What's in a Name?
Ok – so by now the news is out. Our beautiful baby girl's name is Amelia Daniele Lisowe. So, how did we arrive at that name? Well – funny story. Let me walk you through it.
One day about 18 months ago, Brad and I were watching some show or movie or something and one of the characters was named Amelia. We both immediately started talking about the name and said that if our next baby was a daughter, we'd name her that.
Well – fast forward to May of this year and we found out we were having a daughter. For Brad, the deal was sealed as soon as the ultrasound showed the absence of man parts. For me, it took a little longer.
Earlier this year I started researching our family tree and in doing so, found out that one of my relatives from back in the day was named Sophia. She was married to "The King" – the same guy all the males in my family for generations have been named after. So, I fell in love with the name Sophia and have always loved the story of "The King."
Well – once we found the sex, Brad mandated that we wouldn't talk about it until July 30th. That was more to bug me than anything else. He also didn't want to tell anyone once we had decided – that was more to bug everyone else, I think.
One night in late June I had had it, and brought up my 2 name choices (Amelia and Sophia) during date night. He said that there was only one name on his list and lucky for me it was Amelia. We toyed with the idea of naming her Sophia as a middle name, but we already had one perfect middle name, or so we thought. So, I tucked Sophia back into the back of my mind and Amelia was born.
Now to the middle name. We always knew that our little girl's middle name would be Ann. It's a family name on both his and my side. That's it – it was settled. Or so we thought. As time wore on, I started thinking more and more about the name Daniele.
Some folks may not know the story, but Daniele was my given middle name. When Brad and I went to the courthouse to get our marriage license, I wasn't prepared to have to decide what my new legal name would have to be. I knew I didn't want 4 names (keeping both my maiden and middle name), but giving either up seemed like a betrayal to my parents. After what seemed like hours, I finally decided my new legal name would be Lauren Benson Lisowe (one of the few traditional things about me). That being said, giving our daughter the middle name of Daniele will always allow her to have a piece of me with her (of course until she grows up and is faced with the same decision that I had to make).
So – what's in a name? A whole lot of thought, family, and compromise, but I think this name is perfect! And if we needed another sign – the main character in the princess diaries is named Amelia. She has the exact same Faberge carousel in the movie that our Amelia has in her nursery, so I take that as a sign that Amelia is the perfect fit.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Why would you ask that?
It always amuses me when people ask questions that they know the answers to… This morning my doctor did another ultrasound to find out that the baby is still breech. She also confirmed what I know that her head is tucked under one side of my ribs and her feet are tucked under the other. She then asked if it hurt? I'm sure the bemused look I gave her went unnoticed, but really? Did you need to ask me that? I have a 9.5 pound baby hanging out on my bladder (I'll get to that later) and her head is poking against my ribs… I told her it hadn't exactly been a real comfortable 2 weeks. As far as the bladder thing – that's the baby's new favorite thing – to try and see how many times she can poke me in the bladder in the span of an hour. She's getting very good at it! I am not quite sure what it is she's poking me with since her hands and feet are both by my ribs, so I'm figuring perhaps she has a pokey butt =)
C-Section is scheduled for 4pm next Monday (Sept 27th) and the Lisowe family is getting ready. We're spending a "quiet" week at home with Braden and trying to balance getting him ready for baby sister and spoiling him in his last week as an only child. He's very excited about the reported "present" that he gets from baby sister. He's also very excited about being a big brother and finally getting to meet her. He still talks to her a lot and got a kick out of it last week when I showed him where her booty was in my belly.
Brad and I are doing well and pretty much 100% settled in the new house. I can't speak for Brad, but I love it here! I love the neighborhood (not that we didn't love our last one) and the amount of room we all have here. It's a little more work in terms of the yard and upkeep, but worth it in the long run! The nursery is all decorated, and the only thing I have left to do is finish putting her name on the wall. I made cute little circles with each letter of her name on them, but Brad won't let me hang them up until she is officially here =) I will give you the initials though – her initials are officially ADL (slight change from what we had thought they would be – it's been a long journey for me on the middle name – which I can explain once she gets here!).
As this may be the last post for a while, thank you all for taking this very special journey with us. I feel totally unprepared at times just because the first time around I had read every book and knew exactly what we were supposed to do at all times. This time I figure we'll just wing it. Brad seems to remember a lot more about what we did with Braden than I do, so hopefully he won't get too sleep deprived and can keep me on the right track! We'll send official news and pictures from the hospital next week! Hugs and kisses to everyone!
