For those of you who do not remember your Julius Caesar trivia, this title will not carry much meaning. But for me each day and DATE means a lot. Today is the 15th of March and, well, no sign of BB yet. I am in no rush....my pregnancy has been a breeze. In fact, I have enjoyed it so much that I will genuinely miss being pregnant. I am, however, anxious to get labor over with and have a healthy BB in my arms.
Back to the dates. The sentimental part of me is still stuck on March 13th as the BIG day. Yes, I realize this was 2 days ago and impossible at this point, but funny how you can get attached to a date and what it means when you say it nearly every day for 9 months. But alas, we are now left with the 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st of March as our options. BB has a 100% chance of having one of these dates as his birthday, and a 14% chance for any one in particular. Out of those 7, he has some pretty cool options, including: the fun distinction of a proud Irish St. Patty's Day begining (17th); being born on the1st day of spring (20th) - or, as Jeff likes to say it, being "sprung" on the first day of spring; and sharing his birthday with his dear aunt Bridgette (21st). If it were to happen today, the Ides of March, then BB would share the date with the ill-fated, accurate prediction of Julius Ceaser's assassination.
Like his name, there is much debate about when BB will arrive, an extensive poll at work and among family. And like his name, we will not know for certain until the moment arrives. Only time will tell. So as I sit here typing away enjoying my 1st day of maternity leave - bags packed, camera charged, Ham prepped and husband briefed (after multiple failed fire drills) - I sit in anticpation with family and friends on stand-by........
Experience is the teacher of all things- Julius Caesar
and for after the delivery.....
I came, I saw, I conquered- Julius Caesar
Monday, March 15, 2010
Ides of March
Monday, March 8, 2010
Any Day Now...
Baby Bean's due date is Saturday, March 13th. For the mathematically impaired, that's just 5 DAYS AWAY! Jenny has begun to feel as if she could go into labor at any moment (I'll spare you the details. You're welcome). The bags are packed, the car seat is installed, the nursery looks amazing, and we've checked off nearly everything else our baby books told us to square away. We've even given the dog a bath so that he won't offend his new baby brother with his stink. Now all we can do is wait for Mother Nature to pull the lever and get the gears of childbirth spinning. We're living every moment on pins and needles, wondering what the next hour will bring, hoping all goes well. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go have a panic attack...
We experience moments absolutely free from worry. These brief respites are called panic.
-Cullen Hightower
Friday, February 5, 2010
At Ham's Request
So, the baby shower is tomorrow (which, quite frankly, makes this whole we're-going-to-have-a-baby thing seem frighteningly real). Brother Hamilton would like to add a last minute item to our registry. Apparently, he wants to impress upon Baby Bean from the get-go that he is the hero of our household.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
The Boy With No Name
Who would have thought that naming a child would be so difficult? I mean, it's just a name, right? Just slap a name on the kid and toss him out into the world. No big deal.
Here is where we are. The middle name, we have decided, will be Michael. Not only is this my middle name, but it also happens to be the first name of Jenny's beloved father and brother. Pretty much a no-brainer, and I hope that BB sees fit to pass the name on to his own son one day. And the last name, of course, will be Webb. So all that remains is that ever-important first name, the [blank] before the Michael Webb. Should be easy, right?
Wrong! Nearly every name brought up for consideration repulses one of us or reminds one of us of something we don't want to be reminded of. For example, Jenny really likes Colin, yet to me it too closely resembles the word "colon". And although I am still a good many years away from the dreaded prostate exam, I never want my son's name to conjure up the image of...well, you get the idea. Dexter is a name I like a lot, but it is also has the unfortunate distinction of being the name of television's favorite serial killer, and Jenny's just not sure if she can get past that. Also, we both like the name Jackson, but Jackson Michael brings to mind a certain pop sensation who rose in popularity recently because of his untimely moonwalk into the great hereafter. I mean, I enjoy Billie Jean as much as the next man (which is to say, not very much at all), but do I really want to burden my son with years of "Jacko" jokes? I don't think so.
