I have had a lot of fun poked at me over my crazy criteria for choosing baby names. Yes, I know it may be a bit extreme, but I only have to pick 2-4 names in my life, so why not be picky? We and this baby will be dealing with this name for the rest of our lives; it is IMPORTANT. I also want to say that I love some of these things in names others pick, just not for my kid;o)
So, I thought I would share our process and my crazy criteria;o)
First, the criteria:
1) Has to be relatively gender specific.
I know that there is probably no name that is 100% gender specific, but I want a name where someone will look at it on a resume or roll list and not have a question.
2) I prefer girl names that end in vowel sounds and boy names that end in consonant sounds. I think there is just something about the way they sound to me.
3) I don't want anything too popular, but not uber unique. Think, somewhere between 20-1000;o) Having to pick a nickname or go by a last initial is really annoying and gets confusing.
4) Only one pronunciation. I want people to look at the name and know how to say it. This comes from personal experience and is a major annoyance of mine. I would say that my name (which is not that unusual) is correctly pronounced by a stranger about 25% of the time. And I have had several teachers throughout my school career not be able to keep it straight. I don't want my kid to have to deal with this frustration.
5) No automatic nicknames. I plan to name my kids what I am going to call them. This also comes from personal experiences. From not knowing what to call someone to being asked if I go by Anne, Andi, etc. My most specific annoyance is with my poor husband's experience. I cannot tell you how many times my husband has introduced himself to someone new and the conversation goes something like this:
"Hi, my name is David." . . .
"So, Dave, what do you do for a living?"
I want to yell, "Did he tell you his name was Dave!?!?!?!?!?!"
Grrrrrrrrrr. I know it doesn't bug him as much as me, but no, no, no!
6) No biblical names. The bible is just not a part of our lives.
7) I prefer 2 syllable names. They just roll off the tongue right. Not too short, not too long.
8) Personal Associations. I think these always play a roll and are very personal depending on the name.
After a couple of months of casually talking about names, poor David was getting pretty annoyed with all of my criteria, so, in true David style, he enlisted the help of Excel and macros. He narrowed the top 1000 boy names down to about 500+ and the top 1000 girl names down to 300+. We both got a copy of the lists and went through and crossed out names we didn't like or had slipped passed the computer, circled names we loved and left a few others. We then compared/combined our lists and were left with a handful of boy names and a handful of girl names. We then narrowed to 2 girl names and 1 boy name- Kylee, Chelsea and Travis.
The middle names were actually a little easier. We tried to pick something that had sentimental value in both families- sounds harder than the criteria above, but it has been fairly simple. We chose Robert and Marie.
Combining all of that info, we have a name for our little girl:
Chelsea Marie
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Saturday, June 7, 2014
The Big Reveal
We celebrated our 10 year anniversary this week and went for a gender ultrasound!
We are impatient and can never wait to find out the gender, so we made it a party:-) My parents accompanied the three of us and it is always fun to get a view of the baby!
Without further ado:
We are impatient and can never wait to find out the gender, so we made it a party:-) My parents accompanied the three of us and it is always fun to get a view of the baby!
Without further ado:
 |
| Arms in front of face |
 |
| Back |
 |
| Alien Face |
 |
The Gender |
So, what do you think?
No peeking!
Make a guess!
Are you an ultrasound expert?
Do you have your guess?
No cheating!
I'll add my side note here for some entertainment, whilst you ponder: I am pretty sure I have been feeling the first flutters over the past couple of days:o) Can't wait for them to become more consistent. Also, in the last two ultrasounds I've had, baby has been pretty calm and cooperative; hopefully that is a glimpse at life on the outside (Haley was pretty much the same:o))
Also, we did the first trimester genetic screening blood test and Nuchal Translucency scan a couple of weeks ago and our result was "screen negative." We will do the second trimester blood test next week to finish up the quad screening. Next OB appointment is Friday, the 13th;o)
Last chance!
It's a GIRL!!!!!!!!!!