C-Section is scheduled for 4pm next Monday (Sept 27th) and the Lisowe family is getting ready. We're spending a "quiet" week at home with Braden and trying to balance getting him ready for baby sister and spoiling him in his last week as an only child. He's very excited about the reported "present" that he gets from baby sister. He's also very excited about being a big brother and finally getting to meet her. He still talks to her a lot and got a kick out of it last week when I showed him where her booty was in my belly.
Brad and I are doing well and pretty much 100% settled in the new house. I can't speak for Brad, but I love it here! I love the neighborhood (not that we didn't love our last one) and the amount of room we all have here. It's a little more work in terms of the yard and upkeep, but worth it in the long run! The nursery is all decorated, and the only thing I have left to do is finish putting her name on the wall. I made cute little circles with each letter of her name on them, but Brad won't let me hang them up until she is officially here =) I will give you the initials though – her initials are officially ADL (slight change from what we had thought they would be – it's been a long journey for me on the middle name – which I can explain once she gets here!).
As this may be the last post for a while, thank you all for taking this very special journey with us. I feel totally unprepared at times just because the first time around I had read every book and knew exactly what we were supposed to do at all times. This time I figure we'll just wing it. Brad seems to remember a lot more about what we did with Braden than I do, so hopefully he won't get too sleep deprived and can keep me on the right track! We'll send official news and pictures from the hospital next week! Hugs and kisses to everyone!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
It's Settled!
It's Settled!
Well – It's pretty much settled. Baby A will come out via a c-section on Monday, September 27th. Other than being upside down, she looked very healthy during her ultrasound yesterday. She is also gigantic! I seriously almost fell off the table when the doc told me she weighed 8lbs 15 ozs – and that was at 37 weeks and 1 day! I also couldn't tell the number to any of my other mommy friends without laughing. Now I'm kinda glad she's upside down! She also has her head in one side of my ribcage and her feet in the other for maximum levels of discomfort.
We took our ultrasound pix home and showed Braden. He seemed excited, but he was more excited when I showed him where baby sister's head and booty were. He spent the evening talking to her head and yelling at her booty. We've been getting him ready for what's coming up in the next few weeks and he even has a special surprise for anyone who drops by to see his new baby sister. He's been such a big helper boy since we've moved and is really growing up…some days!
As for me – apparently some things haven't changed from one pregnancy to another. I've got carpal tunnel again in my right hand which causes it to fall asleep about 5-6 times per hour. Nothing that won't go back to normal – just very annoying. I did also have the first person comment on my lack of a wedding ring last week sometime. I long for the day (in two weeks) when I can get it back on! I miss seeing it! Other than that and some minor discomfort and a total lack of being able to sleep for more than 2 hours at a time, I'm doing great. Weight is good (I think I'm at around 33 pounds gained total) and blood pressure continues to be good, so now we're in the home stretch.
The nursery is all ready and I can say I can't be more proud of how it turned out. It is pretty much exactly what I wanted for her! I did have the doc confirm yesterday that she is indeed a girl so we don't have any surprises. The one sad thing is that I'm not sure she'll fit into the outfit I wanted to bring her home in. Normally no big deal, but it's the one I wore home from the hospital and it's just not looking like I can stuff a 10 pound baby in there… Maybe I can let her wear the dress as a belly shirt =)
In house news, we are officially all settled in. Brad got our pictures hung up (and despite what he tells you it did not take him 4 hours) and we had our open house over the weekend. I had so much fun showing off all of the hard work to our friends and family. Now we've got a huge to do list, but what home owner doesn't? I think Brad is going to spend his last weekend as a 1-kid-dad getting his workshop put together so he has a place to retreat =)
Back to the doc next week and unless something changes between now and then, we're on track for a 9/27 delivery. Thanks for all the well wishes and kind notes over the past week. Brad and I feel much more confident about the c-section now than we did at this time last week. See you next week!
Well – It's pretty much settled. Baby A will come out via a c-section on Monday, September 27th. Other than being upside down, she looked very healthy during her ultrasound yesterday. She is also gigantic! I seriously almost fell off the table when the doc told me she weighed 8lbs 15 ozs – and that was at 37 weeks and 1 day! I also couldn't tell the number to any of my other mommy friends without laughing. Now I'm kinda glad she's upside down! She also has her head in one side of my ribcage and her feet in the other for maximum levels of discomfort.
We took our ultrasound pix home and showed Braden. He seemed excited, but he was more excited when I showed him where baby sister's head and booty were. He spent the evening talking to her head and yelling at her booty. We've been getting him ready for what's coming up in the next few weeks and he even has a special surprise for anyone who drops by to see his new baby sister. He's been such a big helper boy since we've moved and is really growing up…some days!
