Wednesday, May 29, 2013

A Big Week in the May Household

Okay, this is another post taking place quite a bit after our last appointment (which was last Tuesday), BUT I couldn't share the gender last week because we hadn't told our parents yet. So, here are all the details about our Big Week last week.

First of all, I have to say that waiting to find out Baby May's gender was so hard. Especially since our appointment got pushed back a week until the regular ultrasound technician could come back from medical leave. When we got to the doctor's office, the waiting room was buzzing with excited couples - a majority of them were there to find out their baby's gender as well. There was even an entire French family with the parents and siblings of the expectant couple.

When we finally got called back for our turn, it took an excruciatingly long time to go through the checklist of other things the technician had to locate in Baby May - kidneys, lungs, spine, fingers, toes, etc. And yes, all of those things are important - thankfully God has blessed us with a baby who shows no signs of risks or complications. But we all know that the fun part of this appointment was finding out the gender! FINALLY the technician got down to the business of finding "girl parts" or "boy parts" - not an easy task since Baby May decided to curl over, face down (obviously taking after Aunt Amanda!) When she announced that we were having a BOY, Davis said, "YES! I win!" (Think he was excited?) I was not particularly shocked at the announcement - I've said since the beginning that I had a feeling it was a girl, which meant it was probably a boy. I probably would have been more shocked if she had said girl.

As silly as this sounds, Davis and I have had a boy name picked out for several years now - probably since shortly after we got engaged in March 2009. I have always wanted to choose names that were meaningful and somehow connected with familial names. We chose Ellis James May. Both of our fathers are Robert (and both go by Bob); we opted to choose their middle names (Ellis from Davis's dad and James from mine). To us, these are two of the strongest, most inspiring men in our lives. I pray that Ellis will grow up to be like these two men and like his Daddy.

However, our Big Week doesn't stop there (bet you thought you were done, huh?)

After the gender appointment, I had an interview at my school for a Pre-K position (which is certified). I felt like I was flying the whole time I was in the interview from our Baby May news, which probably made me less anxious about the whole process. I left feeling pretty good about the interview (hey - I talked until I was hoarse, so I knew I gave them as much information about me as I could). That evening as I was driving home from getting a hair cut and oil change, I got a call from the school. The call came at 6:15 which immediately made me question what's wrong? Ms. Kennedy said she just wanted to go ahead and let me know that I was being offered the Pre-K spot, which I accepted multiple times!

I'm not sure how I made it through the end of last week, but we finally made it to Friday afternoon when we got to go home and announce the job and Baby May's gender! (For more information on the big reveal and for some pictures, look for a follow-up post in the next few days.)

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Baby Names

In just over a week we will hopefully get to know Baby May's gender.

Davis and I have already decided on a boy's name, but the girl's name is proving to be tricky.  The problem with a lot of the names I've always liked is that my aunts and uncles named my cousins by them already - Sarah, Lily, Grace, Katharine...

I want to use or incorporate a family name or a version thereof. We've done that with our boy's name, but can't seem to find a girl's name we both like. I realize not everyone knows our families' names, but I (we) would love to hear some suggestions.

So, any thoughts? PLEASE no names that have topped the "top baby names" lists in the past couple years.

Monday, May 6, 2013

Baby May is the Size of a Sweet Potato!

Weeks: 18

Size: Baby May should be about 5.6 inches

Weight (mine): I lost 1 pound between Week 12 and Week 16. My doctor didn't seem too happy about it, but I've been eating significantly healthier so I figure I'm okay. (Also, you can't win when it comes to weight and doctors - you lose weight it's bad...you gain weight it's bad!)

Last Appointment: We had our most recent appointment last Monday (April 22), and Davis went with me this time. They took some more blood from me - and I'm still sporting the green bruise! Then came the fun part - listening to baby's heartbeat and seeing it on the sonogram! I bought a fetal doppler to use at home, and we've been able to hear the heartbeat pretty well using that; however, the doctor's doppler provides a much clearer sound.

Then we got to check in on what Baby May was up to! We could tell that Baby May had the hiccups because it curled up each time it hiccuped. It was also very active, moving around and twisting and turning while we were watching. I must have been holding my breath while watching because I got light-headed and we had to stop (Darn!)

(As a side-note, I don't like calling Baby May "it", so I usually switch back and forth between "he" and "she". I didn't here because I don't want to confuse anyone. With any luck we'll find out the gender at our next appointment May 14!)

Cravings: Salad, fruit, cereal, Wendy's cheeseburgers
I'm finally getting my appetite back enough to have nearly full-size meals again!

Aversions: Pasta, apparently. This is frustrating because it's quick and easy to fix; also, it was one of my favorite foods pre-pregnancy.


I've finally figured out what Baby May's movements feel like. They feel like little nudges or bubbles. I tend to feel them when I'm sitting still, and they've gotten more consistent (at least the ones I can identify).

This weekend my parents brought some of the baby supplies that we've inherited from family (or that my Mama bought from a neighbor). It took us at least an hour to figure out the stroller, pack-n-play (including a bassinet and changing tray), and car seat. I guess our next task is to test the car seat in the car.

Davis has been absolutely wonderful throughout the whole pregnancy. I've had a lot of back issues over the last couple months (my sacroiliac joint, I think), and he's given me lots of back rubs. He's also been taking on more of a role in chores and cooking, which is appreciated more than he knows!