Tom, Dick, or Harry
(Actually two of those names are still in the ‘possible’ stack of names. Because – and I know this surprises you – I have a Chart for this.)
**
And I’ve been looking at baby boy clothes. And bedding. And gear. (Because heaven forbid we should have to buy a gender-neutral humidifier!) And you’re right. There are colorful boy clothes out there, if one searches them out. And man, oh man, am I searching. Because what’s up with the “make him look like a little man before he can even hold his head up” thing? Sheesh. I don’t want my 2 week old kid in Levis. Or a blazer. Or stomper boots. Or a leather belt. Or even a brown and gray onesie with cars on it.
I’ve come to the conclusion that people are weird.
I shared our “it’s a boy” news with a couple of friends at work who’ve been super-supportive of me these last few years, even when they didn’t know what to say in the face of my obvious distress, and they were both delighted for me. One guy, whose wife is expecting their second boy in early May said, “You are so lucky. Boys are the best. I love my nieces, but boys? Boys are FUN.”
Yeah, I think I’m pretty lucky, too. (Though I know I’d be feeling exactly the same way if we’d learned that Sprog is a girl!)
I’ve finally gained weight, which is odd, because I’ve been eating less than usual due to the Heartburn that has consumed my life (and the lower portion of my esophagus.) Since I’m still having trouble with drinking my full quota of water, I’m wondering if I’m retaining water, in retaliation for being not-quite-as-hydrated-as-usual? Don’t know, but it’s odd to gain a measurable amount of weight without having the chocolate mustache or the carbohydrate high to show for it.
Of course, I’m not complaining. Believe me, I’m not complaining. I always find women who bitch too much about pregnancy weight gain to be creepy. The Boy’s ex-wife apparently only gained 8 pounds (on an already severely underweight body) during her first two pregnancies and wondered why her babies were underweight at birth & why she was completely unable to produce any breastmilk. Another reason to dislike her, as if I needed one…)
I’m finding myself remarkably (for me, anyway) calm about the impending loss of my familiar body. And it’s fun to have weight gain be not so much about a perceived lack of self-control as it is about growing a little person whom I WANT to be chubby and roundish when he emerges. But it’s an interesting feeling, it’s brand new, like so much of this is. I’m fully into uncharted (well, by me, anyway) territory now, and that means that I’m snapping pictures left and right. Look at this! Round ligament pains! Hey! Side sleeping! Whoa! Anyone ever see anything like this pooch of a belly before?!
Just be glad I’m not going to make you sit through the whole slide show at once in 6 months, but instead you get to see it a little bit at a time.
**
Back to the important, all-consuming questions. I’m thinking Hieronymous would be a great name for Sprog.
The Boy’s thinking it’s going to be a long six months.
8 POUNDS?! She only gained 8 pounds? How is that even possible? I’m glad her daughters ultimately turned out OK. Geesh.
As for the weight gain, whoever says every woman and every pregnancy is different isn’t kidding. I only gained 34 pounds with a triplet pregnancy. Yes, I know I suck. I was eating more than 3,000 calories everyday but somehow I just didn’t gain as much as one would think. But, the babies were all born at great weights and that is a GOOD feeling, especially when it’s stacked against not being able to carry them as long as we had hoped.
So just do your best. The cravings and aversions likely will come and go, so just eat and drink what you can when you can. The rest will work itself out.
I can’t tell you how happy I am for you to have round ligament pain! Though it would be nice to be able to experience the uncomfortable symptoms as a reassurance of a progressing pregnancy then check them off some kind of list and have them go away.
Wow- eight pounds….. So she had really tiny babies then? Weird!
You are right about baby boy clothes. I walk into Carter’s, other baby store, there’s a shoe box of boy clothes and then the rest of the store is all girls all the time. And yes, its like little boy clothes are all designed to make them look like they’re interviewing for an accounting job. I don’t get it! I ended up getting a bunch of gender neutral stuff too with animals on them.
And that is one thing I LOOOOVED abotu pregnancy (until GD) that I could eat what I want and not worry about gaining weight. I took this a little toooooo well though, but ah well. Enjoy the eating though its one of the few times in life we can do it guilt-free.
