Ta-da! Name reveal! Matt mentioned it on FB this week so might as well start telling people since we've been calling him this for weeks. We weren't really sure about coming right out and naming him; it's seems to be such a political thing to name a child and everyone has their own opinions (and, honestly, for the most part, we don't really care to hear them... I mean, if we were naming him something like Cash, Zuma, Banjo or Rebel -- yes these are real names that celebrities have named their kids -- then I'd hope someone would say something). Carsen was my first choice and Matt's second. After much discussion and reading over various lists of names, well over 1000, and cross-referencing our lists, this was the only name we both like. We had a girl's name decided before we got pregnant (Hannah... dibs! ;) ) but his name came to be a little harder to decide. For some reason though, when I looked at his ultrasound pics, Carsen just seemed to be the right name. And neither Matt nor I know anyone with that name so there's no association with it. It's a nice, solid, strong yet still sweet sounding name to me. And, of course most importantly, if you say it in a sports announcer's voice, imagining our boy's about to run out onto the court or the field ("and number 25, CARrrrrrrSENnnn HEBERrrrLINGggggggg..."), it sounds like a champion's name ;)
As for the spelling, Matt likes uniqueness. After all, his name is spelled Mathew (and as he always defends, "it's Math-ew, not Matt-hew! My spelling is the correct way"). And, I'm not sure if he's being facetious, Matt says "he's not Son of Car." I was fine with either -en or -on (-en looks a little nicer with his middle and last name since they also have lots of e's), except I hope he doesn't resent us one day for having to always spell his name since it's not the common spelling. Heberling is bad enough; seemed so much easier to me than Duerst but people always make it Herb with an extra R (and people can't pronounce it, saying HE-berling instead of HEB-erling). Anyhow I usually have to spell Gretchen but that's because it's not as common, not because my parents chose a unique spelling. At least when it's read, it's clear how to pronounce it. But Matt contends that this spelling will be special and will be his own. I guess those who truly care -- his family, friends, teachers, girlfriends -- will learn the spelling and take the care to spell it correctly then he'll feel special (that is true for me). So, there it is: Carsen Mathew.
Naming him is helping us bond, I think, because it makes him seem more like a real person, having a real name, already. We had thought we'd just wait to look at his face, just to be sure it fits, but we started calling him that immediately and it just makes him seem already a part of our lives, than just being "baby." And now we have just about two months til he's due. I'm so excited and at the same time nervous/apprehensive. Excited like waiting for our wedding (except there was no fear there, just excitement)! Excited like finding out I finally got a job after months of looking (but what will it entail)! Excited like waiting for graduation day (but what will the future hold)! Excited like waiting to go off to college (but all the fear of change)!
I can't believe we're having a baby. I mean, I can because I feel him moving and kicking multiple times a day (which is much more pronounced now) and when I look down, there are body parts I can no longer view but... A BABY! A CHILD! A for-the-rest-of-our-lives change. I had this realization the other day that 1- I will now always be someone's mom. I will always have this little person who I haven't even met yet in my life and in my heart and in my thoughts and 2- not only will I love this child, he will love me. I'll be his mom. The love I feel for my mom, he'll feel for me. This shouldn't be a particularly shocking thought but it kinda was. I've never had a child love me. Or rely on me. This is gonna be intense. We're ready, but it's just so hard to imagine still, to really imagine about how it will be.
Anyhow, we're now 75% through. At 30 weeks: baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and he weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him, but that volume will decrease as he gets bigger and takes up more room in the uterus. His eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after he's born, he'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he does open them, he'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means he can only make out objects a few inches from his face.
The only thing that freaks me out is that my boss/colleague had her daughter at 33 weeks and she's overly cautious, particularly after experiences like my car accident that unexpectedly took me out, so she started mentioning a lot more lately that I could be out at any time and they need to be prepared, etc. I don't think that'll be the case for us, but ya never know. Terrifying. I just hope and pray he stays in til he's good and healthy and fully ready. Odds are he'll be born sometime between Feb 24 and March 10; I read a statistic that 70% + are born within two weeks of their due dates. I'm feeling something like March 4. Work-wise, I wouldn't mind him waiting til his March 10 due date or a few days late. But only Carsen knows for sure.
We're now seeing our OB every two weeks. This week, I weighed in at 174lbs, which is a little less than I expected, but apparently we're growing at a normal rate. I'm trying to still walk on the treadmill a few times a week; I think I'm supposed to be doing 30mins almost every day. I've had more motivation to this though because I'm starting to get pain in 1- my mid-back just under my right shoulder blade after about an hour of sitting (or standing I found one day after doing a bit of baking) and having a desk job, even if I get up frequently for little breaks, I still have to be on my computer most of the day and it hurts, and 2- my right hip IT band at night. So far walking helps both. I've tried some yoga, and will probably go again next week now that the holidays are over, but honestly I just don't get how people get into yoga; it's just an extended period of stretching. Sure, some poses are a little tough and some made me a little sore the next day. But I just love the sensation I get in my lungs and heart after a good cardio workout. And walking barely does that but the elliptical is starting to make me feel a bit dizzy. PLUS for some reason, I have to pee every 3-4 minutes while working out now, I joke not. And not just a little "oh, I kinda feel like I have to go again." It's like "OH MAN! I've gotta GO! How in the world could I need to pee this bad after I just went 5 mins ago before I got on this treadmill." It hurts. I swear this baby hears me at the gym and decides to go park it on my bladder. Cause when I'm done, I don't have to go that much, just while I'm walking.
I've started feeling a little more tired but mainly my complaint is heartburn. I honestly can't figure out what causes it. Some days, everything gives me heartburn, some days nothing. Tums help for a little while. It sucks because it usually comes hours after I've eaten. So even if I eat dinner at 6pm, I still have heartburn at 10pm when we try to go to bed. And I wake up in the middle of the night with heartburn. So I've taken to sleeping part of night sitting up, which helps but it's not the most comfortable. I know I don't have it as bad as others, but it is still painful and uncomfortable.
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| 1 am?! We're pooped |
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| Cute winter's beard |
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| Did they run out of big glasses or does he just really like milk |
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| Ellie huddled by the heat vent |
We found this morning, thanks to the snow, that some mice have created a little nest under our deck (see the little pile of grass and the little tracks leading right to it). Well as long as they stay out there... you'd think Jack, our cat, might have some interest in this. Apparently not. He is too much of a fat, spoiled, indoor kitty to care about this challenging meal option. Oh well, we wouldn't want him bringing them in the house like he did with the last bird he caught. Feathers everywhere.