Then there are all of the rules. We can't choose a name that is too common, yet we don't want a name that is too obscure (My sincere apologies to any Jacobs or Theobolds who might be reading). We have to like any conceivable nicknames that might come of it (Richard immediately gets the axe). What does it rhyme with? How can it be twisted to fit into some cruel schoolyard limerick? It cannot be, or resemble too closely, the name of any of our friends' children. (Dave and Megan, we both absolutely love the name Ezekiel. Would you kindly rename your son so we can steal it? Thanks.) Oh, and God forbid we name the kid something funny. (Come on, Jenny, Cornelius Cobb Webb screams Nobel Peace Prize winner. Really, it does.)
And let us not forget to consider a name's historical implications. I mean, would naming our child Albert cause him to have gravity-defying hair and invent game-changing mathematical formulas? Or would he instead blurt out "hey, hey, hey" when entering a room and associate himself with some highly questionable characters. (For the record, I think either outcome would be awesome).
Okay, that last paragraph was a joke. Sort of.
What do we do? Is it possible to give him two distinct first names; one from Mommy and one from Daddy? Should we keep calling him Baby Bean until he reaches school age and can choose his own name, or would that be setting us up for a son named Batman or Pikachu?
Obviously, we are in need of some help. Below are some of the names that haven't yet been eliminated by our over-analytical chopping block. Please weigh in, tell us which names you love and those you hate. Give us more suggestions. Goodness knows we need them.
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
- Billy Shakespeare
Benjamin
Dexter
Oliver
Maxwell
Isaiah
Jefferson
Hudson
Emerson
Sebastian
Jonas (Jonah?)
Logan
Jasper
Wesley
And last but not least, Jeffrey Michael Jr.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
The Ever-Expanding Baby Bean Bump
Yes, the BB bump has grown like crazy since our last Halloween bump post. I feel like he's growing each and every day. Below is a long overdue series of pictures charting the not-so-slow demise of my waist line. Enjoy!
Friday, January 8, 2010
Auld Lang Syne (You Know, Like The New Year's Song)
Somehow another year has slipped past, and though I am sorely disappointed by the lack of hover-cars and robotic housekeepers that, according to my youthful imaginings, should have been plentiful by 2010, this will nonetheless be a monumental year for us. Baby Bean is on his way and we cannot wait to meet him!
This year we've decided to adopt a new sort of resolution. Instead of upping our exercise routines or tapering off the sweets, we have resolved to try our darndest to be more charitable. Our goal is to, once a month, volunteer a few hours of our time or make a modest monetary donation to a worthy charitable effort. Some months we'll rummage through our overstocked cabinets and closets and pass on whatever we excavate to someone who might need it more. This is something we have always talked about doing, but have never quite risen up to the challenge. Here's to hoping 2010 is the year we do!
To kick off the new year, we contacted a Mission in San Diego that runs a number of charitable programs for our homeless. I asked what they were lacking, and was surprised - and a bit saddened - to find what they needed most was essentials for babies and small children. In light of how excited we are to become parents, it was sobering to learn so many young children have to rely on the compassion of strangers for those small items of necessity. So on New Year's Eve we went to Target and picked up an assortment of bottles, rice formula, onesies, superhero underwear, and the like in hopes that a few children can start off their new year warm and well-fed.
I hope you all have a happy, healthy, and fulfilling new year!
Jeff & Jenny
May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. May your coming year be a wonderful thing, in which you'll dream dangerously and outrageously. And, most importantly (because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom in the world right now), I hope that you will, when you need to be, be wise, and that you will always be kind.
And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.
~ Neil Gaiman
Monday, December 21, 2009
A Brief Intermission
As you might have noticed, there has been a lull in our blogging as of late. There are a number of reasons for this. Firstly, Jenny has been dutifully studying for her licensure exam. That beast has been finally been tackled, and *fingers crossed* all that is left to do is wait. Secondly, our schedules have been ransacked by the holidays. Like many of you, we have spent considerable time untangling endless strands of lights, preparing for/attending holiday celebrations, shopping, and, of course, eating exorbitant amounts of food.
Also, we are lazy.
But rest assure, we will soon post pictorial updates of the baby bump, show off our meager progress with the nursery, and share stories of our further descent into madness as we ready ourselves for parenthood. We have also pondered compiling a list of the humorous and horrible things that have been said to Jenny as her waistline has expanded. What do you think? Might something you have said made the list?
Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. Be safe out there, keep your tongue away from frozen flagpoles, and for goodness sake, yellow snow is not for making snowballs.
-Jeff