And unsolicited boy names I loooove but wont’ be able to name my son because we’re going to go with a traditional ethnic name: Jackson, Daniel, Christopher.
I love traditional names!
Susan Reply:
March 11th, 2010 at 4:39 pm
I like the name Jackson – well, I used to. The most horrible child I’ve ever dealt with is named Jackson, and I think he ruined the name for me.
I think part of our problem is that we’re too old – we already have so many prejudices regarding names, know too many people with the name, that it’s hard to see it as a name for a yet-unborn baby.
Or it could just be that we’re completely unable to compromise…
I like Ike. lol, not really. I like “Hank.”
Susan Reply:
March 11th, 2010 at 4:37 pm
Hank is, seriously, in the running. As a nickname for Henry, which was my grandfather’s middle name, and which I love.
8lbs…. Wow… Placentas weigh more than that!
Susan Reply:
March 11th, 2010 at 4:37 pm
Yep. She’s a bit, ehrm, concerned about weight issues. (read: severely anorexic.) Her kids had some problems as infants – brittle bones, and digestive issues, but they’re healthy adults.
She, on the other hand, is still a wingnut.
http://www.bodenusa.com. The Cutest. Clothes. Ever.
How about Adonis? If the Hieronymous choice doesn’t work out, that is.
I’m geting kind of annoyed by the lack of just plain and simple gender-neutral stuff. It’s like all the stuff I see is totally pink and frilly, when I’d love to see more plain and simple things in blues and greens and yellows and oranges and reds and browns. Kind of frustrating, when I’d really hoped we might get lucky enough to do this again in a couple years from the frosties, and might be lucky enough to end up with a boy the next time. Though I’m sure another girl would be nice too.
Guess I’ll just have to get used to things not meeting my exact taste, and enjoy what I can get second-hand from my SIL who has a 6 month old girl right now. At least furniture and toys can be gender neutral.
Susan Reply:
March 11th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
Heheeh. My nephew’s name is actually Apollo, so Adonis would fit right in. Of course, his father’s family would likely call him Don in an attempt to gloss over the weirdness of their son’s wife…
I’m just happy for you. Smiling, teary-eyed, Ovidrel-ed happy. Enjoy picking out boy names
You sound so very happy, Sprogblogger, and I am thrilled for you. I’m with you on the adultish baby clothes. You probably know this, but for the first few weeks all they need are a few tshirts (no onesies unntil the cord has fallen off), diapers and swaddling blankets. Keep enjoying yourself.
You are so lucky! I am glad you are finally gaining weight (comforting thought) and I am so excited to hear the blow by blow accounting of name deciding. Are you starting to lose the m/s blahs yet? I think it took me until 14 weeks, but as you have said, it is weirdly comforting!
Susan Reply:
March 11th, 2010 at 4:34 pm
m/s is pretty much gone, though it took my appetite with it. Of course, the Heartburn is sticking around, so it acts pretty much the same way. A mouthful of bile is a mouthful of bile, no matter how it gets there…
Not complaining.
Much.
I favour Zeus, Bacchus, Mendoza, or.. Tom.
Susan Reply:
March 11th, 2010 at 4:33 pm
hehehh. I suggested Zeus, since my brother’s children are named Apollo & Athena (Greek wife, they’re actually family names). The boy was not as enamored of the name as I was.
Of course, he also axed my suggestion of Thor, which is a shame. I’d've totally named Sprog ‘Thor’. Maybe if I can send the Boy away from the hospital when they bring ’round the birth certificate…
Mendoza – are you, by chance a Kage Baker fan?
My husband wanted Thor! His view was that no one was going to mess with the Norse god of thunder in the playground! Seriously, it was the only boy name on his list. I still
laugh to myself when I picture our tiny little baby (was born just over 6lb) with such a grand name! We went for Samuel Finn in the end. Happy name picking! I second the opinion re boden clothes too, Sam has cute jumpers with dogs and ducks and tractors on in bold primary colours, lovely!