Week 14

The baby is the size of my fist and is growing his first hair. About now, he can grasp, squint, frown, and grimace. It may even be able to suck its thumb. Can you imaging a grimacing fetus? Must have been all the pickles.

The past week has been good, fine, normal. Sorry, as all weeks seem to be running together, there is not much new to report. I’m definitely showing now, which was fun this weekend at my work Christmas party. You could totally see the baby belly in the dress I wore. I felt a bit weird about it at first since I’ve spent the last few years trying to hide the belly I had with control top pantyhose, skin tight undies up to my bra - basically contraptions that were meant to torture you. So there will be belly pictures to come!!

I’m pretty much eating everything in sight. I’m not craving anything specific, just food in general. I had a pickle at mom and dads last week and have bought and finished an entire bottle since then.

I am enjoying almost everything about this pregnancy so far. I love the food, and the belly and the happiness that just me being pregnant has brought to us, and our families. I love talking about it with Paul – picturing us driving to the hospital, a family of two for the last time. Imagining what the baby is going to look like –Paul’s dark hair and my blue eyes. How we are going to decorate the nursery, and how he’s going to call me 100 times a day when he goes back to work after the baby is born. I don’t feel stressed over it, or worried about it. The heartburn and tiredness I could do without, but I have a wonderful husband who fetches me Tums, makes me tea and makes sure I’m warm and cozy before I go to bed. Not to mention my wonderful mama who keeps me from reaching for things, buys a case of my current favorite drink Nestea Zero just so I'll have something to drink at her house, who stops me from sitting on my leg (even though I can find no medical restriction on pregnant woman for this one), and is so excited about the baby that the mere glimpse of my belly makes her smile. XOXO

We have been talking about baby names and have had many…ahem, heated discussions over the names each of us has picked. The conversations go something like this:

BOYS NAMES:

Me: How about Noah?
Him: We’d have to build an arc
Me: Jacob
Him: Which Sinangouge would you like to join?
Me: Oliver
Him: We’d have to find him a boyfriend
Me: Killian
Him: Just because I’m Irish, the kid doesn’t have to sound like he just got off the boat.

GIRLS NAMES:
Me: What do you think of Olivia
Him: I think you watch too much Law & Order SVU – It’s not going to be a girl
Me: Sadie
Him: “Sadie, Sadie she is shady” – No rhymes, kids are cruel Andy. And besides, it’s not a girl
Me: Alanna
Him: Stripper. Besides, its not going to be a girl
Me: Niamhe (It’s Gaelic and sounded out it’s NEVE)
Him: Same response that Killian got.

With the baby’s name I have two criteria – It has to sound good with Grogan (so no Logan Grogan or Brooke Grogan which sounds too much like reality TV star Brooke Hogan), and it must be a name the baby can grow old with. For example, Jeremy is a cute name for a boy but I don’t think it’s a mans name. Madison is a cute girls name but I can’t picture Granny Madison at 87 years old. We’re not talking about it for another few months, but have agreed to write down 10 names – five guys, five girls – and have a semi-reasonable conversation that does not end with me screaming “DADDY’S MAKE STRIPPERS PAUL – NOT NAMES!!!”