As for me – apparently some things haven't changed from one pregnancy to another. I've got carpal tunnel again in my right hand which causes it to fall asleep about 5-6 times per hour. Nothing that won't go back to normal – just very annoying. I did also have the first person comment on my lack of a wedding ring last week sometime. I long for the day (in two weeks) when I can get it back on! I miss seeing it! Other than that and some minor discomfort and a total lack of being able to sleep for more than 2 hours at a time, I'm doing great. Weight is good (I think I'm at around 33 pounds gained total) and blood pressure continues to be good, so now we're in the home stretch.
The nursery is all ready and I can say I can't be more proud of how it turned out. It is pretty much exactly what I wanted for her! I did have the doc confirm yesterday that she is indeed a girl so we don't have any surprises. The one sad thing is that I'm not sure she'll fit into the outfit I wanted to bring her home in. Normally no big deal, but it's the one I wore home from the hospital and it's just not looking like I can stuff a 10 pound baby in there… Maybe I can let her wear the dress as a belly shirt =)
In house news, we are officially all settled in. Brad got our pictures hung up (and despite what he tells you it did not take him 4 hours) and we had our open house over the weekend. I had so much fun showing off all of the hard work to our friends and family. Now we've got a huge to do list, but what home owner doesn't? I think Brad is going to spend his last weekend as a 1-kid-dad getting his workshop put together so he has a place to retreat =)
Back to the doc next week and unless something changes between now and then, we're on track for a 9/27 delivery. Thanks for all the well wishes and kind notes over the past week. Brad and I feel much more confident about the c-section now than we did at this time last week. See you next week!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
The things we do for our kids!
I have rug burns on the tops of my toes and I can barely see over my desk at work today… Why you ask? I'm trying to get the baby to cooperate and turn her little booty around so she can come out in a few weeks!
I felt the need to document the lengths I am going to so that I can remind the baby of this when she turns 15 and hates me… I'll remind her that I sat on an exercise ball at work for 2 days looking like a fool every time someone walked around my office. I'll remind her ever so gently that I crawled on all 4s at 8 months pregnant and then sat in what can only be described as a yoga pose gone horribly wrong because she was being stubborn. I'll remind her that while performing said motions that I got rug burns on the tops of my toes! And chances are she'll just call me a dork and keep hating me =)
But as parents, it's our jobs to do everything we can to make our children's lives the best they can be – even before they get here. We found out yesterday at our appointment that the baby is breech right now so after doing some research I've found some "exercises" that may help her get turned the right way. At this point I'm pretty much willing to try anything because as great as a free tummy tuck sounds, not being able to pick up Braden or the baby for 6 weeks afterward doesn't sound appealing at all.
So, we've got another ultrasound next Monday and a doc appointment with my regular doctor on Tuesday at which point we'll have to make a decision about what comes next. As much as I'm not a fan of having a c-section, I have bigger issues with trying to have a breech baby naturally. Way too many ways things can go wrong. So, keep us in your thoughts and prayers and we'll let you know how things go next week! Think flippy thoughts!
I felt the need to document the lengths I am going to so that I can remind the baby of this when she turns 15 and hates me… I'll remind her that I sat on an exercise ball at work for 2 days looking like a fool every time someone walked around my office. I'll remind her ever so gently that I crawled on all 4s at 8 months pregnant and then sat in what can only be described as a yoga pose gone horribly wrong because she was being stubborn. I'll remind her that while performing said motions that I got rug burns on the tops of my toes! And chances are she'll just call me a dork and keep hating me =)
But as parents, it's our jobs to do everything we can to make our children's lives the best they can be – even before they get here. We found out yesterday at our appointment that the baby is breech right now so after doing some research I've found some "exercises" that may help her get turned the right way. At this point I'm pretty much willing to try anything because as great as a free tummy tuck sounds, not being able to pick up Braden or the baby for 6 weeks afterward doesn't sound appealing at all.
So, we've got another ultrasound next Monday and a doc appointment with my regular doctor on Tuesday at which point we'll have to make a decision about what comes next. As much as I'm not a fan of having a c-section, I have bigger issues with trying to have a breech baby naturally. Way too many ways things can go wrong. So, keep us in your thoughts and prayers and we'll let you know how things go next week! Think flippy thoughts!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Gigantor Strikes Again!
So – week 35 check up and the baby is big – and getting bigger… She is measuring between 2.5 and 3 weeks big. Ahh! She is also sitting pretty low already. Doc pretty much told me that she doesn't expect us to go full term. Not sure if I'm bummed or relieved.
