October 19, 2009 - Samantha Lauren Has Arrived!

I had a planned c-section scheduled for Monday 10/19. My arrival time at the hospital was to be around 11:30am and the c-section was scheduled for 1:30pm. (I had a c-section with Joshua and had been debating VBAC for most of the pregnancy. Dear readers, you already know this. But then towards the end, I decided I was going to have the c-section unless "all the stars aligned" for the VBAC. Readers, am I boring you with what you already know? Basically in the end, I went through a long labor with Joshua, pushed for 4 hours and ended up with a c-section. I didn't really want to go through that again. Add in the small VBAC risks, and "voila" - repeat c-section).

I woke up at 7:00am on October 19th with the plan of taking a shower, running a quick errand, and then Keith was going to take us to the hospital at 11:30am. At 7:48am I had a contraction. 10 minutes later, I had another contraction, 10 minutes later, I had one again. They weren't super painful, just felt like a menstrual cramp, but I knew that they were real contractions. I finally called my OB at 10am, and he said to come to the hospital. Worse case scenario, they will move up my c-section time.

I arrived at the hospital around 10:45am, and the contractions had been varying between 5 - 10 minutes, and they still were at the same pain level. The L&D nurses hooked me up to the monitors and checked me out. I was 4-5 cm dilated and 90% effaced! Holy crap! I didn' expect that. I had mentioned to the nurses about a potential VBAC. They said that there is no more ideal VBAC situation than what I was in. I guess "the stars were aligned". Bring on the epidural! The nurses called my OB (who was thrilled by the way), and we went into the official L&D room to move forward with the VBAC.

I received the epidural, and the Anaesthesiologist said I should feel a pain level of a 1 or 2. At first, it was a 1 or 2, but shortly after, the pain turned into a 3 or 4. I could feel contractions not in my lower abdomen anymore, but now I felt them in my bottom. (Very strange and that hurt. If this is what delivery is like, maybe I should have gone through with the c-section). The Anaesthesiologist came back and reduced my pain level back to a 1 or 2. I then quickly dilated to 6 cm and then to 10cm. My water hadn't broken, and I asked the nurse about that. She said that she would be calling the doctor in to break my water. 2 minutes later, my water broke on its own. Then the pushing started which wasn't super terrible with the epidural in high gear. My doctor did have to give me an episiotomy, but I guess that is pretty common anyway. I pushed for a little less than 1 1/2 hours and then Samantha Lauren was born at 3:05pm.

Samantha Lauren born on October 19th at 3:05pm, weight was 6 lbs 10 oz, length was 19 3/4 inches.

To Be 39 Weeks Pregnant

I never thought I would get this far. I am 39 weeks and 2 days pregnant at this point. I really thought I was going to go sometime around 38 weeks as I did with my son. Yes, I know they say that each pregnancy is different, but I really thought that this baby would come early. The benefit of not going early is that I was able to attend my friends' wedding last night. It was a lot of fun and a lot of people were amazed that I was there and having the baby in 2 days. I kept having a lot of contractions at the wedding, but when I woke up this morning, they went away.

So, tomorrow is the big day. Our daughter is going to arrive via c-section. I went to see the OB on Thursday for my 39 week appointment. It was bittersweet that it was my last prenatal appointment. After the appointment was over, I scheduled my next appointment for November 2nd. My first postnantal appointment. At this appoinment, everything looked good. I have gained 25 lbs during the pregnancy, blood pressure looks good. Amazingly, I didn't really swell during this pregnancy. I am still able to wear my wedding rings (that almost never happens) and I can wear my regular shoes too. With Joshua, I was out of my rings by 25 weeks.

So, at this point, it is time to say goodbye to my pregnancy. Tomorrow, I will no longer be pregnant but have a new little daughter to love and adore. I can't wait to welcome her to the world. The pregnancy definitely went by fast. I can't believe it is all going to be over tomorrow. It seems so surreal and it has taken awhile for it to hit me. It has been a good pregnancy, and I have been very lucky.

