Names

I’ve had a pretty good idea for awhile of the kinds of names I like. Luckily, Daniel and I agree on most of them. (Either that, or I just always win. I really can never tell). The one name I’m really set on is Atticus for a boy. I get mixed reviews on this one. My family hates it. My mom especially. She thinks it’s “trendy,” and no matter how much I tell her that in order for a name to be trendy it has to be used frequently, she doesn’t believe me. Oh well. I like the name because of the namesake, Atticus Finch from “To Kill a Mockingbird,” one of my favorite books of all time. We’ve gone back and forth on middle names trying to come up with something that not only fits, but that can be a back-up name if he really hates Atticus.

Also, I have a dear great uncle that I love very much. He’s not going to be with us for much longer, and I’d like to be able to pass on his name. Unfortunately, it’s Clarence. That’s a little too heavy in my opinion. But, as I was reading “The Baby Name Wizard,” I came upon this passage that inspired me. “If you don’t want two Margarets to create confusion at family gatherings, or just can’t bear to name your son after your husband’s grandpa Selig, try echoing the namesake with a slightly different choice.” And that’s when it hit me. Claire. It’s a perfect cute name with an old-fashioned feel. Obviously it would be for a girl, and may end up being a middle name, but I thought it was a stroke of genius.

There were some other real gems in this book that I’d like to share.

“Use whatever criteria you like to narrow down your name choices, but before you fill in the birth certificate, stop and give the name this final test: If you were starting life today, knowing everything you know about the world, is this the name you would want to represent you?” (Does your name fall into this criteria? Mine does.)

Also, there was a way funny chart that I don’t think was meant to be funny. It’s a do-it-yourself name generator. There were several options to create a custom name, kind of like you hear all the time now-a-days. Brylin, Kadlin, Jaysah, Baidee, Shayson. I got a kick out of making up outrageous names.

Stuff, stuff, stuff

My original plan was not to buy anything early on. I guess that somewhere in the back of my mind I’m supposed to be worried about miscarriage. At this point, I haven’t worried much about it since I’ve definitely been feeling symptoms, and nothing out of the ordinary. And, I can’t imagine what the first trimester would be like if I was expecting a miscarriage all the time.

So, I’ve started making my registry on Amazon.com. Keep in mind though, if you visit, that most of the stuff on there right now is pretty basic and pretty expensive. It’s mostly a way for me to remember what things I like. One thing I am kind of excited about and am trying to get Daniel on board with is the Orbit travel system. It’s pretty pricey at about $900 for the infant set, but it’s oh-so-safe and cool.

As far as diapering, I’d really like to try out some cloth after the first month or two. I’ve been researching cloth diaper options for...pretty much years now, and I think the system I like best is the bumGenius. To start up with 24 diapers or so, it’s about $300. The nice thing about that though, it that will be pretty much the entire diaper expense for the whole two years of diapering.

Anyway, I like looking at stuff, and I figure it’s good to do it now while I’m still excited about it.

First Appointment

Today I had my first appointment. I think I’m really going to like my new doctor. I felt very welcome in his office. I got a little bloodwork done, but most of the paperwork will be done in four weeks. They also confirmed that my due date is February 25. In fact, the nurse said, “You got a positive pregnancy test already?” I said, “I might be a compulsive tester.” She said, “Ohhh... okay....” But, she said that she had fertility treatments and so she understood.

I’ve had a friend ask me if it felt like the days were dragging on. I have to be honest, I’m used to waiting 4 weeks or so for every cycle. So, it will be about the same for seeing the doctor. The time really does start flying.

Today I’m feeling exhausted. I woke up with a massive headache and nausea as well. This prompted me to tell my work a little earlier than I had expected. They were fine about it, and tried to make me take a nap halfway through the day. I just hope the fatigue doesn’t last too long. But, overall, I’m really glad to be having symptoms. That’s a sign to me that everything is going well.

What to Eat...

I’m hungry all the time. Which is unusual for me since I can usually skip breakfast and lunch. But, I suppose that will now become a thing of the past. I wake up at about 6:30 in the morning ready for something to eat. Daniel insists that I don’t just eat half a bag of Reese’s for breakfast, but instead have a granola bar or some oatmeal or something. Good thing he’s around to keep me in line.

In fact, yesterday we went to Smith’s to buy some groceries and snacks for me to eat at work. I picked out crackers and the like. Daniel then reached for the Oreo Cakesters. What a great example he is. :)

I think I’m going to have to become more creative in my meal planning to make sure I don’t just resort to eating out.

Other than that, I’m just counting down the hours until I go to the OB tomorrow!!

Switching Ob/GYN

I had a blood test taken on Friday because I had a pretty faint positive that morning. Daniel and I went in, and I had a simple blood draw. I was really hoping that they would get me the results that afternoon. Well, the day came and went and they didn’t call. When I got a positive test on Saturday and Sunday, I knew I wasn’t imagining it anymore. Well, I figured they’d call me on Monday morning. Monday morning came and went. I finally decided that if they didn’t call me by noon that I’d probably just have to see another doctor. (I’ve had problems with this doctor before).

So, I’ve decided to see Dr. Juchau at the Spanish Fork Clinic, and I made an appointment for Thursday. At about 2 pm I decided to give my other Ob/GYN a call and see if I couldn’t at least get the numbers from Friday. I had to leave a message. They called at 4:15 (they close at 4:30) and said that they couldn’t find my file. After they found my file, they couldn’t find the test they ordered. She said she’d call the hospital and then call me back. At 5:10 she finally called back and gave me my number. It was 98 on Friday. Which is pretty good considering I was only about 13 days past ovulation and hadn’t missed my period yet.

I’m probably going to get another blood test on Thursday just to make sure everything is doubling like it should.

Things I'm Excited About

I’ve had a lot of time to prepare for being pregnant. In fact, I have been listening to “Pregtastic” a Pregnancy podcast for over a year now. I felt pretty dumb listening to it when I wasn’t even pregnant. Now, I can listen to it guilt free.

If you’d like, check it out on iTunes, it’s pretty cool.

After One Year and 2 Months

I can finally say with some certainty that I am pregnant.

I have to say that everything seems a little surreal right now. I had an appointment scheduled for Wednesday to start talking about fertility options. On Friday I just had a hunch that maybe I should test. I was due for my cycle at that time, and I had a test lying around.

That test had a very faint second line, but I knew I wasn’t imagining it. I went in for a blood test at the hospital Friday afternoon, but never got a call from the doctor. So, I took another one this morning, and there were definitely two lines.

My approximate due date is March 1, 2010. I am reserving my true excitement for when I actually get confirmation from the doctor, hopefully on Monday.