Otherwise baby and I are both happy. Blood pressure is good for me – heart beat is good for her. We're to the point of going to the doc once a week, so next appointment is next Tuesday. We'll know more then about growth of the baby, etc.
In other news, the nursery is almost 100% done. We've sent the rocking chair back to Arkansas for some minor surgery (it fell out of the truck during the move!) and we've got to get the rails for the bottom of the crib, but other than that the walls are all decorated and her clothes are all washed and ready to wear. I even put together her diaper bag today! I've started packing our bag for the hospital, but it won't be finished probably until the day we go into the hospital. That is certainly a change from Braden… with him my bag was packed in the second trimester =)
Braden is getting more excited about his baby sister. Wants to know where she is all the time. He is getting adjusted to the new house more and more every day. He even helped decorate his room.
Brad and I are getting settled in, too. We're pretty much down to hanging pictures on the walls, which I would say is a pretty big accomplishment. I think I can speak for the whole family in saying that we made the right decision and will love this house for years to come. Now we just have to sit and wait for the rest of our little family to get here.
Otherwise baby and I are both happy. Blood pressure is good for me – heart beat is good for her. We're to the point of going to the doc once a week, so next appointment is next Tuesday. We'll know more then about growth of the baby, etc.
In other news, the nursery is almost 100% done. We've sent the rocking chair back to Arkansas for some minor surgery (it fell out of the truck during the move!) and we've got to get the rails for the bottom of the crib, but other than that the walls are all decorated and her clothes are all washed and ready to wear. I even put together her diaper bag today! I've started packing our bag for the hospital, but it won't be finished probably until the day we go into the hospital. That is certainly a change from Braden… with him my bag was packed in the second trimester =)
Braden is getting more excited about his baby sister. Wants to know where she is all the time. He is getting adjusted to the new house more and more every day. He even helped decorate his room.
Brad and I are getting settled in, too. We're pretty much down to hanging pictures on the walls, which I would say is a pretty big accomplishment. I think I can speak for the whole family in saying that we made the right decision and will love this house for years to come. Now we just have to sit and wait for the rest of our little family to get here.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Hot! Hot! Hot!
Hot, Hot, Hot!
So, no big shocker to anyone south of Kentucky, but IT'S HOT! As some of my pregnant friends can confirm, it's even hotter when you're pregnant! I'm talking if I step outside for more than 60 seconds I'm covered in sweat. Hormones are not my friend. To make it worse, it is the hottest summer on record in Atlanta. Joy!
But, enough complaining and onto more exciting things. We officially closed on our house last Friday and began moving in. Unfortunately both air conditioners were broken so please refer to paragraph 1 for my feelings on this! Other than that we're all super excited to finally be moving in. I know it was less than a month, but it has seemed like forever! We got a TON moved over the weekend and are bringing in reinforcements next weekend to help with the rest of the stuff. Hopefully the A/C units will be fixed by then so we can actually start sleeping there.
Braden has his new room all picked out and I found his Thomas stickers for his walls in a box yesterday so I plan on putting them up during my lunch today to surprise him after school. He's still very excited about baby sister and wants to know where she is at all times. I guess he got over her kicking him a few weeks ago =) I'm still not sure how the sharing situation is going to go, but I think he's going to make one heck of a big brother. He's been so attentive during the pregnancy I'm hoping it will continue after she is born.
Had another doc appointment today. I'm in my 31st week. Baby A is wiggling right now to say hello (it could have something to do with the donut I ate 20 minutes ago), but overall she is much calmer than Braden was. Braden tended to move all the time, and she tends to go more in bursts and then be still for hours at a time. Her growth seems to have slowed down, but she is still growing big (she's only 1 week ahead now instead of 2). I'm planning on moving her stuff over today and getting the nursery set up (sort of). Another appt in 2 weeks so I'll have another update then.
So, no big shocker to anyone south of Kentucky, but IT'S HOT! As some of my pregnant friends can confirm, it's even hotter when you're pregnant! I'm talking if I step outside for more than 60 seconds I'm covered in sweat. Hormones are not my friend. To make it worse, it is the hottest summer on record in Atlanta. Joy!
But, enough complaining and onto more exciting things. We officially closed on our house last Friday and began moving in. Unfortunately both air conditioners were broken so please refer to paragraph 1 for my feelings on this! Other than that we're all super excited to finally be moving in. I know it was less than a month, but it has seemed like forever! We got a TON moved over the weekend and are bringing in reinforcements next weekend to help with the rest of the stuff. Hopefully the A/C units will be fixed by then so we can actually start sleeping there.
