The Pitter-Patter of Little Feet

Our little man's foot at 36 weeks:

I am convinced that he has my feet due to his big toe being longer than his middle toe like mine.  :)  I guess we'll just have to wait and find out!  Not too much longer now...  Although, tell that to me when I'm trying to roll over in bed at night, and I'm likely to punch you in the face hahah!

I cannot wait to kiss every single one of his 10 little toes and 10 little fingers!

32 Weeks

Only 8 more to go...that is if I make it to my due date.  I'm consistently measuring 3 weeks bigger than average.  So, I look (and feel!) 35 weeks.  New developments over the past couple weeks:

-Griffin is now 5 lbs., and it SUPER active.  

-I have discovered that Griffin responds to deep voices...like in classrooms with male professors.  He just goes crazy during my 3 hour Monday class with Mr. Baarendse and my other 3 hour Monday class with Dr. Gentry.

-He is usually in the perfect position for birth (head down, back curved along the left side of my belly).

-He has officially kicked Oliver in the face :)

-I woke up last Thursday morning with my first stretch marks :(  They are low on my belly, smaller, and pink.  Although it is a tad sad (I thought I might be one of the "lucky" ones to not get stretch marks), I realize it's all for a wonderful cause...So I don't mind the marks that much.  What I DO mind is the PAIN!  They hurt so, so bad...almost like a burn!  Any suggestions are welcome.  They don't hurt as bad now as they did for the first several days; however, it doesn't appear they're going to stop hurting because Griffin (and therefore, my belly) continues to get bigger.

-I am having increasing difficulty walking, standing up, sleeping, sitting...you name it.  I think my body must be secreting PLENTY of that relaxin hormone that causes your joints, ligaments and bones to soften because I'm feeling plenty of joint, tendon, and ligament pain.  The latest development is that if I'm walking barefoot, I can feel the tendon in my arch stretch/pull.  Ew & ow. 

-I am starting to get excited about going into labor.  I feel as though I've passed the "hump" of fear, and have moved on to the more productive determined attitude.  At this point (and I'm sure I'll increasingly feel this way), I am willing to do whatever it takes to 1.)  finally meet my baby boy  2.)  put an end to the difficulties and pains of the last trimester :)

Updated Timeline

My Semester...

These are the books I am having to read this semester, minus one or two.  Of course, I'm also trying to squeeze in as many books as possible on pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, newborn care, babies, being a mom, etc.  On top of this, I cannot seem to stop myself from wanting to get into some non-school-required fiction...but, who has the time?!  The Brothers Karamazov, Gilead, Metamorphosis, and The Oresteia beckon me daily.  Sometimes, I even flirt with a chapter or two.  Oh, I am so looking forward to the days where I will have total reading freedom...Days when I am not so bogged down with required reading that I am unable to do any for leisure/simple enjoyment.  Oliver is an incredibly fast reader, which allows him to handle substantial amounts of leisure reading.  I, on the other hand, am not so speedy.

30 Week Pictures

30 Weeks With My Griffin - Highs & Lows

Only 10 more weeks to go!  People are starting to tell me that I "look like i'm going to have this baby any day now."  Not sure what to do with that.

New developments:  
Griffin is over 3 lbs, and his main jobs these days are 
1. getting fat,
2. developing his brain,
3. hanging out under my right ribs (ouch!), and
4. making a scene practicing all his "tricks":  stretching, hiccuping, and kicking (all of which can now be seen by anyone near me).


As I type this, he is hiccuping away.  I just love my little man.  This pregnancy has truly been one of the greatest times in my life.  What a great blessing I've been given...  I'm so thankful.


That being said, even a relatively "easy" pregnancy like mine has not been all highs; there have certainly been some lows...Some pretty low lows.  Insomnia plagues me.  Last week, I went for 3 consecutive nights without any sleep...any.  On the 3rd day, I just sat on the couch and wept, wondering when I was ever going to sleep again.  When you go without sleep for that long, you start to feel like you're going to lose your mind.  That feeling caused me to have an anxiety attack.  Then, due to lack of sleep, I caught a flu bug.  My back and hips hurt pretty much 100% of the time now, and heartburn continues to rear its ugly little head.  None of these things show any signs of getting better before I get through the next 10 weeks.  


