back. Tim and I talked about it the whole way to Newport and it only made me more confused. And by the time we arrived our conclusion was he might just be Tim Jr. J/K he won't be, even though I love the name Timothy. One more fun fact, baby weighed in today at 8 oz and growth is completely on tract for 9-1-13.

Baby's profile, mouth open, hand up by mouth


Sorry son, don't be mad at me someday for posting this. This is a shot of legs open (I think you can decipher the rest.)

Looking Good

Hannah and I met with my doctor today for a check up. We got to listen to the heart beat which Hannah says sounds like a choo choo train. Heart rate was 163 bpm. She also said there were three movements noted in thirty seconds which is good. I knew I was feeling him! The appointment was fairly brief. Weight check and blood draw were also done. I see the doctor again in a month. She also decided to have me cancel my next ultrasound at their office and we rescheduled it with a super high tech facility that looks specifically for birth defects. She said they have an extra fancy machine and that a doctor performs the scan instead of a tech. When I called the facility to set it up they said the ultrasound lasts 45 minutes. Wow that is a long time. She just wants to be extra cautious they don't miss the cleft. Not like it matters. All I'd do different is dust off the old Habermans and start saving for surgery costs. But like I remind the parents I work with regularly, we all have deficits somewhere, some are physical, some intellectual, some mental and we learn to make the best out of what we are dealt. Differences are what make us all unique, but I am excited to see what they find. That appointment is in two weeks. Hopefully they can also confirm the gender at that time. WIth 45 minutes I'm assuming they will get at least one good look.

Month 4 Bump Watch

As promised here is your Month 4: 16 week, bump watch photo (and yes I did cut 7 inches off of my hair this morning in an attempt to distract you from how fast my belly is growing). J/K I love my little bump, but it is much bigger this time around. At 16 weeks with Hannah I was a bridesmaid in my friend's wedding wearing a size four tight dress and I don't think you could even tell. Well this little guy is making a grand showing early. At 16 weeks, baby is 5 inches long or the size of an avocado. He can hear voices from the outside world, sleep and even have dreams. Baby is kicking, making fists and even somersaulting. I feel him move about twice a day and it is subtle in nature but still there. People are asking us more and more frequently about the name and we are not hiding anything just don't know yet. I'd say there are four contenders but who knows, I change my mind frequently. Just last week I thought I had it down to two. Hannah is so much fun. She makes me laugh and smile every day. I feel like the luckiest mom in the world and I can't wait to see her as a big sister. I have a feeling she will be a great helper, but also let baby boy know who's boss from day one. Baby boy take it from me, just don't encroach on her time with her Ne, her Dog, or the color purple and you'll be good to go. In all seriousness I am so excited to see their relationship grow. My brother and I are very different, but no matter what I have his back and he has mine. It's a good feeling. I learned in biology class back in the day that you are more genetically similar to your siblings than anyone else including your parents. Now I did take biology at a community college so who knows if that is true of not, I'm sure Uncle Jeff could tell us, but the point is how awesome to have a built in friend, protector, and supporter for life. Doctor's appointment on Wednesday this week and Daddy turns 30 on Thursday. Maybe it's my OCD side coming through but I like how Tim will be 30 when the baby is born. It's a nice round easy number to remember that they will be thirty years apart. Ok this post is starting to ramble and become all over the place.

15 Weeks

Sorry for the brief lapse in blog posts, but really there hasn't been too much to report. I am feeling good. Tired, but good. No single strange food cravings, but have been really wanting lays potato chips and McDonald's chocolate chip cookies. Super healthy and I'm sure doctor approved. Hannah is fully convinced there is a baby growing in her stomach as well. Tim played basketball for the first time in a long time last week and goes to see another specialist in San Diego on Tuesday. Baby boy has been new inspiration for healing so that he can have his dream of playing sports with his kids and coaching. Baby boy continues to grow. At 15 weeks, he is the size of an apple. I am also starting to feel slight movement throughout the day, but it is still subtle. What a great feeling! Tiny bones have developed in the baby's ears, which means he can now hear my voice. Doctor's appointment coming up next week and also stay tuned for your month four bump watch pic.