Haley has been wanting a little sister, since we started this whole discussion many months ago:o) I guess she wins. Everyone always assumes we were hoping for a boy. We have had several discussions about the advantages and disadvantages of both and decided there were just as many pros and cons on both sides of the coin. Like any expectant parents, the baby's health is priority number 1! We are thrilled to know, work on finalizing a name, and have confirmation at our anatomy scan next month.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
12 weeks
That was fast!;-) I had my 12 wks appointment yesterday. The NP told me that in an effort to standardize things, they have decided to go with first day of last menstrual period (LMP) unless ultrasound shows that to be a week or more off. Day of ovulation would be 6 days off, and u/s were 1 and 2 days off, so we go with LMP which makes my EDD (Estimated Delivery Date) 11/25 and me at 12 wks today. The exact EDD doesn't really play a huge role, but there it is! I always figure it as give or take 2 weeks and just call it late November. Baby will come when he or she wants to and that's what I want, too. We got to hear the heartbeat yesterday, which is always reassuring for me:-) Next appointment is NT u/s next Mon then 16 wks appt 6/13.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
11 weeks and GTT fun
Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies out there!
At my last appointment, the Dr. ran a slew of labs- two urine samples and 8 vials of blood! One of the tests I had to do was a one hour, non-fasting, glucose tolerance test (GTT). Because of my weight and family history of Type 2 Diabetes, I have had the pleasure of doing this test twice in every pregnancy and I have always passed, until this time, test number 5. Ugh! After I told my surro sisters what I had eaten for breakfast and lunch before the test, they put me in time out;o) Oops! I now know that baked potatoes are very high in carbs and apparently take awhile to burn off. As my consolation prize, I earned myself a 3 hour fasting GTT.
I did that last Monday, since I was visiting my sister in AZ for the week in between. The time actually passed pretty quickly. That extra concentrated glucose drink was pretty nasty, but I got it down with 30 seconds to spare. I got a total of 4 pokes and was on my way. My results are as follows, with the max allowed values in parentheses: fasting- 93 (94), 1 hr- 139 (179), 2 hr- 119 (154), 3 hr- 107 (139). That fasting one was on the cusp, but I passed the others very comfortably:o)
All of my other blood work came back normal.
I have my 12 week appointment tomorrow where I get the full physical exam and hear the heartbeat via Doppler.
I have had the least early pregnancy symptoms of any pregnancy, so far, so I really need to hear that heartbeat.
I will be thankful for this wind to leave the weather forecast, as it has driven my allergies wild:o( The good news is that my normal remedies are allowed during pregnancy, the bad news is it makes me sleepy. So I get to choose- sleepy or sneezing my brains out. Blech!
At my last appointment, the Dr. ran a slew of labs- two urine samples and 8 vials of blood! One of the tests I had to do was a one hour, non-fasting, glucose tolerance test (GTT). Because of my weight and family history of Type 2 Diabetes, I have had the pleasure of doing this test twice in every pregnancy and I have always passed, until this time, test number 5. Ugh! After I told my surro sisters what I had eaten for breakfast and lunch before the test, they put me in time out;o) Oops! I now know that baked potatoes are very high in carbs and apparently take awhile to burn off. As my consolation prize, I earned myself a 3 hour fasting GTT.
I did that last Monday, since I was visiting my sister in AZ for the week in between. The time actually passed pretty quickly. That extra concentrated glucose drink was pretty nasty, but I got it down with 30 seconds to spare. I got a total of 4 pokes and was on my way. My results are as follows, with the max allowed values in parentheses: fasting- 93 (94), 1 hr- 139 (179), 2 hr- 119 (154), 3 hr- 107 (139). That fasting one was on the cusp, but I passed the others very comfortably:o)
All of my other blood work came back normal.
I have my 12 week appointment tomorrow where I get the full physical exam and hear the heartbeat via Doppler.
I have had the least early pregnancy symptoms of any pregnancy, so far, so I really need to hear that heartbeat.
I will be thankful for this wind to leave the weather forecast, as it has driven my allergies wild:o( The good news is that my normal remedies are allowed during pregnancy, the bad news is it makes me sleepy. So I get to choose- sleepy or sneezing my brains out. Blech!
Thursday, April 24, 2014
The Big Announcement
David and I decided that we felt comfortable going "public" with this pregnancy after today's appointment. And it went well! Haley is going to be a big sister around Thanksgiving!!!