At the end of this next 10 weeks lies my greatest source of anxiety and fear:  the labor/delivery.  I would rather hide this fear and look brave to the outside world...but I really feel like "getting it out there" once and for all will help me to process things better than stewing internally.  I do not know what to expect out of labor.  I cannot imagine how it will feel, how I will respond, what could go wrong, etc. etc.  There are so many unknowns.  Usually, I don't get all worked up over the unknowns in life.  I am typically laid back in that respect, but this is a different ball game.  We have chosen to give birth at Covenant Birth Center with a midwife and no pain medication.  As much as I know and have peace that this is the right decision for Oliver, the baby, and I, I still cannot stop fearing the experience of labor/delivery.  I know many, many, many women have had unmedicated, natural births for thousands of years.  I know they were able to do it and, for many, multiple times in their lives.  As much as that intellectually satisfies me, it does not emotionally satisfy me whatsoever.  I've watched plenty of natural birthing videos lately.  There is no denying that the bringing of a baby into the world is a beautiful thing, but it is also just plain horrifying!  Many of the women in these videos have given birth multiple times before, and they still seemingly enter the realm of "losing it" during labor...How on earth can I, a first time mom of a potentially pretty big baby, handle it?  I'm not just worried about the level of pain I must endure; I'm also worried about the length of time I'll have to endure the different levels of pain and if I'll have the gumption to push through the pain at the very end of it all.  I'm not an expert on endurance or pain tolerance.  I know this baby has got to come out no matter what, and I am determined to bring him into the world with as little intervention as possible for his safety.  But I am scared.  Period.


All that being said...WHEW!  I realize that I need to depend on the Lord for strength, wisdom, endurance, etc.  I know that I cannot do this on my own, as is the case with everything in this life.  That does not mean, however, that it'll be easy, not painful, not terrifying.  Hopefully, the more I talk about my fears and concerns, the quicker I can get past this rut and move into excitement and anticipation of the big day.  I am hoping and praying that I can process through the muck and come to a place where I feel empowered as a woman and as God's daughter to finish what has been started in this pregnancy.  I want to look forward to labor and delivery as part of the journey into motherhood, as a physical and emotional gift.  I am blessed with being able to be pregnant.  I am blessed with a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby boy.  I am blessed with being created in such a way to be able to give birth to a child.  Instead of cowering behind negative emotions and feelings of foreboding, I want to embrace the birthing experience with open arms, knowing I am bringing my son into this world in the best possible way I know how.  May God give me the strength and wisdom to walk toward December 21st with my head held high and with my fears behind me.

A Proper Name

Proper names are poetry in the raw. Like all poetry they are untranslatable.  

-W. H. Auden

It appears that after 3 name polls, 7 months of gestation, countless fun naming conversations, and a hint of anxiety over "getting this right," we have settled on a name for our baby boy bean!  And that name is....[drumroll, please]....

Griffin Oliver Thompson

With the name Griffin, there is the possibility of two equally great nicknames:  GRIF-FIN "Griff" and "Finn"  Take your pick!  How fun is that?!  Oliver has been head-over-heels sold on this name for quite a while now.  We agree that it works well for every stage of life.  It can be cute, but it can be manly, strong, and powerful as well.  It has an element of mystery, as the name is shared with a mythological creature.  There are no other L's to stumble over when combined with "Oliver" as the middle name.  It was tied for 3rd (and last) place with "Archer" in the final four name poll with 23% of the votes, but the following info concerning the others in the final four will reveal the happenings with the other names.

Concerning the other names in the "final four":

-Archer (Ari) - (23% of the vote)  This name just didn't win our hearts.  We think it's a great name, but we never were able to see it as the name of our son.

