stratton 5

this pregnancy, a lot of people keep commenting on how big my belly is. (every woman's dream, hearing 'wow, you look so BIG!'. has anyone ever seen the movie away we go? if not, go watch this video clip immediately. and make yourself a note to rent the movie. oh, and then you can read on.)

i mean, it is big. and was bigger sooner. but i also just realized yesterday that i only have about 11 weeks before stratton 5 is born.

whoa.

(so it makes some sense that my belly would be big at this point, yes?)

i think having two children to distract you really does make a pregnancy go that much faster. i tend to have no idea how far along i am, which makes me look kind of daft when people ask, but make pregnancy be less of a countdown and more like a temporary part of life (not to be scrutinized too closely. unless you like things like watching grass grow). i'll be induced 2 weeks before my due date, which is november 13, so stratton 5 will join the party right at the very end of october/very beginning of november.

i literally cannot WAIT!

for so many reasons, not the least of which being the calf and shin cramps, or my back aching constantly, four months of contractions, or the inability for my pregnant body to keep up, but also because i'm so looking forward to meeting stratton 5 and loving on him!

let's be honest, carrying this much baby on the front of my body will be the death of me. and not having to hear commentary on the arbitrary nature of how "big" the womb of my unborn child is? well, that will be nice, too :)

things i don't want to talk about

i don't want to talk about, ie, blog about (and yet, here i am?):

how tired i am.

how busy the past few weeks have been.

how much more busy the month of may is going to be.

how overwhelmed and on edge being this busy is making me.

or how i can't help but see life through these green-colored glasses i'm wearing. every. single. day.

ugh. nausea. central.

okay. i'm done complaining. i don't care to elaborate, because i'm desperately aware at how unnecessary my whining drivel is. and painfully aware at how little anyone cares to read it. but for those of you who were wondering where i went, well, since my 5 day workation (a whole lot more work than -cation), i've been pretty behind on life and my ever-increasing responsibilities and endeavors beyond motherhood and wifehood.

and since i'm not a big fan of having to actually participate in life in my current condition, well, i was simply trying to avoid what i'm doing this very minute, which is being a yuckface whinerhead.

which is almost as gross as how i feel EVERY day.

(okay, now i'm really done.)

onwards and upwards, right?!

the short list

well, a baby name blog has been requested by a couple of you over the past weeks, and let's be honest: i like to give the people what they want :) and WHO doesn't like to talk about baby names?! (answer: no one)

this go 'round, baby naming is much harder. i guess because our first name picks, elias and piper, were such clear cut front runners. we had both their names picked out before i even knew i was having a boy. truth is, we didn't have many favorites to begin with, so we're now left with a much shorter list. and we've not added many names to it since we made it 5 years ago (yes. i'm picky. i'm opinionated. what of it?)

after two kids, finding another name that fits the group is kind of tricky. i feel like eli and piper's names are both a little unique and somehow similar in feel, so i'm not about to name baby 3 something that doesn't, well, fit. so that's one more thing to complicate what is becoming one very tough job. who ever though finding a name could prove so difficult?

i like sharing baby names. some people keep it a secret, which i think is cool (but i never could), and some people don't like sharing because they don't like people's reactions. but me? i don't give a hoot what someone else thinks. it's my kid, and i can name it whatever the heck i want. so i really don't care if everyone (or anyone) likes it. you should have heard my dad react to the name piper. maybe that's why he still calls her penelope (hilarious, and yet unfortunate, because i like the name penelope, too. and i love the nickname penny...)

i'm very particular about names, and i have way too many parameters. here's where i get a little crazy. are you worried? or curious?

1) the name we choose most likely cannot end in "-on", "-en", "-in" or "-an" because none of those sound very good with stratton. there may be exceptions to this rule. maybe.

2) nicknames are important. if there is no nickname, it's probably not going to work.

3) i'd prefer that it not end in "-as" or "-er" (like elias and piper). i'd like them to all sound different.

4) i don't like names that i hear all the time, but i don't do wacky, invented, or bizarre names. like "faranfalli" or "wardionne". (c'mon, are they for REAL?!)

5) middle names are just as important as first names. i already have a unisex middle name with great significance, but i cannot divulge just yet. you'll have to wait for it. dave and i agree that one of the names ought to have some significance or meaning, eg, no naming my kids after soap opera stars or anything ;)

that said, i'll share some of our short list. ready?!

GIRLS

elouise- and i'd call her "lou". LOVE.

lula- not sure if i love it, but it would be cute with a middle name like "jane" or something.

ophelia- elya suggested this one (in jest, i think), but i love "opie". it's on the list.

BOYS

malcolm or maxwell- we love "max", but what do you call malcolm for short?!

hatcher or thatcher- "thatch" and "hatch". like.

atticus- dave and i always loved this one. but "atti" sounds too similar to "madey" and "matty". not so much...

jude or judah- still like these ones. and jude i like even without a nickname (gasp).

asher- but can you call him "ash"? is it too feminine? undecided on this one. plus it's an "-er", so...

truth is, i adore elouise, but i do no yet adore any boy names. here's where you come in. i need name help, BIG TIME. i want them all and i want you to keep your ear to the ground between now and november for anything that i can use.

the fate of my third child...rests on you.

(no pressure)

the verdict

at long last.

the wait...is over.

this ultrasound concludes that there is one, i repeat, one teeny tiny baby in utero. or maybe it's a gummy bear, like dave proposed after we did our best to make heads and tails of the little guy :)

so as much as twins would be something else, i have to admit i'm a little relieved. even in my dreams breastfeeding two kids is pretty tricky. the doctor sort of looked at me funny when i said i thought my belly was big and to be on the look out for babies floating around everywhere. she said "well, it's your third, so..."

oh.
right.
maybe she gets that a lot?

so i guess this is what my belly does at 2 months the third time around. truth is, my belly has never had much of a place to hide.

and neither do all the tacos and bacon cheeseburgers i keep eating to will away my nausea :)

whoa, baby.

just a little peek at the belly.

please ignore the heinous wallpaper in my bathroom.
(i literally can't even talk about it. it's hunter green and maroon. which makes me want to barf even more than this pregnancy. and that's saying something...)

also note the child throwing a royal fit over not being able to hold the camera exactly when she wanted to.

isn't that face awesome?!

(so are you as alarmed as i am that my belly is this big when i'm 8 weeks pregnant?! or is it just me?)

whoa, baby.

that's cool...right?

so maybe i did sleep longer than piper this afternoon.

while elias read a book about sports champions and changed his outfit 5 times.

and maybe even after piper had woken up, i fell asleep again.

for an hour.

while elias honed his babysitting skills. (he's about old enough...right?)

and watched, i don't know, hannah montana or something on the disney channel that was totally not age-appropriate. (i'll have to talk to him about making better choices for the kids he's watching...geez.)

and maybe all i want to eat is bacon cheeseburgers every day.

and french fries.

or mozzarella sticks.

oh yeah- and donuts.

i mean, i don't eat them every day.

but i would. and i want to.

that's cool...uhh, right?

i feel like pregnancy is this force to be reckoned with. and it makes you okay with things like ignoring your children so you can sleep in the middle of the day. or eating things that clog your arteries and worse.
and this force...is almost unstoppable.

anyone?!
what have you seen, heard, or experienced with "the force"?
c'mon, share. it will make me feel better :)