My Little Girl

My Little Girl

Sunday, January 27, 2013

What a Day (part 2)

Sorry. Yesterday was an incredible day and didn't end until after 11:30, so by the time I was able to post anything, I was already exhausted!! Here's the rest of the day.

After we found out we were having a girl, I started freaking out again. I mean, we had gone into this thinking we were having a boy and didn't consider girl names. But I think I knew I was having a girl, because I had been freaking out about not having a girl name already picked out. I ended up bringing my baby name book with me, just in case. We were driving away and I said, "Well, we're back at square one with her name." My boyfriend's mom, who went with us for the u/s said her name was Emily. (It's the name she and her husband had seen in a Christmas commercial and they really loved it. Since my bf and I thought "boy," we hadn't really thought about it again.)

We ended up going to see my guy's maternal grandma (I'll call her GW) and telling her the news. She was sooo happy!! This will be her first great-granddaughter. We stayed there for a little bit, playing Skip-Bo while my bf and GW's bf were out in the garage doing "manly things." lol While we were there I was going through the baby name book, trying to see if there were any other names we liked. Middle names, other first names and Emily be the middle name, names we might like more... just throwing names out there because it's fun! lol My bf said he really liked 2 names: Emily and Avery. He even said he wanted to name her Emily Rose and call her Em. (His first initial is M, my middle name is Rose. Kind of like a combo of both our names...)

It was in the car after dropping his mom off that he said he really liked the name Emily. I asked if he would be okay with me spelling it differently. He said as long as it's not "weird." I told him I wanted to spell it "Emmaleigh." Like two names, but one. He agreed. (He doesn't realize she still gets the literary name I was hoping for: Emma by Jane Austen!!)

Then I had to go buy a bday present for my stepdad that would let him know he was having a granddaughter. I went to Things Remembered and bought a snow globe. It had a pink base with a little name plate and a little girl praying inside it. Snow globes mean a lot to him; he used to buy HIS MOM one every year for Christmas. She passed away about a month ago and I knew this would mean a lot to him. I ended up having the baby's name engraved on the name plate.

We went to my mom's house for dinner, hung out with my sisters, stepsister, and stepbrothers for a while. I was BURSTING with the news, so I kind of told people individually. Not as a group. My baby sister started crying... then said "I KNEW IT!" When I told my middle sister, her first words were "I KNEW IT!" (Think there was a conspiracy? lol) My stepsister was thrilled. Especially when I gave her a card and asked her to be the godmother. I gave her a bracelet/bangle with Emma's name engraved on it. My stepbrothers kept patting my belly and making jokes about calling her "LaFonda." LOL

Well, right before we ate, I told my stepdad he had to open his present from my bf and I now. Everyone who knew was dying to say something. My mom and stepdad were the only people who didn't know. So he opened the box and pulled out the snowglobe. The light was hitting the name plate to where he couldn't read it, so my mom held it and read the name. She just kept looking at me. I said "Yeah, that's her name." My mom actually started screaming! and jumping! and dancing! lol It was hilarious!! My stepdad said "We're having a girl??"

The rest of the night is kind of a blur. Between the birthday celebration and the news of the baby, everyone was just having a great night. We played poker for a few hours, the guys played pool and went ice fishing on the pond behind the house... It was just a really great night.

Okay, so here are a few pictures of baby Emmaleigh:

 Just like her mommy, she doesn't want to be in front of the camera!

Mommy and Daddy both sleep just like this!

Profile shot. This was the first image we saw when we got there.
 
 Took a while, but we FINALLY got the shot letting us know she's a GIRL!

Sorry if any of these are blurry. Some are pics of pics. And some are pics I took as the DVD played on the TV. I'd pause it and take a pic of the screen. lol

So there she is. my DAUGHTER! I'm having a little girl. Amazing. I didn't have a preference before I went in there. But now that I know, I am ecstatic! My bf is getting used to the idea of being a daddy to a little girl. This is completely new for him. There haven't been too many girls in his family on either side. And he's such a manly man!! But I have these images of father-daughter dances. Him walking her down the aisle at her wedding. Him coaching her softball teams and sitting there (albeit uncomfortably) at her dance competitions. I just see him being like the dad in Father of the Bride. Totally protective of his baby girl, even when she's 25 and starting her own life/family.

Now I have to start thinking about the nursery!! Good thing the theme I wanted was gender neutral and had things in blue AND pink. :)

Saturday, January 26, 2013

What a Day!!