-Sullivan (Sulli) - (34% of the vote)  We had discovered several months ago in a conversation with good friends of ours that we had both discovered this name separately and were thinking of it as our boy name choice, if we were having boys.  (They didn't find out the sex of the baby until he was delivered.)  They did wind up having a beautiful baby boy and naming him Sullivan.  We're so happy for them and just love little Sully.  We decided it would just be weird to name our baby boy Sullivan when we are such good friends with this couple and plan on having our sons be good friends too :)  But, when potential son #2 rolls around, Sullivan is definitely at the top of our list.

-Finley (Finn) - (46% of the vote)  As our friend, Aaron Burt, pointed out, "Finn" can be used as a nickname for Griffin as well.  I always liked "Finley," but it made it so far mainly because of the nickname "Finn," which I LOVE, LOVE.  Since we can "have our cake and eat it too" with the name "Griffin," it made this final decision much easier.  For those who voted for Finley (Finn), it won in the name poll!  But I suppose it's not really getting the boot either, since Finn is still an option for a nickname.

Thanks for all your votes and comments during this process.  I suppose we have over 2 months in which to change our minds on baby boy's name, but we'll just have to wait and see!  We're not signing any blood oaths here :)  Who knows-we could hold the baby for the first time and see clearly that his name is supposed to be "Augustine Clement Ignatius Cyprian Thompson."  Or God could speak to us and command that his name be this or that.  So, with that being said, we leave the door open to the possibilities but have chosen a "placeholder" name which will become his name, barring any unforeseen future naming happenings.

Chicken & Sausage Paella-YUM!

So, I found this wonderful crock-pot recipe in a cookbook and decided to give it a spin...  It is so fantastic, I had to share it.  Not only is it DELISH, but it is also low fat!  Here goes:

Prep Time:  30 min.
Cook Time:  7-8 hours on low (3.5-4 on high)
Makes:  6 servings
Ingredients:
2.5-3 lbs. chicken pieces (I used chicken breasts cut in 3 pieces)
1 T cooking oil
8 oz cooked smoked turkey sausage chopped up
1 lg. onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 t thyme
1/4 t black pepper
1/8 t saffron (or 1/4 t tumeric)
1 14 oz can of chicken broth
1/2 c water
2 c chopped tomatoes (I used extra peas instead)
2 med. yellow or green sweet peppers cut into thin, bite sized strips
1 c frozen peas (I used 2 c.)
3 c hot cooked rice or one 10 oz package saffron-flavored yellow rice mix, cooked according to directions (I used the yellow saffron rice mix...AMAZING)

In large skillet, brown chicken pieces in hot oil.  Drain fat.  In 3.5-4 quart crock-pot/slow cooker, place chicken pieces, turkey sausage, and onion.  Sprinkle with garlic, thyme, black pepper, and saffron/tumeric.  Pour broth and water over all.

Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours (or high for 3.5-4 hours).  Add tomatoes, sweet peppers and peas to the cooker.  Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.  Serve over rice.

Like I said, SUPER good and SUPER easy!

October 1st

What a gorgeous day!  We are so enjoying the beginning of our favorite season.  Instead of taking the "belly journal" shots inside (as we usually do because of the awful SC heat & humidity), we decided to take them in our back"yard"/"forest."

Hello, Miss Foot.

It's been a while since I've lost sight of my feet, and I won't be seeing them again for another 12 weeks. Being that I'm not all that fond of my feet, it's no big loss.

At 2.5 lbs. and 16 inches from head to toe, sweet baby boy is taking up more and more precious abdomen space every day.  He's quite active, and I get to watch him do his little dances from the outside now.  Also, he prefers to place the majority of his chubby little body in the right side of my belly, which makes things feel...well, lop-sided!  As my belly continues to grow, I've been wondering:
-How much bigger is that mole going to get?!?
-Where does my flattened, stretched belly button have to go from here?
-How am I going to be at all mobile or be able to breathe at the end?
-How on earth do people squat while they're giving birth?  I know it's the most natural position to give birth in, but for heaven's sake...there's a LOT of belly in the way!
-Do non-maternity elastic waistbands bother baby?
-Will I be able to get comfortable for the next 12 weeks?

National Birth Center Study Outcomes

Click here to visit the site.