I am kind of bummed that I didn't go into labor and get to VBAC. Yet, everyone has their own birth story. Going to the hospital on Monday October 19th and having a c-section with my second child is going to be mine!

To Be 38 Weeks Pregnant

10 days until D-Day (October 19)

I can't believe the day is almost here. It seemed so far away for so long, and now it can come any day. Really, the baby can come any day. Joshua arrived at 38 weeks, so I wake up every day wondering whether today is the day.

I am winding down with work and decided to take Tuesday off to try to get some "before the baby comes" errands done. It was great, because I had the whole day to myself and didn't have to drag a 2 year-old around to slow things down. I guess that I was running around so much that I didn't eat or drink enough. The next thing I know is that it is 4:30pm, and I realize that I haven't felt the baby move today. Not good. I called the doctor's office, and he wanted me to drink some orange juice, lie on my left side and see if that gets the baby moving. He said that if I didn't feel anything to go into labor and delivery. I did juice thing, and I didn't really feel much. So, I went to the hospital. They hooked me up to monitors to monitor fetal movement and monitor my contractions for about 3 hours. Everything looked good, so they sent me home.

I had my 38 week appointment today. Assuming I go on the 19th, I only have one more prenantal appointment left. I can't believe it! Basically, today everything was status quo. I am still 1 1/2 cm dilated and 0% effaced. Yet, that doesn' really give a good indicator as to when you will deliver as you can still go any time. I was 0 cm and 0% effaced with Joshua and then gave birth the next day. I am definitely having contractions now, and I can feel them. They are not regular, so I know it is not time yet. I am also having to pee more, but the baby has not dropped. I also feel the baby pushing at my cervix saying "let me out". Not too much longer now.

To Be 37 Weeks Pregnant

3 Weeks To Go . . . (16 days until D-Day, October 19th. Deliver y Day, C-Section Date)
I really think I am going to go before October 19th. I just have this feeling. Isn't mother's intuition usually right?

I actually thought she was coming sooner rather than later when I was having contractions on Thursday. The contractions seemed to be coming about 30 minute intervals but they weren't regular. I had cramping down in my pelvis since earlier in the week, but again not regular. So, no real labor at this point. I did get a pedicure last weekend, and I did get a haircut on Thursday, so I am ready for the baby to come. People at work predict that I will go earlier too. Joshua was born at 38 weeks, so who knows.

I had my 37 week appointment yesterday. Everything seems good. I am holding steady at 25 pounds gained, blood pressure looks good and baby seems to be good as well. I am also 1.5 cm dilated. (Baby coming?) I am o% effaced, though. It really doesn't mean anything at this point with how much you are dilated or effaced. (Unless, of course, you are 10 cm dilated). Women walk around for weeks like that. On the other hand, I was 0 cm dilated with Joshua when I went for my 38 week appointment. Then, I had him the next day. So, you never know.

To Be 36 Weeks Pregnant

4 Weeks to go ... or less



I should probably update that as I have a c-section planned for October 19th, and that is 3 weeks away not 4. My c-section is scheduled for 1:30pm, and I am supposed to fast for 8 hours before that. Therefore, I am supposed to fast all day until my c-section. How in the world am I going to manage that? I mentioned something to my OB, and he said, "how about I fast too until your surgery". Great, just what I need, a starving OB performing major abdominal surgery on me.



I am still anguishing over the VBAC vs planned c-section decision. You can probably tell as it has been a topic in my weekly posts over the past several weeks. I was so gung ho in the beginning, and then I started doing more research and now I am not so sure. The potential of a uterine ruptute, although small risk, is what is really leaning me toward a c-section. They say a successful VBAC is better than a planned c-section, and a planned c-section is better than a VBAC attempt that ends up as a c-section anyway. My thought at this point is that if I am still pregnant as of my scheduled c-section date of 10/19, then I will go through with the c-section on that date. If I go into labor before then, I will try to VBAC as long as I am progressing well and the baby is doing well through labor. I won't let them give me anything to promote labor such as Pitocin. They say that the drugs that induce or augment labor are harsher than normal contractions, so that can add to my risk of uterine rupture. I think that is a good plan. We shall see over the next few weeks what happens.



