Hello, My Name is...

What's in a name? This is a question that has plagued me since....well, yesterday. Let me go back to the beginning.
We went to Tim's sister's birthday party yesterday, which was fun since it was 112 degrees and supposed to be an outside cookout (I camped out with Peggy in the kitchen to enjoy air conditioning and everyone else soon followed). Well, Mary, Tim's sister, is also preggers, and is almost 13 weeks along. She and her husband John are in the "We're not telling anyone our baby name til birth" camp, which is their perogative, but Mary had previously laid claim to a family name that Tim and I wanted to use if possible. So, figuring I had nothing to lose since we already had a girl name we liked, I asked Mary "So, if it's a girl, are you still going with Allison?" Keep in mind, Allison is Tim's dad's middle name (like my niece Britton, it was originally a male name), and we had liked "Emily Allison" from the get-go. However, at a family dinner at Bonefish back in May, Mary made the comment "I've always like Dad's middle name for a girl and call her Allie". So you see the dilemma!
Well, Mary says, much to my surprise, "No, we thought about it ,but I have a girl's name I like better". Yea! It's free for us to use! And Tim doublechecked with Mary today that the name was free and clear, and she said "Sure, use it. Fine with me".
Long story short, our baby girl is now "Emily Allison" and I am not changing it again for the life of me! When it came down to it, Tim wanted to use a family name, and on his side my choices were Velma, Regina, and Sally, and on my side, I had Camm, Jill, and Nancy. Wow, what a choice! Allison it is!

Almost 23 weeks....belly shot!

Forgive me.... I don't think of taking belly pics til Tim is in NE Washington DC. Then I'm too impatient to wait for him to act as photographer and I take a horrible pic by myself. Excuse the flash!

-Stats: 22 weeks, 2 days along (Baby is now a pound!)

-Finished: registeries! (Target and Babies R Us) Very fun! Two kids, one hubbie, and a price gun that turned into everyone's favorite toy....priceless.

-Still waiting on: crib. On loan from my cousin Steph who has been having health issues. Might be setting that one up during contractions.

-Decided on: baby name. I don't mind sharing with the world; after all, I will be using it 109 x a day for the next 50 years! It's Emily Eleanor (two names that we just really love with no family ties whatsoever).

-Shocked by: Tim's sister's announcement that she, too, is pregnant! In fact, she's due exactly two months after me (me: Nov. 24 and Mary: Jan. 24). She was a little peeved to hear that I'm having a girl because she wants one (I pointed out that my having a girl did nothing to her chances of also having the fairer sex). Mary and John have been trying for a baby for about a year, so of course, we're excited for them!

-Not happy with: (1) the heat; (2) distance from my sister during this incredible time; (3) lack of work to keep me busy; (4) hormones' abilities to make me a crazy person at the drop of a hat

-Thrilled with: (1) Garrett and Caroline's reactions to everything and excitement about baby; (2) Tim's mom's offer to do a baby shower at end of Sept.; (3) Baby girl's kicks at 6 AM and especially 9-11 PM after my ice cream has kicked in--she and I hang out on the couch, watch summer reruns, with my hand on my bellybutton.

Calvert Marine Museum

Garrett went to this museum on Solomon's Island, MD, for a field trip last month, so we decided to visit while Cammy was in town. It has the cutest otters (Sqeak and Bubbles) who were napping while we were there (my kind of otters!). There was a claustrophobic lighthouse where some family with FIVE kids lived a hundred years ago. And inside were a bunch of cool marine exhibits: string ray and skate nursery, touch tank, fossil dig, and a jelly fish display.

We ate at a restaurant nearby on the water: The Captain's Table. I had a fantastic crab cake sandwich the size of a softball and Cammy grossed me out by ordering a soft shell crab.

Ultrasound...Take 2

So Baby Drinks wasn't so cooperative at her first scan on 7.6.10, so we had to come back a week later. I was told by our ultrasound tech that she couldn't get all the pics she needed of the spine (she also had no personality and acted like my asking about the sex was a crime against nature, but I digress...). When I came back the next Tuesday (7.13.10) the tech was super nice (new tech! Yea!) and gave me lots more pics. She needed a clear pic of 4 chamber heart (check!) and several of spine (check!). Baby was extra active for the tech and was showing off her spicy side.

The tech asked me: "Do you have any more kids at home?"

Me: "Yes, 8 and 10 year old"

Tech: "Good, you will need help to keep up with all this energy!"

In ultrasound pic above, you have a clear view of the powerful hamstrings that have been blasting into my uterine wall on a daily basis.