The Name

The first question an old acquaintance or new friend asks when they see your bulging belly,
"Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?"
That's an easy one.  After the tell-all sonogram I can proudly say, 'GIRL.'
As I picture a young me with Joe's elegance floating around like a butterfly in complete happiness.

BUT then comes the second obvious question,
"Do you know the name?"
Duh. Duh. DUHHHHHH.  (dramatic sound effect)
It's an ever-dreaded question simply because the response is not a short one.

If only we could proudly blurt out two names.
Then move on with the conversation.
Truth is that we have NO IDEA.
So instead ...

I first begin with, "Well we'd like to do a Croatian name because, you know, Joe is Croatian."
I'll tell you that this is no easy task.
Finding a Croatian name that sounds well in both languages can be tough.
We've come up with a few: Sofija, Olivija, Emilija.
(The 'ja' is a Croatian thing.  But names are pretty ease to pronounce.  See: Sophia, Olivia, Amelia.)

Then to add to the grief of figuring one name out, you have to come up with another.
The middle name.  It's never-ending.
We've thought of using our mother's names, grandmother's names, godmother's names.
I even came up with a nice rendition of combining two of these names.  Joe did not like it.
I"ll admit that it was a far stretch.

Our friends when referring to the Baby and to make fun of our indecisiveness will say things like,
"How's Sofija Ivana Olivija Emilija Lisa Mila Ann doing?"
To which we respond, "Just fine. Thanks."

It's not that we're keeping the name a secret.  It's just a work in progress.
I have a feeling it will take the nurse walking in with the birth certificate for us to make a decision.
Some parents know their child's name before the child is conceived.
Joe & I are not those parents.  Sadly ... or excitingly, enough.

All in "due time."

Maternity Picture taken by Perry Vaile Photography.

Pillows

We're at 34 weeks. (APPLAUSE!)
That's only 6 more weeks to go.  Not bad.
And most days, my thoughts center around PILLOWS.
The more PILLOWS, the BETTER.

When lying on the couch, I must have 2 small pillows placed on top of 1 large pillow under my head.
A small round, cylindrical pillow goes under my lower back.
And a medium-sized, gumdrop pillow props up my feet. 
No small task for me to get situated but the end result is heaven.

Sleep time has been quite the task as of lately, too.
Two standard pillows (I've officially taken one of Joe's) on top of a Euro one to rest my head.
I've recently added my airplane neck pillow to this mix for more support.
One pillow between my knees.  One pillow to hold onto tight.

At work I've brought in a soft, down-filled wool pillow.
With cute tassels.  (Tassels do nothing for my back but look great.)

And every time I think of going to a restaurant or friend's house, anywhere I would need to sit.
I instantly think of the comfort of the seating arrangements.
I can't help it. 

Luckily beyond the uncomfortableness that is this extra 23 pounds, we're healthy.
A doctor's appointment last week proved this.
It's still so sweet to hear Baby's heartbeat and feel peace inside my own heart.

Maternity Picture taken by Perry Vaile Photography.