I had my 36 week appointment on Friday. In the early morning, I had an ultrasound. We actually had a 4D ultrasound, and it was really cool. I didn't think that we were going to have one as my OB office doesn't have the machine, but my OB office doesn't do ultrasounds on Fridays, and I wanted to have a Friday ultrasound so I didn't take off more time from work. Therefore, I got to see the 4D version. Definitely a cool experience. However, the coolness of it all was masked by the fact that I was feeling quite nauseaus, and lying on your back, feeling nauseaus with someone pushing something around your belly, not a good combination. Everything looked good and healthy with the ultrasound. The baby is measuring average, and they said she currently weighs 6 lbs 3 oz. I was shocked when they said that, because Joshua who was born at 38 weeks weighed 6 lbs 1 oz. I know that the ultrasound is only an estimate, though. At the ultrasound, I also found out that the baby turned and she is no longer breech. It is also less likely that she will turn back to breech, so that is good news.

My 36 week OB appointment was quick and easy. He gave me an internal exam, and I am still fully closed and not at all effaced. Last night I spent half the night awake and throwing up. I thought it was food poisoning, but the doctor said there was a stomach bug going around. Guess I caught that! I have been having really bad indigestion, I mean really bad. I feel like I have to burp all the time, and I have a bad acid feeling in my throat. It is awful. Once the baby drops, it should subside a bit or maybe I have to wait until the baby is out. Who knows. Yet, for now, the indigestion sucks and I didn't have it with Joshua.

To Be 35 Weeks Pregnant

5 Weeks to go ... or less

I am now down to weekly visits and had my 35 week appointment today. The appointment today was back to my regular doctor. It was a good appointment. I have been hovering around the same weight over the past few weeks, and the doctor said that is ok. I have gained about 23-24 pounds at this point. So, it is quite similar to the weight I gained with Joshua. I have to admit, I am a cute pregnant lady. :) At this appointment, the doctor said that he didn't feel the head up by my ribs, so it looks like she flipped again. Yeah, head down! Knowing that things keep changing, I asked my OB to schedule the C-section. The date is 10/19. (Ironically, my friend who is due a day after me also has a c-section scheduled for the same day and at the same hospital). My OB said that it is just tentative, and I can still VBAC if I want and if she is not breech. Next week, I have my 36 week appointment, and I will have an ultrasound to check her size and position.

The same day as my OB appointment, my son had his 2 year wellness check. When I told the pediatrician that I was looking to probably VBAC, she tried to discourage me from it. She just didn't feel it was as safe as having another c-section and she had seen some VBAC's go wrong which is a real danger to the mom and baby. I am still up in the air. I have a feeling that I will have another c-section, but we will see what happens when it gets closer. I think I am going to call my doctor and see if they have any recent literature. The internet information is only so good. Plus, it is not all accurate and current and a lot has changed over the past 10 years. My doctor is for the VBAC, yet he is smart about it. He is not going to let me go past my due date, he is not going to induce labor, and if she is breech, he is not going to do a version. So, we shall see how things play out.

To Be 34 Weeks Pregnant

6 weeks to go... or less

Now, I say probably less. I went to the doctor today for my 34 week check up. The baby turned back to breech. Ugh! There is definitely a chance that she can turn back to head down. However, I have to come to the realization that she could remain breech. That means I will have to have a c-section. I guess the baby is deciding for me whether I will VBAC or not. There is a procedure they can do with a breech baby to try to turn the baby. However, I don't want to do that. It only works about 50% of the time, and it is just not worth it. Today, I saw the 3rd doctor in the practice. So, in case I don't have my regular OB deliver the baby, now I have met them all. The doctor suggested when I see my doctor next week to schedule the c-section, so I can be put on the calendar. If she turns, I can always cancel it. My next appointment - next week! I can't believe I am already down to once a week appointments. Time really does fly.