Braden has his new room all picked out and I found his Thomas stickers for his walls in a box yesterday so I plan on putting them up during my lunch today to surprise him after school. He's still very excited about baby sister and wants to know where she is at all times. I guess he got over her kicking him a few weeks ago =) I'm still not sure how the sharing situation is going to go, but I think he's going to make one heck of a big brother. He's been so attentive during the pregnancy I'm hoping it will continue after she is born.
Had another doc appointment today. I'm in my 31st week. Baby A is wiggling right now to say hello (it could have something to do with the donut I ate 20 minutes ago), but overall she is much calmer than Braden was. Braden tended to move all the time, and she tends to go more in bursts and then be still for hours at a time. Her growth seems to have slowed down, but she is still growing big (she's only 1 week ahead now instead of 2). I'm planning on moving her stuff over today and getting the nursery set up (sort of). Another appt in 2 weeks so I'll have another update then.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Big Baby A
Big Baby A
Well – we've picked a name. I can't tell you what it is, but we've got it (sorry if I posted that in the last blog but I can't remember much of anything these days!). It starts with 'A'. Now the only thing I have to figure out is if I want to hyphenate the middle name or just stick with one… For now I'm leaning toward sticking with one, but that decision may come down to the wire…
Anyway – doc appointment was good today. Gained a little too much weight, but other than that mom and baby are both good. Baby is still growing big. She measuring about a week and a half big right now. Doctor Johnson says that is still within the norm. She's still very active. I swear the other night she was trying to break free!
Lots of people keep asking me how Braden is doing with the baby thing and he's doing as well as a two year old can be doing. I'm not sure he quite comprehends yet, but he is very loving with "baby sister" and gives her lots of love and kisses inside mommy's belly. We tried to have the talk with him about baby sister coming home to live with us and he was open to that, for as much as he understood.
Other big changes coming up, we're moving! That's right. We found a house (and a renter for our current house). The house is just up the road from where we are now and honestly I can't think of a more perfect place to raise our family. Brad and I are both very excited and we're getting Braden there. I've made him a few things for his new room and we keep talking about his new playroom so I think he'll be ok with the move.
Our renter happens to be my mom, who is moving to Atlanta from Texas to be closer to Braden and Baby A. It's funny how life sort of all comes together at certain moments, but she really is helping us out by renting our house for a little while. We're excited to have her here for other reasons too and if we could just get North Arkansas and Michigan a little closer to Georgia then we'd be all set =)
Just packing as much as I can over the next several weeks before my moving part of the job is done. We close July 30th and plan to move the next weekend. I'll keep everyone updated and for sure send nursery photos as soon as I get it set up. Next appointment is in 3 weeks =)
Well – we've picked a name. I can't tell you what it is, but we've got it (sorry if I posted that in the last blog but I can't remember much of anything these days!). It starts with 'A'. Now the only thing I have to figure out is if I want to hyphenate the middle name or just stick with one… For now I'm leaning toward sticking with one, but that decision may come down to the wire…
Anyway – doc appointment was good today. Gained a little too much weight, but other than that mom and baby are both good. Baby is still growing big. She measuring about a week and a half big right now. Doctor Johnson says that is still within the norm. She's still very active. I swear the other night she was trying to break free!
Lots of people keep asking me how Braden is doing with the baby thing and he's doing as well as a two year old can be doing. I'm not sure he quite comprehends yet, but he is very loving with "baby sister" and gives her lots of love and kisses inside mommy's belly. We tried to have the talk with him about baby sister coming home to live with us and he was open to that, for as much as he understood.
Other big changes coming up, we're moving! That's right. We found a house (and a renter for our current house). The house is just up the road from where we are now and honestly I can't think of a more perfect place to raise our family. Brad and I are both very excited and we're getting Braden there. I've made him a few things for his new room and we keep talking about his new playroom so I think he'll be ok with the move.
Our renter happens to be my mom, who is moving to Atlanta from Texas to be closer to Braden and Baby A. It's funny how life sort of all comes together at certain moments, but she really is helping us out by renting our house for a little while. We're excited to have her here for other reasons too and if we could just get North Arkansas and Michigan a little closer to Georgia then we'd be all set =)
Just packing as much as I can over the next several weeks before my moving part of the job is done. We close July 30th and plan to move the next weekend. I'll keep everyone updated and for sure send nursery photos as soon as I get it set up. Next appointment is in 3 weeks =)
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