By measurement, which was very difficult to get, we are going with 9 weeks, which is inline with my ovulation info.
Today was the marathon appointment. 3 hours! At Kaiser:o( Appointment itself was pretty quick, but everything else takes FORever! And, we managed to pick the first day of a new pilot program for prenatal patients, which meant more paperwork that everyone doesn't quite understand yet. Then, we had to wait about half an hour to meet with the prenatal clerk, who was less than friendly. Boo! Where we filled out more paperwork and scheduled a couple of appointments. Then, we had to go to the lab, where I got to do the 1 hour Glucose Tolerance Test and get 8 vials of blood drawn and pee in 2 different cups! But it was all worth it to know that everything seems to be going well:o) The picture we got is pretty bad, but the Dr. had a really hard time getting head and body at the same time so she could measure, so this is what we got;o)
By measurement, which was very difficult to get, we are going with 9 weeks, which is inline with my ovulation info.
Today was the marathon appointment. 3 hours! At Kaiser:o( Appointment itself was pretty quick, but everything else takes FORever! And, we managed to pick the first day of a new pilot program for prenatal patients, which meant more paperwork that everyone doesn't quite understand yet. Then, we had to wait about half an hour to meet with the prenatal clerk, who was less than friendly. Boo! Where we filled out more paperwork and scheduled a couple of appointments. Then, we had to go to the lab, where I got to do the 1 hour Glucose Tolerance Test and get 8 vials of blood drawn and pee in 2 different cups! But it was all worth it to know that everything seems to be going well:o) The picture we got is pretty bad, but the Dr. had a really hard time getting head and body at the same time so she could measure, so this is what we got;o)
6 weeks
I scheduled my first ultrasound for April 8th. I would be 6w2d so we should be able to see a heartbeat. It was a nerve wrecking couple of weeks, but I made it and this is what we saw:
And she was able to find a heartbeat of 138 bpm which is great for this age.
She wants to see me again in 2 weeks for the traditional first prenatal appointment.
The tummy growling hunger multiple times per day has started, but doesn't seem to be accompanied by nausea as it has been in the past. I have also had a little bit of heartburn.
She wants to see me again in 2 weeks for the traditional first prenatal appointment.
The tummy growling hunger multiple times per day has started, but doesn't seem to be accompanied by nausea as it has been in the past. I have also had a little bit of heartburn.
Saturday, April 19, 2014
The M word
No one talks about it casually, but many women have had, at least one, Miscarriage. I know several ladies who have had them. 20-25% of pregnancies end in miscarriage in the first trimester. Once I had cleared the infertility hurdle that seemed to plague my family, I thought I was home free. I guess not.
January 3rd came and David and I went to our appointment to get a glance at our baby, but . . . there. . .was. . . no. . . baby. Not just no heartbeat, NO baby, no yolk sac, just an empty, fairly large sac. My husband lovingly nicknamed it "egg whites." My Dr. explained the situation, the options and the plan moving forward.
First, she wanted me to go for Quantitative Beta HCG tests 48 hrs apart. If the numbers were the same or decreased, we would know that the pregnancy wasn't viable and probably on its way out.
Second, we would come back in one week for a repeat ultrasound to make sure there was nothing in there.
Third, we had a choice to make. 3 options: a) wait it out and hope nature takes its course, b) use a drug called Misoprostol, which would help induce the miscarriage, c) have a D&C where the Dr. would go in and scrape/suck the stuff out of my uterus.
Let me tell you, that was THE longest week of my life. My Dr. had also told me what to do/expect, if it happened naturally during that week. I felt like a ticking time bomb. At any moment I could go into labor and start bleeding heavily. All while trying to care for my almost 3 year old. That week was probably the worst part of the whole thing.
Luckily, I had my surro sisters to lean on. Between the two groups I am in of close to 150 surrogates, MANY of them had been through something similar in either a surro or bio pregnancy.
So, I went for the blood tests and they were inconclusive- the numbers were high, in the 60,000s and increased in the 48 hours. Not as much as we would have liked, but not small enough to rule out viability.