You may have noticed some (very) obvious changes to the blog today. That's because we officially know what we are having: IT'S A GIRL!! This was seriously one of the most amazing days! I've known since Tuesday we were going today to find out what we were having, but I didn't want to write anything since it was going to be a total surprise for my whole family. Here's how it all happened, from the beginning until now.

Well, on Monday or Tuesday, I tried calling my dr.'s office. I wanted to get the order for my 20w u/s early, so we would be able to schedule it right on the 20w, on the day and time we needed. Since my boyfriend works in the city and I get off work early on Fridays only, we have a very limited option on times. My dr.'s office didn't get back to me by Tuesday. So on my way home Tuesday night, I drove right by the Lab where the u/s would be done. I walked in and figured I'd ask them a few questions.

When I walked in, I told them I would be in there in a few weeks and just wanted to know what to expect; would I be able to walk out of there with a pic? They said they don't print pics, but they would give me a CD that same day with all the pics on it. I said, "So I'll be able to go to CVS, Walgreens, where ever and print the pic that shows I'm having a boy or girl?" The lady said "Maybe." I asked what she meant. She said the tech wouldn't be looking for a pic like that, so she couldn't say it would be on there. I was really confused. I mean, if I'm waiting until 20w for this u/s, what else are they looking for? So I said, "But the tech *will* tell me if I'm having a boy or girl right?" She said "No." She said because of liability reasons, they don't give that information out. That's when I got upset. I left there knowing I would be finding an elective office to get this major u/s done.

As I was driving, I found this place close by, and set up an appointment for Saturday, January 26th @ 12:30. I came home and told my bf what I had done. He was really excited about it. He didn't want to wait the full 20w anyways! lol

So there I sat for the next few days. Keeping this really big secret from my family because I wanted it to be a huge surprise. My stepdad's bday is this weekend and I knew my stepsister and stepbrothers would all be in town for his bday dinner. So I didn't say a word. Not in any phone calls. Nothing on my facebook page. Nada.

Fast forward to today. We showed up a little early. Try half an hour early! lol The lady at the front desk was really nice. She offered us a few things we could purchase, but didn't push anything. We didn't have to wait too long either to be seen.

I laid done one the table which was in this really comfy, cozy room. My bf sat in the rocking chair next to me. The tech put some warm goop on my belly. I was surprised because you always hear stories about the cold jelly  Anyways, she starts looking and finds the baby almost immediately. There's this perfect  profile shot on the screen in front of me. As she's moving the wand around, she asked if we had any ideas. I told her our families are split 50/50 on if it's a boy or girl.

Suddenly my boyfriend says, "I have a feeling it's a girl." I said "Why do you think that? All you see is a face! lol" Took a little bit of maneuvering to find out. First the ankles were crossed. Then the tech had me go to my side to get an "underneath shot." The baby pulled its legs up to its body! Little stinker! Suddenly we were looking and I didn't see the "I'm a boy!" parts. The tech moved around a little to be sure, but yep...

We're having a little girl!!!!

I still can't believe it! We've decided on Emmaleigh Rose. Em or Emma for short. I'm already sooo in love with my baby. I can't even describe it.

It's really late though too. So tomorrow (or later today rather), I'll finish up how today went. How we chose the name  What everyone's reactions were. Everything I can think of. Oh and I'll try to figure out how to put the u/s pics on here.

She's beautiful though. And big! I did ask the tech if she was measuring big. The tech asked how far along I am. I said 17w (16w6d). The tech said she is probably measuring a week farther along. So Emma is measuring 18w right now!!! She's going to get her daddy's height I think!!!! lol

Sunday, January 20, 2013

The luckiest girl!!

So, before my boyfriend and I started dating, I invited him to my house for homemade pizza. While I was making dinner, he went to get a glass for his drink and saw the Medieval Times glass in the cupboard. He asked if it was mine and I told him no. I thought it was my mom's but I wasn't sure. I had never been there but always wanted to go.

Like I said in Surprise Date Day, he asked me on Monday if we had plans and, when I told him I didn't think so, he told me not to make any. So I was in suspense all week long, waiting for Saturday. Saturday morning came and we relaxed some. Did some laundry. Watched some TV. Just being happy. Then came the LONG AWAITED 3pm. We got in the car and he still wouldn't tell me where we were going!!

After about 45 minutes or so, he said we were almost there. He was really excited too. Or maybe anxious to see if I would like my surprise. Since I could tell he really wanted to surprise me, I closed my eyes and waited until he told me I could open them. He parked facing away from the "place," so when I got out of the car, I still didn't know where we were. When I turned around I saw the CASTLE!! I was like a little kid!! I was soo happy! 1) Because I really had wanted to go there for years. 2) Because he remembered something I told him such a long time ago.

We got there about half an hour early so we could walk around and see all the fun things. We went to an early show, so there were a ton of kids there. I think I fit right in with them though, because I was just as excited as they were. He asked if I wanted to get a picture taken, get tickets to tour the dungeon, buy a souvenir..? And normally before I would be all about that. But not this time. I was just so happy to be there with him. So happy he cared enough to remember this small tidbit I mentioned in passing. I didn't want anything else.

DINNER: The waiter brought the soup around and we sipped the "dragon's blood" (tomato soup) from bowls with handles. We then got some amazing bread to dip in the soup. Then we had this HUGE piece of "dragon" (chicken). It was cooked so good. My guy said I got really lucky because there weren't that many bones in mine. The meat was tender, the seasoning was perfect. Ahhh. Then there were the seasoned potato fries. and a rib. Not a slab, but just one huge piece. Every bite was perfect.

THE SHOW: We were seated in the yellow section. Which was actually more like the yellow and black section (STEELERS COLORS! lol). We were in the 3rd row up. AND we were seated directly across from the opening. We could see everything! No nets were dropped in front of us. Nothing was hidden from us. We couldn't have had it better if we planned it.


Overall, this was one of the best nights ever. I loved every minute of it. Once again, my guy proves that he is the most amazing person. I still can't believe he did that for me!

I hope everyone I know is as happy as I am. Because I can't imagine anything better than time with my guy. :)

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Surprise Date Day!

On Monday, my boyfriend asked me if we had any plans this weekend. I thought he was going to take "On-Call" again to get/save some extra money before the baby gets here. (We've both been doing that as much as we can: working extra hours or finding other ways to up the income). I told him I didn't think so. The only thing I knew for sure coming up was the Dr.'s appt on Feb 2nd where we would get the order to have our 20week u/s done. (EEK!!)

So I asked him if he was taking on-call. He said "I don't know... don't make any plans this weekend." And that was it!! And it that was on MONDAY! I've been trying really hard not to think about it so I could get through this week...

But then yesterday my mom asked if we had any plans this weekend. I told her I didn't know and then told her what he had said on Monday. I swear... I think I heard her swoon over the phone!! LOL She said she would be around this weekend and to call her if our plans fell through, but she wouldn't call me. She wanted me to have fun.

That was yesterday around 5:30. I woke up at 5:30AM and have been thinking about what's coming ever since. I'm not asking too many questions because I want to be really surprised when we get --- wherever it is we're going!! All I know is we have to leave by 3pm and it's about an hour north. Sheesh... that really narrows it down! LOL

I'm SOOOO EXCITED!! A surprise date day with my guy!! YAY!

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Thankful

Every day I wake up and thank God for the person next to me.

Yes, of course I mean my boyfriend. But I also mean those people who are emotionally beside me; spiritually beside. Those people who have blessed my life with their gifts of love and friendship.

I grew up in a small town. Well to some people it seems like a small town. To us, it was a big town with a small town feel. It didn't matter if you actually knew someone or not, you would tip your hat to them. Both literally and figuratively. Some of the best people I know came from there. My very best friends in the world, I met there.

My best friend from high school has been through so much with me. We have traveled the world--separately--and shared our stories. We were best friends almost immediately and neither time nor distance has slowed that relationship down. She now lives almost 1,400 miles away with her husband and three little girls. But we pick up the phone after a few weeks or months think nothing of it. Our friendship helped me through some bad relationships, showed me that a good person isn't someone who does everything right, but someone who's actions are done with the right mindset. One of my oldest and dearest friends.

My roommate from college is another person from home I thank God for. We had a year as roommates and that led to a lifelong friendship. We share our lives with each other; our ups and downs; our successes and our failures. She also lives really far from me, but I never feel like we are losing touch. I still quote funny things we said to each other. Still laugh at our silliness from sophomore year at college. Still remember driving to see her through a tornado! She taught me that fun is sometimes more important than you think. If you take the fun out of life, it's really not worth living anymore.

My other best friend from college... She's the craziest, kookiest, most lovable person I know. Southern to the core, she embodies almost every "southern value" I can think of. She actually did travel the world with me. Well, most of the U.S. at least. Within 5 minutes of meeting her, I knew she was someone I needed to have in my life. She loves her friends and her family with everything in her. She is kind and smart...but a bull with a smartmouth if you hurt someone she cares about. I can't tell you how many times I have cried on her shoulder, laughed until I cried, and talked until we were hoarse.

My "new" friend is actually someone I've known since the day I entered high school. We were in homeroom together and I thought she was an awesome person. We never fought or anything those four years; we just moved in different circles. Every Wednesday though--or whenever homeroom was, we would talk and have fun. Now though, we seem to be at such similar places in our lives. It was weird how after not talking for so long, she was one of the very first people I wanted to share my news with. She was there from the beginning of my relationship. She and I shared our stories of how we quickly fell in love with amazing men and threw caution to the wind to follow our hearts. Then I found out I was pregnant, and I *had* to tell her. There wasn't a real "reason" she was one of the first to know, except that it felt like something I had to do.

I have two relationships here where I live now that are very similar to those from back home. One is with a girl I worked with for MAYBE 8 weeks. She and I got very close during that time. She and her "new at the time" boyfriend were very welcoming. They made me feel like I had known them forever. They were so gracious in sharing their life with me. Throughout the past 2 and a half years, I have witnessed the beginning of their relationship follow through to a couple knowing they had found their soulmate; I was invited to their wedding, baby shower, and even to be a part of their new family. Her friendship is one that defies a lot of logic (how can you become such fast friends with someone when you live so far away and didn't know each other that long?), but means the world to me here.

Then there's my boyfriend. Within 5 minutes of meeting him, I knew he was the most amazing person I had ever met. He was gorgeous, sure. He has the most amazing eyes. His smile and laugh are infectious. His arms are DROOL WORTHY! But it was his heart that made me fall so quickly. He helps his friends and family without complaining. He is always the first to show up and the last to leave. He puts aside time for himself to make time for others. I swear, there is not a better person for me. I liked him from a far for years; never thinking I would be lucky enough to end up with someone like him...let alone this very person who takes my breath away every time I look at him. (He still does.)

I guess the common theme through all these relationships is: I knew without a doubt and without hesitation that these were people to follow. When God shines that bright light on someone, you'd be an idiot to turn away. God brought these people to me to show me how to live by example. It's as blatant as a whop to the back of the head (otherwise known as a "Gibb's slap"). There doesn't have to be a logical explanation for why these relationships built, grew, developed. In fact, logic seems to have no place in them. I am someone who likes to think things through before I go and do something. And sometimes I weigh those options quickly. But with each of these people, there were no other options. These were to be my fast-friends, bossom-buddies, and besties. These people have brought so much to my life; I wonder if I will ever truly deserve the greatness that comes from being their friend.

Now I know there are a TON of friends who I am leaving out of this blog. I'm sorry. It's really early and I have to head to work soon. But I want you to know that your friendships and the lessons I've learned from you have shaped and molded me. Thank you all for your love, guidance, lessons, honesty, trust, and friendship.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

So many ideas!! (Dang you Pinterest!)

Yeah... Pinterest is kind of like Target for me. It's a complete TIME SUCK!! I will promise myself not to spend more than maybe half an hour and then I look up and realize it's been an HOUR AND A HALF! Sheesh!

So I have all these ideas of things I want to start doing for my baby. Craft-wise. I'm still holding off on "really" planning the nursery because I don't want to do it before we know what we are having. But the baby shower... Now THAT is entirely different! lol

I don't want a "It's a Boy/Girl" baby shower. I don't want something that's overly boyish/girly. I want something gender neutral and fun. I have been to about 5 baby showers in the last 3 years, and 4 of those 5 were animal/jungle themed. So that's kind of out. I guess I'll wait on the "theme" until we know the gender. (insert pouting face right now. lol) Here are some things I know I want (and don't want) there at the baby shower.
  • I want a diaper cake... that isn't shaped like a cake! There are so many cute ideas for these things and they don't have to look like a wedding cake or birthday day or anything. I saw a tricycle, a baby stroller, a train, a motorcycle, a car, "sushi" roll, a boat, a basket (so it's a DOUBLE WHAMMY-you put things *in* your diaper gift!), and baby bottles. They were all really cute; some looked easier than others, but then again you can actually order them online and save yourself the trouble of those complicated ones!
  • I don't want cards. Everyone is going to bring a children's book and write their message to the Baby in there. This was something my Grammy did every year in my birthday and Christmas books. I still have those too. I'll go back and read her messages and they mean almost as much as the book. "You may have riches and treasures untold/Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold./But richer than I you'll never be/ fore I had a mother who read to me."
  • I want those cheesy games! "Guess what's in the diaper." "How big is her belly?" "Guess the baby picture." "Baby Song List/Alpa-Name Game." "How well do you know the Mommy-To-Be?" "Memory Game." Yeah, I want those. haha
  • I don't want to forget anyone. So, kind of like at a wedding shower, I would like to have everyone write their address on an envelope.
  • I want to have people sign a border I would use for a sonogram picture.
  • I don't want to have it at some restaurant. Those places just really aren't that great for getting people to mingle and talk and meet new people. Halls or homes are the way to go!
  • I want someone there taking LOTS of pictures! I have done this for my friends Billie, Jen, and Taylor in the past and loved seeing everything later. They all said they liked having them because there was so much going on at the time and they felt like they missed some things. And I don't just mean pictures of presents being opened. I mean EVERYTHING! Cakes, people, groups of people,  the decorations... I want pictures that are kind of "abstract." My photog friends will know what I mean! lol
  • And I want a BELLY CAKE! I would like this cake in the baby shower theme! Isn't it AMAZING?!?!
I know that, as of right now, we are planning to have one sometime in May. Probably Memorial Day weekend since that's easiest for most of my family to travel here for something like this. And I'm pretty sure it will be a rather large group of rowdy, fun loving people.

****
Other crafty-ideas I'm having?
Those monthly pictures you take showing how big the baby is getting. I loved my friend Taylor's idea of using a toy to gauge the growth. 
A quilt of all the onsies/outfits the baby grew out of and I just can't part with. Because I'm sure there will be a ton!
Ornaments and Valentines and things like that with the baby's footprints and hands... even fingerprints!
An ornament of the baby's wristband and beanie from the hospital.
Of course I'm going to scrapbook EVERYTHING! That's tradition for me.
****

Okay... this blog is done for now. Maybe we will be able to find out the baby's gender early and can really start planning the fun stuff!

Friday, January 11, 2013

I need ideas for the "Gender Reveal"

So I've been on babycenter.com and they are starting to talk about how they are going to reveal their babies' genders. I know I am still a few weeks away from being able to find out what we are having. The books say you can find out usually as early as 17 weeks...and Sunday I'll be 15wks so we're not THAT far off!! I don't know for sure when I'll be able to get the ultra-sound that will tell us though. Maybe not until 20wks. That puts us at February 17th.

I'd like a fun way of telling people. I have a good girl friend and she decided to have a cake made. She took the U/S picture (sealed in an envelope so even she and her husband don't know what it is yet) to the bakery and they are making the cake for her. It'll be a surprise to EVERYONE, including her! I thought that was cute, but I wouldn't be able to pull that off. That envelope wouldn't make it sealed very long! haha

I have said if my boyfriend isn't able to make the appointment where we find out, I will have the technician print me a picture with "It's a Boy!" or "It's a Girl!" on it, put that in an envelope, and wait to open it until we get home. That will be soooo hard though! So I can't imagine waiting DAYS longer! It won't happen. Plus, I'm hoping we can schedule the u/s appointment late enough on a Friday that he will be able to make it. As long as his work lets him leave at his normal time that day and nothing comes up. You never know though and there's almost no way to plan that far ahead for him.

So now to the REAL reason for this post: I need help with a list of ideas on how to showcase my little one's gender. I know it'll be really close to Valentine's Day and there are probably a ton of "cute" (aka Cheesy) ways to tell using that, but I'd like something REALLY fun. I have maybe TWO ideas right now. That's it. So for those of you who read this blog.... PLEASE send me a list of ideas! You can email me, leave me comments on here (you have to have a gmail account though, I think), facebook me, call me, text me... There are a ton of ways to get ahold of me!! But we don't have a lot of time. It seems like it, but these past 10wks since I found out have FLOWN by. I can't imagine what the next 2-5 weeks will do. :)

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Today is 14weeks!

Well TODAY is the start of my second trimester. Officially 14weeks!!  I can honestly say I'm not going to miss a thing about these first three months. I got big early (showing at 6wks); had morning sickness all day, every day from 6wks-now (with some actual "getting sick" happening these last 2-3 weeks); and just feeling like I can't do anything. Whether it's because I suddenly have no time to, no energy to, or just want someone else to do it... These first three months were draining!

I guess I will miss the "firsts" though. This is my very first pregnancy so everything was new and/or unexpected. I got to hear the heartbeat at 9weeks and then again yesterday. It was a nice way to wrap up this first trimester. And seeing my boyfriend fall in love with our little one; he's always putting his hand on my belly and won't sleep unless he's touching it. If he wakes up in the middle of the night and I'm not there, he pulls me back and puts his hand on my belly again.

I finally started to look PREGNANT (as opposed to just fat) within the two-three weeks. Being 5'2", I was really worried about gaining a ton of weight fast and looking just fat. Well, I haven't gained an ounce! I actually lost 11lbs since finding out! But the "bump" is a full blown preggo belly now.

I think having these little mini-goals throughout the pregnancy has helped keep me from feeling overwhelmed or like I'm never going to see July 7th. I look forward to the next milestone and focus on that one until it gets here.
  • 1st U/S= 9w                                       - Done!
  • 10w=25% there                                  - Done!
  • 14w=start 2nd trimester                     - Done!
  • 17wks(ish)= gender reveal
  • 20wks=Halfway there
  • 28wks= third trimester
  • 34wks=baby shower (Memorial Day weekend!)
  • 37wks=my bday (almost exactly)
As long as I don't think about the fact I still have 26 more weeks of pregnancy (unless baby follows Daddy's precedence and is born a month early), then I'm okay. 
 I still freak out about the fact we have a few things up in limbo right now. We haven't decided which room will be the nursery, let alone started decorating it. We don't have any girl names picked out; but then again, we don't know what we're having either. I don't know who's going to watch my baby when I go back to work after Labor Day (funny timing, I know) or what my work schedule will even be like. Plus all the other things that come after having the baby. So I think I'm more freaked out about the "post-pregnancy" than the actual next 6 months. lol

Any guesses yet? :)

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Baby Names are DIFFICULT!

Early on in this pregnancy, people were asking me if we had any names picked out. And by early, I mean--5 weeks into it!! LOL So of course, being a true southern girl, I already had a list of names I loved that I had accumulated over the years. I probably had 15 girl first-middle name combos; those came a lot easier for me. Boy names were harder because I had always sort of said I'd let the dad name his son. I mean, of course I had a few favorites, but nothing that was a Die-Hard-have-to-push-this-one kind of name.

So surprise-surprise when we were sitting there watching the Giants play on November 4th and someone suggested Eli. My first response was: "Umm... No. I'm not naming my baby after the Giant's quarterback." My boyfriend was opposed to the name at first because of it's affiliation with the name "Payton." He didn't want people to think he was TRYING to name both of his son's after the Manning brothers. Later on that night we were joking around and of course we fell in love with it! LOL We fought it for a while, but both of us can't think of anything else we love more. We just "know," you know? If we have a boy, his name will have been chosen at 5w0d!!

Girl names have been a lot harder to pick. One reason: My boyfriend REALLY believes we are having a son and doesn't think about girl names.

Another reason is because he wants a girl name which can also be a boy name. I know that works for some people, but I just can't wrap my mind around it. See, I have a SUPER girly name: Rosie. Every girl in my family has a traditionally girly name (Sue, Shelly, Katie, Polly, Missy, Tina, Kim, Krystle, etc). It's what I know. I also have a best friend who's first name is "Billie." She told me a story once about how she went to her first day of kindergarten and was mistaken for a boy almost the entire day. It breaks my heart to think of my baby girl going through that too.Then I think about the possibility of a Chris dating a Chris, or that whole awkward "Taylor Swift/Talyor Lautner" situation. It makes me cringe a little! Lol

And a third reason: I want my daughter to have a "literary" name: either from a classic book or a famous female author. I've been skimming my library at home (because it already contains my favorite books anyways) trying to find names I like. Nothing is fitting!! Those are the main reasons I have been having trouble with picking a girl name.

Family members have been throwing out suggestions. Some we considered; some we tossed IMMEDIATELY! LOL My boyfriend's stepdad suggested Brandy. I immediately thought of E&J which my stepdad drinks, so that was out. There was Starr (and it had to be with 2 r's), but that just conjured up images of cheesy dive places, that I don't want to say. Breanna made me think of that singer "Rihanna"... things like that.
Emily was recommended, which I liked, but I would want to spell it "Emmaleigh" so that it's classy and elegant, but not overly simple. Kiley was the first name we thought about. It was one on my list and I loved it. Until one day I didn't. I evaluated the names of characters from my favorite books.
  • Little Women: Josephine, Meg, Beth, Amy...
  • Hunger Games: Rue
  • Harry Potter: I love this book and wish I could pull off the British names... :(
  • Jude Deveraux books: Bronwyn, Darci, Whitney
  • Jane Austen: Emma, Anne, Elizabeth--even Austen, Bennett, or Elliott themselves as names
  • Belle from Beauty and the Beast--but with Twilight I know there will be a ton of Bella's.
It was so stressful with everyone throwing girl names and wanting us to choose right away. I mean, we picked the boy name *so fast* I was really getting worried: Would we ever find a name we loved? My boyfriend finally sat me down and said we should just wait until we hear the words "You're having a girl" before we try to pick out a girl name. (Of course, like I said, he honestly believes it's a boy so that's easy for him to say! lol) I agreed and it really took the pressure off. I didn't think about girl names for the next two months or so.

Now we are tip-toeing into our second trimester (tomorrow-1/6/2013- will be exactly 14w and the official start of "Stage 2"!), I am finding myself thinking about it again. I know I still want a literary name if I can find one. I still want a GIRLY name. I'd rather not have a "flower name" since my middle name is Rose and my mom's first name is Lily. Those are some guidelines I set up, but obviously there were some exceptions. Right now I like:
  • Madeline Rose
  • Sophia Annabelle
  • Andrea Jean
  • Lucianna Marie   -or-
  • Rue or Matilda for a middle name (no idea what would go with them, I just love them!)
Matilda and Madeline seem to have been nixed because my guy says he HATES them. I would try and name my girl after some of my best friends since they live far away, but their names are also family names and I wanted to try and avoid that if possible. Don't want to show favoritism.

Like I said, I grew up in the south almost my whole life. We start planning our weddings and naming our babies when we are like FOUR! LOL And considering the list of names I loved just a few short months, it's so strange to me how much trouble I seem to be having with this.

I know it's just going to keep me stressed until I actually do hear "Girl" so I should stop worrying about it. But this is the name they are going to live with forever. I know what it's like to not love your first name and to have to correct EVERYONE! I just don't want that for my baby.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

I feel horrible

So I've always said my dog is a "kennel dog." He has a HUGE kennel that's built for a Lab, with pillows and blankets and at least a few toys hidden in there.

Thing is, when I lived with my mom, he got really used to sleeping in her bed while my stepdad would be out of town. Now that I live with my guy, this dog still wants to sleep in our bed. But he will only sleep by me. And I am the lightest sleeper. Any movement wakes me up. And Jax can't stay still throughout the night. He's constantly getting up, moving around, burrowing, coming back up, snuggling against my leg, turning like hands on a clock....and kicking me!!

I tried to have Jax be a kennel dog here, but he actually cries like a little child when we put him in there are night. And that keeps all of us awake. My boyfriend was going with, "Well on the weekends, we can let him sleep in the bed since we don't have to be up early." I went along with it, but then on the weeknights, Jax still wants to sleep in our bed and we are back to square one.

Last night though I lost it. At midnight I woke up and have been up basically ever since. Jax again kept moving around. Kicking me. Walking all over the bed (being sure to miss my guy because even Jax KNOWS that's a bad idea). At 2:30 I'd had enough. I took Jax to his kennel. And I got the most pitiful look.

I know this pregnancy has been hard on my pup already. I have a lot less energy to play with him. My patience is wearing thin (mostly because I can't get a good night's sleep anymore). Jax will come up all sweet and then BAM, land on my belly. Proof dogs aren't stupid; Jax knows exactly what's going on.
Since I know it's not been easy on Jax, I feel worse about the fact he just *cannot* sleep in bed with us anymore. It just can't happen. With as difficult as it already is to get (and stay) comfortable, the additional body heat when I'm already sweating, and the constant kicking...

Someone please tell me what to do with this. I don't want my dog to feel like I'm neglecting him or don't want him. I just NEED SLEEP!

Emmaleigh Grace

Emmaleigh Grace