17 Weeks

I've reached the 17 week mark. This week I have noticed much more movement of our little one. I can't wait until we find out if the baby is a boy or girl so we can quit calling it the little one. We will find out of May 13th. Then the planning will really begin. We can select furniture, bedding, and even a name for this little one. Wayne is really hoping for a boy because he wants someone to carry on the family name. I'm just happy with a healthy baby. If it's a girl, she will definitely be the most spoiled little girl around. On both sides of our family, Wayne and I only have nephews. They are great little guys ranging in age from 9 to 3 months. Wayne and I love to be around "our boys" on both sides and make every excuse to do so. Since we haven't had one of our own, we have taken every chance to spoil Will, Josh, Stephen, and Christian. Will and Josh, the older two, have been picking out names too. I'm pretty impressed with their selection--Michael, Chad, Brandon--those are the ones I can remember.

Selecting a name is extra challenging when you have worked with as many children as I have in the last 10 years. For those of you who don't know, I'm a speech-language pathologist and work with preschool children with speech delays and other special needs. Currently there are about 100 children in the program I work with. And I can only guess how many more I have seen over the years. So almost every name we discuss, I see a little face pop into my head. We have been throwing around names, but have not made the final selections yet. My mom had a suggestion for a name early in my pregnancy. She said it was the perfect name and could be used for a boy or girl. I think she was actually serious when she suggested "Robin". That's a fine name, but who wants to punish a child from birth by giving it a bird name for it's first and last name. So, this little one is affectionately know as "Robin" for the moment. When we finally decide on a name, I will post it.

We are headed to Montgomery this evening to celebrate my uncle's 60th birthday. He's that uncle that everyone should have that is full of life and loves to keep everyone entertained. Fond childhood memories include him scaring us to death with a stocking over his head, racing around in the go-kart in his backyard, swimming with his family in the pool next door, and him pulling my brother, cousin, and I out into the ocean in a blowup RC boat to let the waves crash on us and push us back in. I can't wait to create those kind of memories with my little one. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Uncle Mike!