How am I feeling? I still have the achy arm and leg muscles. I still have the indigestion. Not fun. Other than that, I am looking good. I am definitely a cute pregnant lady and handle pregnancy well. :)

To Be 33 Weeks Pregnant

7 weeks to go...or less

Probably less. I can't imagine going to my due date. It is possible for me to go to my due date of October 23rd, but I just feel that I will go 2 weeks early again. They won't let me go past the 23rd due to having a c-section with baby #1.

I had my 32 week appointment this past Monday. I saw one of the other doctors in the practice, Dr. Tran. She seemed nice enough, but I do want my doctor to deliver the new baby. I also had an ultrasound today. Since the baby has been breech, they wanted to check the position. If she stays breech, then I would definitely have to have a c-section. It is uncommon for breech babies to be delivered vaginally, but it can happen. When you have a previous c-section, they won't deliver a breech baby vaginally due to the risks. At the ultrasound today the baby turned. So, she is no longer breech. That is great news. Of course, she could turn back, it gets harder for the baby to turn as it gets later in the pregnancy.

I've mentioned in posts how this pregnancy seems a bit different than the last one. The lastest being the muscle aches. It started on Thursday, and my arm and leg muscles achy. The achiness you feel when you are getting the flu, except I am not sick. If it doesn't get better by Tuesday, I am going to call the doctor. I am not sure if it is a pregnancy symptom or not. Hmmm... The other symptom is indigestion. It is getting pretty bad. For this sympton, I definitely know it is the fun of being pregnant. I seem to get it with almost every meal. Ugh. Not too much longer now.

To Be 32 Weeks Pregnant

8 weeks to go... or less



This week we took a vacation with our son to a resort on the Chesapeake Bay. I guess you could even call it a "baby moon" although we had our almost 2 year old with us. The vacation was very nice, and it was the last vacation it would be the 3 of us before our little girl arrives. Summer vacation means pool and bathing suit. Maternity bathing suit. Yikes! Yet, at least I look very pregnant and not just some fatty in a bathing suit. I didn't feel as bad walking around in my bathing suit knowing I was a pregnant lady and didn't have to feel subconscious about my body. Hopefully though, people were looking at the little cutie I was dragging around rather than my fat tummy and thighs. We had some nice dinners while on our trip. Unfortunately, with the big dinners came big indigestion. They say that is a common symptom of someone at my stage of pregnancy. Unfortunately, I didn't have anything to take for it. In speaking with my doctor about it at the last appointment, he said Maalox is best. Next time I know, don't leave home without it.



The nesting phase has begun. (Keith is psyched about that). I am all about getting organized for the baby. I got a whole bunch of clothes from my friend and several weeks ago I did separate it by size. Today, I went into the newborn, 0-3 month, and 3-6 month size and listed all items for each size to see how many I have of each and what I still need. 32 onesies in the 0-3 month size. I think I can open up a onesie store! My friend had a May baby, and my baby is due in October, so she didn't have a whole lot of true winter clothes in the small sizes. I know I will get some clothes as gifts, so I am hoping for winter stuff. I did go shopping today and bought the baby a sweater for $2.70 at Macys. Score!



Next doctor's appointment is on Monday for my 32 week check up. I have an appointment with one of the other doctors in the practice. I also have an ultrasound to check for breech. At 30 weeks, she was still breech. I am hoping that she has turned. Unfortunately, I don't think she has turned head down yet. There is still time.

To Be 31 Weeks Pregnant

9 weeks to go... or less

Belly is getting bigger. It is starting to get rounder as opposed to looking like a compact watermelon. I am definitely getting bigger and starting to feel more uncomfortable. I feel my breathing be a little harder and sleeping is a little more uncomfortable. The sciatic nerve pain is still here, and I even sat on a heating pad all day at work on Thursday.