Outcomes of care in birth centers. The National Birth Center Study
JP Rooks, NL Weatherby, EK Ernst, S Stapleton, D Rosen, and A Rosenfield

Abstract

We studied 11,814 women admitted for labor and delivery to 84 free-standing birth centers in the United States and followed their course and that of their infants through delivery or transfer to a hospital and for at least four weeks thereafter. The women were at lower-than-average risk of a poor outcome of pregnancy, according to many but not all of the recognized demographic and behavioral risk factors. Among the women, 70.7 percent had only minor complications or none; 7.9 percent had serious emergency complications during labor and delivery or soon thereafter, such as thick meconium or severe shoulder dystocia. One woman in six (15.8 percent) was transferred to a hospital; 2.4 percent had emergency transfers. Twenty-nine percent of nulliparous women and only 7 percent of parous women were transferred, but the frequency of emergency transfers was the same. The rate of cesarean section was 4.4 percent. There were no maternal deaths. The overall intrapartum and neonatal mortality rate was 1.3 per 1000 births. The rates of infant mortality and low Apgar scores were similar to those reported in large studies of low-risk hospital births. We conclude that birth centers offer a safe and acceptable alternative to hospital confinement for selected pregnant women, particularly those who have previously had children, and that such care leads to relatively few cesarean sections.

Source Information

Center for Population and Family Health, School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York.

25 weeks down, 15 to go!

I look forward to my prenatal appointments each month (soon to be every other week).  There are few things greater in this world than hearing your baby's heartbeat and being reassured that everything is going well.  Today, the midwife told us that he is head down and was snuggling down into my abdomen to get away from the heart monitor!  My belly is measuring 26cm, which is just right.  Last appointment, at our ultrasound at 21 weeks, the ultrasound technician told us that he weighed 15oz.  When we got home, all the books said he should only be 10oz. at 21 weeks!  So, needless to say, that got us thinking he might be getting too big too fast!  I asked the midwife about this issue today, and she said that 15oz. actually put him in the 43rd percentile for 21 weeks...which means he's actually under the average weight!  WHEW!

Before the appointment this morning, we took a tour of Covenant Birth Center, which is where we are considering switching to from our current midwives at Lexington Women's Care.  What a great experience!  Oliver and I left feeling like we might have just seen where our baby will enter the world!  Covenant Birth Center has one main midwife, Lisa Byrd, who is very experienced and is big on taking time with you, holding you accountable to being healthy, staying with you throughout your entire labor, delivery, and immediate post-natal care.  Each standard appointment with her takes an hour or more, and she uses some of that time to prepare and equip you for labor and delivery.  It seems as though Covenant is focused on empowering you, as a woman, to do what God made your body to do!  The Center is homey and cozy, with a living room area, kitchen, and two bedroom/bathroom combos for labor and delivery.  The bathrooms have big birthing tubs, which is what I'm very interested in using.  There is always Lisa and/or her support staff there to assist you, check on the baby, and attend to your needs throughout the entire process, and there is a big focus on creating a calm, soothing environment to enable you to relax, thereby helping the labor process to go more quickly and easily.

We have been struggling with our current prenatal care, and information we've received from them concerning what I am/am not allowed to do during labor and delivery has been very mixed.  Some say I can labor in the itty-bitty tub, others say I cannot.  For sure, I cannot deliver in the tub.  Some say I have to have an IV, others say I don't.  Some say I can make a birth plan and they will try to follow it, and others scoff at the whole birth plan idea.  Because there are 5-6 midwives that you see and any one of them could wind up delivering your baby (depending on who is on call), I just don't know what to expect.  I've heard lots of great stories from women who have delivered with them, and several bad stories.  The reality is, I feel mainly like patient #11394992 there.  Most of the time, the midwife doesn't even sit down after coming in to the check-up room, and I feel like I'm taking up her precious time with my nonsense questions.  From the time the midwife enters the room until the appointment is over is usually about 5 minutes.  There is very little, if any, instructional or preparatory advice given, and labor and delivery questions are largely left to giant question marks.  I keep wondering, "How pregnant do I need to be for these ladies to get serious with me about the impending birth," and "Why don't they care more about what is going on now?"  I know I am just a patient after all, but I was expecting more the OB/GYN treatment with midwives.