I did my informal research by polling my surro sisters. I decided a) was not an option for me. I am alone with a 3 year old 9+ hours/day and, although my husband could be home in half an hour, the ticking time bomb aspect was terrifying to me. And there was a chance it wouldn't happen or wouldn't all come out and I would need the D&C anyways. I wasn't cool with b) either. The majority of people who had used it said it was awful. So I decided to go with the D&C. It sounded the most controllable and dependable and everyone said it was pretty easy.
By Monday (the appt was Friday), I emailed my Dr. to tell her I had decided on the D&C and did I really have to wait all the way til Fri. She said I had to wait the full week. Boo!
I survived the week and Friday morning, as we were getting ready to leave for the appt, my Dr. called and said she had an opening to do the D&C that day, right after lunch and she could save that spot for me, if that's what I wanted. I said, "yes, please!" That was a long day, but it was finally over and we could move on.
Dr. did a good job cleaning out my uterus and I had very little bleeding (it lasted 2 weeks, but I would go 24 hours with nothing several times. Kinda annoying, but not so bad.
My Dr. told me I needed to have one period after the D&C before Trying to Conceive (TTC) and I asked her if I had to wait until 9 weeks again for the ultra sound because I knew I was going to be much more worried the next time. She said I could go in anytime, but I should wait until at least 6 weeks. I could do that, I just needed a goal:o)
January 3rd came and David and I went to our appointment to get a glance at our baby, but . . . there. . .was. . . no. . . baby. Not just no heartbeat, NO baby, no yolk sac, just an empty, fairly large sac. My husband lovingly nicknamed it "egg whites." My Dr. explained the situation, the options and the plan moving forward.
First, she wanted me to go for Quantitative Beta HCG tests 48 hrs apart. If the numbers were the same or decreased, we would know that the pregnancy wasn't viable and probably on its way out.
Second, we would come back in one week for a repeat ultrasound to make sure there was nothing in there.
Third, we had a choice to make. 3 options: a) wait it out and hope nature takes its course, b) use a drug called Misoprostol, which would help induce the miscarriage, c) have a D&C where the Dr. would go in and scrape/suck the stuff out of my uterus.
Let me tell you, that was THE longest week of my life. My Dr. had also told me what to do/expect, if it happened naturally during that week. I felt like a ticking time bomb. At any moment I could go into labor and start bleeding heavily. All while trying to care for my almost 3 year old. That week was probably the worst part of the whole thing.
Luckily, I had my surro sisters to lean on. Between the two groups I am in of close to 150 surrogates, MANY of them had been through something similar in either a surro or bio pregnancy.
So, I went for the blood tests and they were inconclusive- the numbers were high, in the 60,000s and increased in the 48 hours. Not as much as we would have liked, but not small enough to rule out viability.
I did my informal research by polling my surro sisters. I decided a) was not an option for me. I am alone with a 3 year old 9+ hours/day and, although my husband could be home in half an hour, the ticking time bomb aspect was terrifying to me. And there was a chance it wouldn't happen or wouldn't all come out and I would need the D&C anyways. I wasn't cool with b) either. The majority of people who had used it said it was awful. So I decided to go with the D&C. It sounded the most controllable and dependable and everyone said it was pretty easy.
By Monday (the appt was Friday), I emailed my Dr. to tell her I had decided on the D&C and did I really have to wait all the way til Fri. She said I had to wait the full week. Boo!
I survived the week and Friday morning, as we were getting ready to leave for the appt, my Dr. called and said she had an opening to do the D&C that day, right after lunch and she could save that spot for me, if that's what I wanted. I said, "yes, please!" That was a long day, but it was finally over and we could move on.
Dr. did a good job cleaning out my uterus and I had very little bleeding (it lasted 2 weeks, but I would go 24 hours with nothing several times. Kinda annoying, but not so bad.
My Dr. told me I needed to have one period after the D&C before Trying to Conceive (TTC) and I asked her if I had to wait until 9 weeks again for the ultra sound because I knew I was going to be much more worried the next time. She said I could go in anytime, but I should wait until at least 6 weeks. I could do that, I just needed a goal:o)
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