On Fridays, I take Joshua to a MyGym class. It is still pretty easy for me to run around the gym with him, so that is a good thing. I did put in the notice to freeze my membership for a few months, so September 18th is our last day at the gym for awhile. That is another sign that it is getting closer to due date.

Today is August 21st. 2 months from now - October 21st, I could have a newborn. Scary. Exciting. Lots of emotions.

To Sing For Your Supper

Or for your furniture...

In June, we went out and ordered the baby furniture. When we were there, they had a deal that if you did karaoke to a children's song, you would get 15% off a furniture item. Below is Keith's rendition of "Yankee Doodle". (Unfortunately, the sound didn't come out well as we used Keith's cell phone).

To Be 30 Weeks Pregnant

10 Weeks to go... or less

I had my 30 week appointment this week. We are down to doctor's appointments every 2 weeks now. At this appointment, the doctor said that the baby is still breech. He said the baby can still turn and it is not a huge issue at this point. He did schedule another ultrasound at my next appointment (32 weeks) to do a breech check. (If the baby is breech, I will have no choice but to have a c-section. I am really trying to have a VBAC if possible). At the next appointment, I will also be seeing another doctor in the practice. He said that is just to put another set of eyes on me and also to meet another doctor in case he doesn't deliver me. I am really hoping that my main OB doctor delivers my baby.

On Friday, I started getting sciatic nerve pain. (I did not have that when I was pregnant with Joshua). It felt like there was a sharp pain on the right side of my butt. Ouch! It hurt to walk. By the end of the day on Saturday, the pain let up a bit. I guess the baby was lying against the nerve. Hopefully, it won't come back too much.

To Be 29 Weeks Pregnant

11 weeks to go
(or less)

I guess I can start the count down. I was 2 weeks early with Joshua, so there is a good probability that I will deliver early with this one too. Every pregnancy is different, so you never know. What I do know is that I will not have the baby any later than October 23rd. If I don't go into labor by then, I will have a c-section. Any time before that, I am going to try VBAC.

I am still feeling ok. Belly is getting bigger, and I can feel the baby kick several times per day. I am thankful that I have not gotten swollen fingers or feet yet like I did with Joshua. By 25 weeks, I was out of my rings. Now at 29 weeks, I am still wearing them.

My almost 2 year old still doesn't know what is going on. I am not sure he even realizes that my belly is getting bigger. I tell him that Mommy is having a baby, and he is going to be a big brother and have a sister. I tell him that there is a baby in my belly and he used to be in my belly. What response do I get? Nothing. A blank stare. In one ear and out the other. You get the picture.

To Be 28 Weeks Pregnant

Welcome to the 3rd Trimester!

Wow, time is going by really fast. I can't believe I am 2/3 finished with my pregnancy. It seems like just yesterday I was keeping a secret from the world and had no belly to show for my pregnancy either. Fast forward, and here we are, 7 months pregnant. In just 2 1/2 short months, I will have a newborn and now be labled a "mother of 2".

This week was my last of monthly visits to the OB. I now go down to visits every 2 weeks. Things are really getting close. I have 2 full months of work left before I go into the final countdown mode. Scary. My big boss asked me when I was due, and I just said October. Of course, she then pried to be more specific, so I said "middle but I will probably go a little early as I did with Joshua". She then said, "Don't count on it. I was 2 weeks late with my second". Ugh. I have mentally checked myself out of work after October 1st, so I want everyone to know that. I don't want to say the "23rd" and then have work think that I will be there through most of October too. This has been an awful work year, and I just want it to be over and take a much needed break.

My 28 week OB appointment went well on Wednesday. I drank the glucose drink prior to arrival, and they took blood exactly one hour after I drank the juice. The juice tasted like fruit punch, and it didn't really taste that bad. (I remember drinking an orange flavored drink with Joshua for the test, and it didn't taste so good). They told me that the results would take about a week, and they would only call me if the results didn't come out good. I hate that. I would prefer to get a call either way. I had an ultrasound at this appointment too. The sonographer was a little surprised that I was having an ultrasound, but the doctor ordered it, and she said it would be fine. She was just a little worried as the reason for it and whether insurance would cover it. The baby's heartbeat was at 151 and sounded strong. When I got the ultrasound I was measuring 27 weeks and 1 day, and according to my due date, I was 27 weeks and 5 days. That is not really a big deal. When I got measured from the doctor with the tape measure, I measured 28 weeks. He said I was growing fine, and I am not going to have a huge baby. My husband and I are not huge, and it would make sense for us to have smaller babies. After all, Joshua was born at 6 lbs 1 oz and 19 inches and the average baby is 7 lbs 7oz and 21 inches. To me my belly looks big, but it also looks "compact" and I don't seem huge. I definitely have a big pregnant belly, but I am not carrying far out in front like a basketball, and coupled with my smaller size, it may give off a smaller appearance. I feel that I am carrying similar to how I carried with Joshua. If only I took better pregnancy pictures with him. The ones I took to show how far along I was at the time was not so flattering. This time, I started to take pictures wearing the same outfit at around 23 weeks to show the progression.

To Be 27 Weeks Pregnant

I am finally not too small for my maternity clothes.

My belly now fills out all of those maternity shirts with the ties in the back. (I remember thinking about that at 22 weeks and how those shirts were still pretty big on me. Not anymore.) I am fully into all of the maternity clothes and am looking bigger and bigger each week. They say that your belly grows a 1/2 inch each week. That just seems like a lot to me. If that is the case, I still have a lot of growing to do.

I have been having stomach pains on and off all week. It is more like pressure that doesn't go away and you kind of feel like you are full all the time. I called the doctor when I got off the train at the end of the day. (It was 4:45pm). The office closes at 5:00pm so I figured that I would be able to just talk to one of the doctors. The answering service picks up. Ugh, not what I was looking for. Although, it was 4:45pm and not 4:45am, so I guess they probably weren't that irritated. Someone calls me back (not a doctor) and tells me to go to the emergency room. Uh, not exactly what I had in mind. I was hoping for a quick phone conversation with one of the doctors who would tell me to take some Tums and rest for the remainder of the night. I guess the person who called me back was in the office, because the next thing I remember is one of the doctors from the practice on the phone with me. She, Dr. Tran, said that it is a GI issue and not a baby issue and I should take some Pepto Bismol, eat some bland food and monitor the feeling over the next few days. If it doesn't improve to set an appointment to come in. We had pizza planned for dinner that night. If I don't put the crushed red pepper on it, does that count as bland?

To Be 26 Weeks Pregnant

Big.

I finally look at my belly and notice a big belly. (Although, my cousin saw me on Sunday and said I was tiny). I definitely look bigger or smaller depending on what I am wearing.

I am also starting to get anxious to get this baby out of me. Keith's cousin had their baby about a week ago, and it made me anxious to want to finish up with the pregnancy as well. Since my belly looks big to me, it makes me feel that I am furthur along.

I am starting to feel Braxton Hicks contractions. They are really annoying. My upper abdomen tightens for about a minute and I feel pressure. Unfortunately, these contractions aren' going to go away. I should probably pay attention to them to make sure they aren't that frequent.

To Be 25 Weeks Pregnant

Different.



They say that every person's pregnancy experience is difference and no two pregnancies are alike. They say that pregnancies are diffrerent whether you are carrying a boy or girl. They even say that you will experience pregnancies differently for each pregnancy you go through. I was tying to think of that myself and figure out how this pregnancy is different than when I was pregnant with Joshua. I definitely think there are similarities, but there are differences as well. I wish I kept a blog or journal and could refer back to those, but unfortunately I only had about 3 entries into a journal. You would think that for the first pregnancy I would be better, but I wasn't. That is just like they say that you take a million pictures of your first baby and then when the second baby comes around you hardly take any. Hopefully, that isn't the case.

With Joshua I had no morning sickness. With this pregnancy, I did have morning sickness. I had elevated amniotic fluid with Joshua and so far as of my 20 week sonogram, the amniotic fluid level is normal. (Of course that could change). My fingers also swelled a lot earlier with Joshua's pregnancy than this pregnancy. That is not to say that my fingers won't swell, but by now with Joshua's pregnancy, I was growing out of my rings. With this pregnancy, my rings are still ok. I also didn't have many cravings with my last pregnancy. With this pregnancy, cravings come often. I also think I am more emotional with this pregnancy. I know I was a little bit emotional last time, but I feel it is much more extremem this time. (Should I admit that when I heard "Beat It" on the radio the day after Michael Jackson died, I cried. I wasn't even a huge MJ fan). With my last pregnancy, I broke out like a teenager. Can you say eww back acne? This time, pretty much clear.

To Be 24 Weeks Pregnant

It really took awhile for my belly to really take shape. For me to "grow". Now, I have the belly, and it is getting bigger every day. It is a real belly now and not just a small bump. I don't think I have the "is she?" or "isn't she?" look from strangers. I have the "when are you due"?

I had my 24 week appointment this week. Everything is looking good, my weight, the growth of the baby, etc... My next appointment is 28 weeks, and then the wind down begins. Wow, that was fast. I feel like it is flying by. The first trimester went so so slow. Now, I blink and am getting close to the 3rd trimester. Where did the time go? At my appointment, my doctor was even talking about the rest of the pregnancy and how things play out. So scary. I am ready for the end of the pregnancy. But, it is mainly because I need a work break.

To Be 23 Weeks Pregnant

Time to start putting more thought into names. Although, we probably have about 15 - 17 weeks to finalize names. (I actually doubt we have 17 weeks as I do not think I will go the full 40 weeks).

We are working on a name for our little girl. With Joshua, we agreed on the name and both liked it very much. That was that. Pretty easy (I think). Keith liked another name too, but he really liked Joshua, so it worked out well. This time around, we are having a little more difficulty. Keith likes a short, sweet name (S4). I like that name too, but it is a biblical name as is Joshua, and I don't want a biblical name this time around. The name that I really like is (S8). I think it sounds good with our last name and is a good, strong name. It also has a cute nickname. It is a name that I have liked for a really long time and liked it even before I knew I was pregnant with a girl. I think I even liked it way before pregnancy was even a reality, "Someday I would like to name my daugher (S8)."

We have a long last name. It is 10 letters and 3 syllables. Keith is worried about having such a long name for our daughter. That is the only reason he has reservations about (S8). Otherwise, he likes the name too. He is afraid that our daughter is going to have issues on tests when you have to fill in all the bubbles cooresponding to the letters of your first and last name. He is afraid that poor (S8) is going to be still filling out the bubbles while John Wu is already on question 5. Are you serious?

I promise to keep you posted on new developments.

To Be 22 Weeks Pregnant

The belly is coming along. When you look at me from the side and the front, I really have a pregnant belly. I am in full maternity clothes now. While some of the shirts that have the ties in the back are too big, I can't really get away with the belly band anymore and wearing any of my prepregnancy clothes.

We bought the furniture today for the baby's room. We went with the brand Munire, and the collection is called Urban. We were originally looking at white furniture; However, we talked ourselves out of it. I am glad we did. I think we saved ourselves a lot of heart ache in the future with marks and scraches and chips. We went with a natural color. Keith and I are happy with the purchase, and it is nice that we agreed.

I now believe that I feel the baby move every day. During the day, I am so busy and running around, that I don't always notice it. However, over the past few weeks it has been fairly sporatic. I think it is more regular now.