Registry

Wow - 30 weeks plus...about 10 to go. It's starting to seem pretty real. We're doing a lot of mental prep, reading, the Bradley classes and relaxation practice with hopes of having a natural childbirth. The books by the likes of Dr. Sears and midwife Ina May Gaskin and movies (just watched the Business of Being Born a few weeks ago - it was pretty good!) have been really interesting, and I feel like we're developing a pretty realistic picture of what might be coming...of course, it will be a whole new ball game once the birth part is over and we're on to experiencing parenthood!!

We have a rather "non-traditional" approach to the registry here. As I mentioned in earlier messages, we have been so lucky to have so many generous friends provide us with hand-me-down items, as well as a few brand new items too. Our needs are minimial, especially early on. I was just upstairs going through the immense wardrobe the little lad has already accumulated - I am fairly certain I will not need to do laundry AT ALL once he arrives until at least the three month mark - even if he wears two outfits a day! It's amazing. So, we've put some links at the right to Amazon (where I have a few items listed) and then invidiual links to the odds and ends that would be really helpful. With that in mind, here is a a list of some of the things we already have on hand:

• Sleeping places: co-sleeper, bassonet, and hammock
• Fisher Price Papasan Swing
• High chair
• Bouncer
• Monitor
• Bathtub, washclothes, towels, robe, and bath toys
• Infant and toddler carseats
• Blankets, sheets, etc.
• Bottles, Breastfeeding supplies
• Slings / wraps, backpack/frontpack carrier
• Tons and tons of wonderful clothes to last through at least 6 months, probably 9 - if you can't resist and want to give clothes, he'll be about 6 mo. by December, 9 mo. by March, etc...

Name Game

Everyone seems to be interested in whether or not we've picked out a name, and what names we're considering. And nearly everyone has suggestions (from "name him after me!" to the just plain silly "Busta Augusta." Luckily we have eliminated the names of friend's pets from the list of possibilities and Busta is a kitty we know in Ohio.) Like most couples, I imagine, Sam and I have had the challenge finding names that we both like. I'm inclined to slightly more "unique" names but we don't want anything too wacky. It's got to have a good flow, no bad nicknames, and ring well "on the field" for whatever sports or activities he's into. One thing we easily agreed on was that he'll have the Augusta surname.

After the initial brainstorming and visiting lots of name sites on the web, I checked out the bookstore. There are a million books out there and each seems to flaunt an even larger number of names than the last. The book I settled on - and love - is The Baby Name Wizard by Laura Wattenberg. This book is clever. It doesn't have the most extensive list, but it's fun to read and use. Rather than just pages and pages of names to read through, you can look up names you like and there will be lots of ways to find similar names. Names are sorted into "families" (each name lists "sister" and "brother" names based on popularity, style, uniqueness, length, etc.) and there are shorter lists of names by style. Every name includes a chart showing it's popularity over the course of time (1900 to today) and it's "rank" at it's peak of popularity. The descriptions are the most fun I've seen anywhere - clearly there was a lot of thought put into them.

http://www.babynamewizard.com/sampleentries.html

Here's a few examples (these are not names we are considering):
Peyton - virtually unheard of until recently, sharp rise in popularity to a rank of #180 in 2001
Style: Androgynous, Last Name First, Nickname-Proof
Sisters: Kennedy, Riley, Cameron, Ashlyn, Skyler
Brothers: Jaden, Parker, Bryson, Cooper, Carson
Desc: Cross melodrama Peyton Place with quarterback Peyton Manning and what do you get? How about a formerly preppy, delicate name that's gained some jock cred.

Claude - steady decrease from peak popularity (#71) in 1900 to today
Style: French, Ladies and Gentlemen
Sisters: Cecile, Marion, Louise, Leora, Estelle
Brothers: Jules, Clement, Horace, Luther, Edmund
Desc: The perfect French gentleman, Claude has been dragged down a bit the clodlike English pronunciation of the name. It's still a distinguished choice, but not a popular one.

Ruby (so you have a girl example) - peaked in 1910 at #24, sharp and steady decrease then slight increase in recent years (currently #197 in popularity)
Style: Charms and Graces, Guys and Dolls
Sisters: Sadie, Mae, Hazel, Rosie, Lillie
Brothers: Mose, Harry, Leo, Max, Roy
Desc: While Violet and Pearl were blushing in the parlor, Ruby was kicking up her heels at the music hall. She's the spitfire of this old-fashioned name family.

One downside of the book, though, is that not all of the names referenced in the "brothers and sisters" categories have entries themselves, so sometimes you are lead to a dead end.

There's also a website that is similarly fun for brainstorming, it's using a limited list of names in it's database, but it's a lot of fun -
http://www.nymbler.com/nymbler/
This site lets you select names for inspiration (up to five, I think) and it will provide lists of similar names based on what you select. You can block names you don't like, and track favorites. It's definitely worth a few minutes of play, even if you don't have anyone to name right now!

28 weeks and counting

It's been quite a while since I've posted anything here, but rest assured we are all still doing well. Baby seems to be growing pretty well (and therefore I am too) and we're still feeling good. The midwives I am seeing (who are at the birth center where we are planning for the big event to take place) are very nice and seem happy with the progress; it's such a different experience than the first few months of doctor visits where I would wait for an hour or so, then had less than 10 minutes with my OBGYN in which she spewed medical terms and then ordered up several viles of blood to run a bunch of tests that I never heard back about. Heck, I barely understood what they were for! Now I am in a place where I don't feel like I am "ill" and where I'm a lot clearer about what's going on, my responsibilities in preparing for the birth, and how my actions can and will have in impact on the birth. With my doctor, she basically wrote off a birthing plan and didn't really care about the kind of experience we'd like to work towards...I'm so relieved to have care now there they actually CARE.

Daily walks, trying to eat well, and the assorted squats, kegels, and yoga-like postures are contributing to my feeling (relatively) normal and healthy, I think. We've begun a Bradley birthing class (thanks to some very good advice!) and are really enjoying this "husband-coached" method of preparing for a natural birth. Sam is a great coach - he helps me remember to do the exercises and eat protein and all the rest, and we are enjoying "practicing" all of the relaxation techniques (can't we keep practicing relaxing after the birth, too?!) http://www.bradleybirth.com/

It was very sad to lose my Grandpa Haeger in February. Thankfully, we had a week with him at the holidays this year and lots of great memories (there's a picture of him there in the slide show.) Grandpa was always such a great supporter - he was generous, hard-working, smart, stubborn, and enormously interested in what we were up to. But he had a long life, and he was lucky (and determined) enough to live at home until the end. We spent several days with family in Michigan and my grandmother has now moved "up north" where she's close to my parent's but able to be in an assisted living facility (I don't like that word, but "home" isn't much better) where we hope that the social life and support from others will give her a little lift up. It's got to be a tough transition from living seventy years with someone to a whole new place and new people; We're thinking of you, Grandma! xoxo