It's all about Big Brother (for now)

MMA took a day off work so we could all go together for the big ultrasound. We wanted Only Child to be really excited about learning the baby's gender. We talked up the "big day" for a week.

I secretly already knew.

I won't torture you with black and white blobs on the screen, insisting "see right there, that is a shoulder..." You already know what these things look like.

In the car on the way to the hospital Only Child was working it all out in his head...to himself, out loud.

"So, if the baby has a peeper, its a boy. And if it has a princess, then its a girl."

"You're so smart! That's right!"

"Yep, and its a boy...and I'm gonna call him Baby Mack. Or Baby Mater."

"Oh Really!?" (We might have to resort to Mack if we can't agree on a name...)

So, taking a rambunctious three year old to the hospital where we had to park, check in, register, wait with a light-up pager before we got called back to the real waiting room...so we could all do this together...sounds good on paper. (No, not even then?) Only Child was expecting to see a "baby" on the TV screen, so he was duly unimpressed.

I also had a regular ob/gyn appointment right after. My doctor got called to deliver a baby just as I was assuming the position. Did I mention what a long day that was?! The boys had to slip out to find the nearest fast-food-with-playground facility or dad was going to flip out.

The results confirmed that The Sequel is a boy. I pointed out a suspicious growth between his legs back at the ten week ultrasound. But my husband and the doctor both shushed me and said it was too early to tell. They did instill some doubt, but in my heart I knew.

So I let myself admit a couple of weeks ago that if I don't have a girl, I will miss picking out sweet dresses and decorating a fussy pink room. But then I thought about the potential heartache I also get to miss out on, like setting rules and boundaries about dating and makeup and, shiver me timbers, discussing sex with my sweet little girl. (Presumably, dads should have the man-to-man when that day comes.) So in about five minutes I was over it.

There is another specific reason I'm happy he is a boy. MMA has two lovely sisters that would do anything for us, but no brothers. So I thought he would enjoy seeing his sons grow up in relationship that he didn't have. I also think that two brothers together, or two sisters together have the potential to be really close friends; more so than a brother and a sister. I have no proof, just Superstar theory.

So anyway, Girly Stuff, (I would call her my designer friend, but she's so much more than that, really) has offered her services for The Sequel's nursery. The catch (for her) is that I never execute anything to completion, making me her worst client. And what gets done is done under pressure of deadline. Then again, we do have a September cutoff...so let me show you what I had in mind.


It was love at first sight when I saw this nursery at House of Turquiose. It is the handi-work of Megan at Me and Wee. (Check out her sweeeeet newborn baby.) I poured over all the details, thinking, "I can recreate this." But now I'm wondering how that color will do for a boy's room...what do you think? Too girly? I want the color to hold up for 5 years. Hmm. Sure is a pretty, that robins-egg-Tiffany blue.


So finally, on to baby names. We've had the perfect girl name on deck since a super long road trip that we took back in 2003. It's such a great name, that I try to keep it under wraps. Trust me when I say that people I know personally have been the victim of out and out baby-name-stealing! Shameless stuff! Anyway...

Mutually agreeable boy names are more elusive for us. Only Child was named after his dad after months of negotiations...and here we are again: pregnant with a boy, and we can't agree on nothin'! Since we're not of the George Foreman mindset, we have to come up another good name. Which to my husband sounds something like Vito Corleone, or Augustus Ceasar.

We are taking any and all reasonable suggestions for boy names. My husband says I only like white bread names. Translation: strong, classic, no funny business (and I am especially fond of biblical ones.) I don't want anything that sounds overly ethnic or super hero, because, (and I realize this is a new and modern world we live in but) being of my crazy lineage, isn't that enough without having a weird name too?

(Just send your good suggestions for the sake of the kid.)

I guess this post was all over the place. That's about right for me these days.

Let's recap the lessons we learned today:

• Don't take kids to the hospital unless they are sick.
• Keep your pantry well-stocked with cute genitalia euphemisms; its like keeping your gun on safety.
• Mom should always trust her instinct.
• Dads should take turns, and let the Moms name one.
  
• Mother's Day is coming...bring your A-game when you wife is pregnant. ( OK, that's a new point; just checking to see if you're listening.)