So, after all that rambling, here I am.  I like the safety and security of being able to deliver in a hospital...along with the option of having pain medication if I am losing it altogether...but that is about it when it comes to reasons to stay with our current midwives.  Covenant Birth Center offers everything I am truly looking for, and it is literally 3/4 of a mile down the street from Lexington Medical Center.  Lisa is very, very careful and is not afraid to recommend that you go to the hospital, if need be.  They don't let things reach emergency status, where an ambulance would need to come transport you.  They preemptively let you know so you and your family can drive over to the hospital.

As all these things run through our minds, it is good to know that I am low-risk and having a totally normal, healthy pregnancy.  Oliver feels that Covenant is the way to go, and I am just working through the pro's and con's of each option.  I think he is right, and I am just nervous about making such an important decision.  If you think to pray for us in this, we would really appreciate it.  We have a 2 hour appointment with Lisa at Covenant on the 17th of this month.  I think we'll know for sure after that.  Keep you posted!

http://www.covenantbirthcenter.com/

The "Final Four" - Round 3

Alright, we are now down to the "final four" names! Three of these correspond to the top three names in the poll, and one is a lesser-voted-for name. Here are the round two votes for each name:

-Adoniram (Remmy) 1 vote (2%)
-Archer (Ari) 4 votes (10%)
-Augustine/August (Gus) 1 vote (2%)

-Ezra 4 votes (10%)
-Finley/Finian (Finn) 19 votes (50%)
-Gilead (Gil) 9 votes (23%)
-Graeme 2 votes (5%)
-Griffin (Griff) 13 votes (34%)
-Quincy (Quinn) 12 votes (31%)
-Sullivan (Sulli) 15 votes (39%)

And...drumroll please...the final four are (in non-ranked, alphabetical order):

-Archer (Ari)
-Finley (Finn)
-Griffin (Griff)
-Sullivan (Sulli)

Votes DO NOT carry over from previous rounds. You must VOTE AGAIN to get your vote counted for this round.

Suggestions are still welcome. If the suggestion "hits the spot" with both Oliver and I (easier said than done), we'll include it in this round. If you would like to comment, click on the blue word "COMMENTS" below this post.

13-24 Week Timeline

My Latest Meal Obsession

Oh my goodness, I cannot get enough of this meal!  I make it in bulk, and heat it up for days and days.  Those of you who have been pregnant understand these "kicks."  I'm sure that at some point, I will be heating some up and suddenly want to vomit just thinking about eating it.  This happened with spaghetti in my first trimester.

So, here is the procedure...No exact measurements with me (as usual).  Good thing I don't do much baking...I would be terrible.

Start some farfalle noodles boiling.  Use 2 bags of whatever frozen veggies you feel like.  I've done broccoli+corn, sugar snap peas+a stir fry mix of veggies, peas+green beans...Basically, whatever I have in the freezer.  Cook those according to their respective microwave, stove, or skillet directions.  Drain off the water.  While they are cooking, heat some extra virgin olive oil in a wok (or big skillet), along with a bunch of minced garlic (you'll need to add more oil as you go).   Dump the veggies into the wok.  Add a bunch of Italian seasoning and whatever else you feel like (I add some curry powder).  When the noodles are finished, drain and combine in the wok.  You'll probably need to add a bit more oil to cover the noodles.  Serve covered in parmesan :)  It's fantastic.

Bellies & Baby Showers

My friends, Shari and Anna, both got pregnant months before me, and it has been fun "growing" with them throughout the past 6 months.  Shari was due August 28th (my birthday!) and just had her baby September 3rd.  Anna is due September 30th, and I am due December 21st.

First came Shari's shower, at which point Shari was around 36 weeks, Anna was about 31 weeks, and I was 20 weeks:

Then came Anna's shower, at which point Shari was 2 days overdue, Anna was at 35 weeks, and I was at 24 weeks.  What a difference a month makes!!!

"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: