"The Quest" - Round 2

Thanks to all of our lovely friends and family, we have received over 40 votes on our blog name poll and many others via Facebook, and it is now time for Round 2 of voting!  With your help, we've paired the initial list of 24 names down to a list of 10.  Here are the names that have received the boot from Oliver and I, with pertinent explanations.  Please, do not be offended if the name you so dearly loved got vetoed; the decision was not personal in the least.  The number of votes listed reflects only those votes cast on this blog's poll and not Facebook votes. (I couldn't tell if people voted in both places or not.)

-Darcy (1 vote)- too girly, family members threatened to beat him up if we name him this ;), in tie for last place in poll, with only 1 vote

-Everett (Rett) (6 votes)- ends with "t," and it has been decided names ending in "t" and "d" are out for "thompson" conflicts

-Boaz (Bo) (4 votes)- body odor jokes, friend and family nose-scrunching 

-Wyatt (6 votes)- ends in "t" and celeb baby name

-Jedediah (Jed) (4 votes)- Oliver doesn't like it....at all.

-Paxton (Pax) (4 votes)- too close to Jaxon, celeb baby name

-Sawyer (8 votes)- Tom Sawyer/Sawyer Thompson/no nickname-very cute, but very trendy

-Grayson (Gray) (8 votes)- GraySON ThompSON-sons, we've decided against the double "son" thing

-Hudson (4 votes)- HudSON ThompSON-sons

-Jude (9 votes)- This ended up in a tie for 2nd place in the poll, but I just cannot get past the fact that when the full name is pronounced, it sounds like "Jew Thompson", ends in "d" sound.

-Enzo (1 vote)- Elmo, in tie for last place in the poll with only 1 vote

-Cormac (Mac) (2 votes)-Cormac Thompson is hard to say, and I just don't think I like it well enough.

-Montgomery (Monty) (5 votes)-Oliver thinks Montgomery is too formal.  I think Monty Thompson would turn into Monny Thompson...and I had an "Aunt Monny."  

Now, onto the names that are still in the running!  Here they are with their respective amount of votes on the blog's poll:

-Gilead (Gil) (3 votes)  We know Gilead is weird, but it does grow on ya...And how cute is Gil!?

-Sullivan (Sulli) (9 votes)  In 2nd place!  We love this one for it's uniqueness and great nickname.

-Ezra (4 votes)  Oliver is not a huge fan of this one, but it hasn't yet lost all possibility.

-Finian/Finley (Finn) (14 votes)  In 1st place!  This is one of our absolute favorites for the Celtic origin and adorable nickname.

-Augustine/August (Gus) (4 votes)  Love the nickname, not sure about the full name.  We're not ready to toss it out altogether though.

-Graeme (1 vote)  Tied for last place in the poll, but I love something about this name...  Can't get rid of it yet.  Plus, I think it would work well in all stages of life.

-Griffin (Griff) (5 votes)  Such a great, masculine name. 

-Quincy (Quinn) (4 votes)  I'm not totally crazy over it, but it is cute.

-Archer (Ari) (4 votes)  I love the strong, masculine quality of Archer.  I also love the sound and meaning of the nickname Ari (means "lion"in Hebrew).

-Adoniram (Remmy) (3 votes)  We love the meaning of Adoniram "my Lord is lifted up," but we're not so sure about the 4 syllable length.  Oh, and Remmy is super cute!

This marks the 2nd round of voting, so we are starting with a clean slate (all names back to zero votes).  In other words, vote again on the name(s) you like within these 10 names.

Once again, any criticisms, suggestions, comments, etc. are welcome.  Just click on the green word "Comments" below this post, and type away!

The Quest for the Perfect Name-Important Notes

So, a couple of issues have been brought to my attention concerning the name ideas we've listed.  Here they are:

• Jude is a great name, and we love it; however Jude+Thompson sounds like "Jew Thompson."
• Grayson is popular on the poles, but we're worried about the two "son"s--->GraySON ThompSON. Does this disqualify Grayson?
• I think we like Finley/Finlay better than Finian, but I am unable to change it in the current poll.  Mainly, we love the nickname Finn.
• We love Paxton, but my brother's name is Jaxon.  Are they too similar?
• I don't think Darcy is going to work.  I was, of course, thinking of Mr. Darcy from Pride & Prejudice, but it appears most people consider it a girl name.

Any new name suggestions would be GLADLY accepted.  Just click on the green word "Comments" at the bottom of this post, or go on Facebook, and suggest away!  Thanks for your votes!

The Quest for the Perfect Name

Now that we know our little one is a boy, serious name searching must commence.  Yesterday and today, Oliver and I combed through baby name idea books and composed a list of names that stood out....Not that we necessarily love or even truly like some of these names...They just stood out.

A couple things you must know about the kind of name Oliver and I are looking for:

1. It has to be unique.  We are just not into over-used, commonplace names.  So, as strange as these names may sound when you first hear them, some will grow on you and others won't.  We want the kind that'll grow on you.
2. We LOVE cute nicknames.  In fact, many of the names listed below were chosen because of the nickname in parentheses following the name.
3. It has to work both for an infant, little boy, teenager, and grown man.
4. It cannot have any obvious horrible connection.  In other words, think like an 8 year old boy, and try to think of terrible ways to mock our little guy's name.  If you come up with something easily, then I suppose that isn't the "perfect" name.
5. We're pretty sure his middle name will be Oliver...So his first name must go with that and Thompson.

Okay, so here they are (in no particular order).  If there is a *, both Oliver and I really like that name.  The more *'s, the more we like it.

-Perry (Middle)

-Gilead (Gil)***

-Sullivan (Sulli)*****

-Ezra

-Jude

-Finian/Finley (Finn)***

-Hudson**

-Cormac (Mac)*

-Augustine (Gus)

-Graeme

-Grayson (Gray)**

-Sawyer

-Griffith/Griffin (Griff)*

-Paxton (pax)***

-Jedediah (jed) (beloved of the Lord)

-Levi

-Quincy (Quinn)

-Wyatt

-Boaz (Bo)**

-Archer (Ari/Archie)**

-Adoniram (Remmy)**

-Enzo

-Everett (Rhett)*

-Darcy*

-Montgomery (Monty)

Little Diapers-So CUTE!

When you register at Target for your baby registry, they give you a gift bag with free samples and coupons.  I recently went through this bag to keep or toss things and came across this free sample newborn diaper with a special top band for dealing with sensitive newborn belly button issues.  How small and cute?  In the picture, I'm holding it in my hand for perspective.  I can't wait to put our little man in one of those!  [The first of many, many, many more.]

Victorious with Craigslist Once Again!

If we had more money, Craigslist could easily become an addiction for me.  Ebay finds are nothing compared to the great deals I've found on Craigslist.  Recently, I had another glorious Craigslist victory.

I've been searching for a cheap but sturdy white changing table.  Buying one new will cost you at least $90-100, which isn't what I consider "cheap."  

So, the other day, I saw a listing for an almost new, great changing table with drawers, a cabinet, an extra long table top for storing things, and a shelf on the bottom for $30!  Not that $30 wasn't great, but I asked if they would take $25.  Sure enough, they did, and Oliver brought home the great changing table pictured below!  We found a Kmart sticker on the back, and I looked it up online.  Guess what it retails for?  $250!!!  Yay!  

How cute is this?!

Making Some Headway on the Nursery

With a jam-packed semester of college looming before us, and with only 3 days after the semester ends before my due date, Oliver and I decided we would have to get started on the major nursery preparation projects before the first day of class.

Last weekend, we began by attempting to get everything out of the guest bedroom, tossing/giving away unnecessary furniture/stuff, and rearranging the office to accommodate the futon, etc. Then, it was on to painting the nursery. We chose a bold leaf green (at least that is how I would describe it) to give the necessary contrast with the white nursery furniture. But first, we had to paint the ceiling, trim, and doors white, as they were previously cream. After the nursery painting was all set, it was on to the half bath attached to the nursery. We had already painted (poorly) the walls a mint color, and we had to go back and redo the white ceiling and trim in there as well.

Whew! Then, we rearranged the house once again in order to shampoo all the carpets. I'm sorry to say, it seemed to make little/no difference whatsoever, but it created the perhaps placebo effect that things were nice and clean for baby boy bean.

Then came the super fun (and strangely emotional) part of setting up the crib, washing all the hand-me-downs, and setting up the nursery with the items we currently have.

Here are some photos of the process and finished product:

Before:

Oliver "cutting in." He is a professional :) :

I stick with rollers. Straight lines are not for me:

The empty painted rooms:

Putting the crib together:

And viola!...so far:

Beautiful Boy

This video is from our 22 week ultrasound, and it is set to the John Lennon song, "Beautiful Boy," per Oliver's request. He really is so beautiful. I cry every time I watch this. Keep your eye peeled for his profile, front of his face, little heart, little "man parts," feet, spine, and mouth moving around and opening and closing!

The Growing Baby Bump

Oliver and I are thoroughly enjoying the growth and changes that have continued to take place since we found out we were expecting. Here is some of the visible "growth" that has taken place over the last 22 weeks:

13 weeks:

16 Weeks:

19 Weeks:

20 Weeks:

22 Weeks:

Here is another view:

13 Weeks:

16 Weeks:

19 Weeks:

20 Weeks:

22 Weeks:

It's a BOY!

At 22 weeks, we found out our "little bean" is a boy! It was such a surprise, because literally every single person we had talked to about the gender of the baby said it was a girl...EVERYone (and yes, this includes me). As the ultrasound technician swung around to take a look at the bottom half of our little one, she said, "And here are little boy parts," and I said, "What kind of parts?!?!" Immediately, Oliver's mom, Kristin Franklin, Oliver, and I sort of gave an excited, surprised yell, and the ultrasound tech. had to quiet us down! Oliver described the shock as a "punch in the stomach." He didn't mean it in a bad way, of course...He was crying tears of joy, as were we all.

I have to say, going from thinking your baby is a girl to knowing he is a boy takes a little bit of transition. I sort of questioned my "motherly intuition," but it is true that I began accidentally referring to the baby as "he" and "him" from early on. Certainly, I am not in the least disappointed that we are having a boy. I look forward to doing all kinds of little boy things with him, watching him with his father, and getting to go golfing with grandpa. Most importantly, he is healthy, apparently pretty strong (judging by the kicks hah), and cute as a button.

Here is an ultrasound picture of his "little man parts," as I like to call them:

Maggie Cleans Rigby

Rigby and Magnolia truly love one another. Rigby gets excited every time she spots Magnolia, and Magnolia spends plenty of time cleaning/grooming Rigby. Of course, when Rigby gets too pushy, Magnolia doesn't spare the claw, but this teaches Rigby her boundaries.

Check out this cute video of Magnolia cleaning Rigby: