Flutters and Food

Starting last Friday afternoon I began feeling the baby move. Everyone had told me it would feel like a butterfly, but in truth it felt like a thumb pushing on the inside of my stomach. It’s weird, but good and the baby really likes to get going when I’m going to sleep. Last night it felt like it was jumping rope. Pregnancy cravings are of fascination to many folks, so I figured I’d share mine. I don’t really have cravings, but there are some foods that taste so good now—I can’t stand it. So here is my top ten food list for the first half of my pregnancy.

1. Aunt Nellie’s Pickled Beets—Only available at HEB these are incredible even when you aren’t pregnant. But are more likely to eat an entire jar in one sitting if you are.

2. Crab Legs—I have had these twice now at Joe’s Crab shack and they were so good. Mom has compared watching me eat them to Daryl Hannah eating an entire lobster in Splash. I’m hoping to try some at Red Lobster this weekend.

3. Watermelon—Love the fresh stuff now that it is in season. I’m also a fan of the sour watermelon gummy candy.

4. Milk—Love it. Drink it all the time, sometimes straight out of the carton.

5. Kid's Meal from McDonald’s—Sometimes I get the cheeseburger, sometimes nuggets, but always apples with caramel sauce instead of fries and milk.

6. Cottage Cheese—One of my favorite things to eat for dinner because it doesn’t keep me up all night.

7. Papa John’s Cheese, Mushroom, and Pineapple Pizza—Love it, although I can’t as much of it as I would want.

8. Minestrone Soup—Especially the stuff from Olive Garden.

9. Cheddar Cheese & Sour Cream Ruffles—My sneaky midday snack if I forget my healthy yogurt or fruit snack.

10. Macaroni & Cheese—Good old-fashioned Kraft with an extra sprinkling of shredded cheese.

The only weird things I’ve eaten are an omelet (I hate eggs as a rule, but I really wanted it) and when I accidentally dipped my McNugget into Caramel—not bad, actually.

More Pictures

These are the pictures we got from today's appointment. We also got a DVD with all the movement that we get to keep adding to. To tell the truth, I wasn't exactly sure what we were looking at sometimes, but other times I could make it out once the doctor told me. And I had no trouble with the head, hand and foot.

First picture: No clue--maybe Mom and Staylee can figure it out.
Second picutre: You can make out the tiny foot and leg bone (that sort of hammer shaped thing).
Third picture: The skull structure of the face--it may look a little creepy, but you can make out the eye sockets and front of the skull.
Fourth picture: The lips and the nose--I have trouble making this one out too, but the doctor saw it and I know he knows his stuff.

It's a...

...stubborn baby! That's right, we are still in the dark as to the gender of baby A because it chose to keep its legs crossed and together today. Staylee tried talking to it, commanding it, begging it, grounding it until it's born, but nothing. Dr. Locke actually jostled it with the sonogram tool--hitting my stomach a couple of time and it just tucked up further.They will make another attempt next month to sneak a look at it--but knowing how stubborn both its parents are, I'm not getting my hopes up.

Aside from that, the appointment went very well. We got to see the heart and other organs which are all in good shape. We also saw the head, a little foot, the face, and the left hand. It was waving at us, its little hand opening and closing, as if to say, "Hi Mama, Daddy, and Grandma--I know something you don't know!" The blood tests came back just fine so aside from the disappointment of the baby telling us "NO!" when we wanted to know the gender, the baby is in really good shape. And that, to me, is the best news we could have gotten.

The Naming of Babies

What’s in a name? Many things, as it turns out, even if you aren’t in the midst of the Bard’s most famous tragedy. Staylee and I have been discussing names for it seems like years now (it hasn’t really been that long, it just feels like it). We went through an entire list when we discussed getting a dog and decided on one we liked—and then actually got the puppy and picked something completely different.

It is amazing to me that two people are in love and agree on most of the big questions in life can have such a hard time deciding on a baby name. We’ve both had our share of stinkers we’ve suggested: Mine was Tallulah (I was thinking of Tallulah Bankhead, not really processing that our child would have to answer “Here!” to that name—all the while hiding her head in shame); Staylee’s was Saul (To which I said, “Are we having an 87-year-old Jewish man?”). We’ve both had to give up names we loved because one of us either dated them (Audrey) or we know and/or related to too many of them already (William—4 and counting, although that’s only counting the ones still alive).

We have a girl name we both love. In fact, everyone loves it. It’s unique, but not weird, and everyone who hears it thinks it’s fantastic. Then there are the boy names. At the moment we both have a favorite name that the other one doesn’t hate, but doesn’t love as much as their pick. So what do we do? Use one as a middle name, but the question is which one? I have a feeling whichever way we go we will each end up calling the baby by the name we prefer. Poor kid.

Of course, this is all a moot point if it’s a girl—which we find out Friday, for those keeping track. Then the battle either heats up or is stored away for another time, another baby.