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Politically Inspired Baby Names: New Trend?

Posted by Pamela Vaughan

Oct 29, 2008 10:02:32 AM

Here's something fun for you to chew on in honor of the upcoming election.� After I posted my call for help in naming Baby Lump last week, one of my twitter pals, @petertdavis made me promise I wouldn't do something like this ...

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1lM5JLN1hI&hl=en&fs=1]


Can you believe that guy?� What a nimrod!� Let me tell you, if James ever pulled a stunt like that, he'd get a lot more than two weeks in the doghouse.� Let's see, which name would you give your child - Sarah McCain-Palin or Ava Grace?


By the way, I think I've come up with a pretty good boy name for Baby Lump - how about Joe Obama-Biden?


In other news, yesterday I hit a pretty big milestone, at least from my point of view.� It was the first time a person gave up his seat on the T for me on account of my preggo belly.� Hooray, baby bump!� It's definitely becoming more substantial.� Have you seen this week's pic compared to last week's?� There's definitely a noticeable difference.


So I'm coming up on week 30 - can you believe it?� It's getting so close!� Baby Lump should now be using all five of his/her senses, his/her toenails are fully formed, and Lump's noggin is pretty much in proportion to the rest of his/her body.� Baby Lump measures between 15 and 16 inches (think a loaf of bread) and weighs between 3 and 4 pounds (think a Macbook Air).


My Little Lump also seems to be a lot more active lately, as if to say "LET ME OUT!"� Apparently, that's because of all the energizing fat he/she has been developing.� In fact, if Lump were born sometime this week, he/she would have a 9 out of 10 chance of survival.� Still, I think we'll keep him/her in there to bake a little while longer ...


Oven Timer: 29 weeks, 2 days

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Topics: Weekly Updates, video, Bizarre, baby bump, political baby names, week 29

Call To Action: Help Us Name Baby Lump!

Posted by Pamela Vaughan

Oct 24, 2008 2:11:34 PM

Okay everyone - here's the deal.� We've embarked on the third trimester of our pregnancy journey and are still at a loss for baby boy names.� James and I are pretty certain of a name if Baby Lump is a little lady, but we aren't quite in love with or agreeing upon any names if Lump is a little gentleman.

This is where you come in.� Gurgle.com has a fun little facebook application called "Name My Baby," and I've just added it to my profile.� It allows you to suggest a baby name or vote on names that have already been suggested.� Unfortunately, the application isn't without its flaws.� It will only allow users to suggest names already loaded into its database.� For example, I couldn't add Atticus (What do you think of that one, btw?� I think it's pretty awesome - "Atticus Vaughan?").� Still, I think it will be interesting to see what you all come up with.� Maybe one of you will suggest the perfect name that James and I have overlooked.� Or maybe one of you will add a name like "Thygor" and crack us up.� Either way, I think it's a win-win situation.� Remember, we're only looking for boys/unisex names here.



For those of you without facebook (or are too lazy to make the extra trip), feel free to suggest a name in this post's comments section, and I'll be sure to add it to the list on facebook.� If enough of you get involved with suggesting names, I'll add another page to the blog that outlines everyone's suggestions/votes, much like I've done with the Birth Stats page.� For now, I'll add the link to the facebook application to the blog's sidebar.

Thanks in advance for helping us name Baby Lump!

Click here to visit my profile and suggest/vote on a name on facebook.� Click on the "view suggested names" or "suggest a name" text in the "Name My Baby" application on the left sidebar of my profile.




Oven Timer: 28 weeks, 4 days
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Topics: Polls, poll, vote, baby names, boy name, Namy My Baby, Facebook

German Engineering: The REAL Reason James and I are Pregnant

Posted by Pamela Vaughan

Oct 22, 2008 12:03:21 PM

"German Engineering" is not just a great song by Maritime.� It's also the reason James and I are having a baby.� Forget Brooke Shields and her "have a baby for love" mantra, James' and my actual motivation for getting pregnant was Volkswagen's Routan minivan ...

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDZSxFLcMVg&hl=en&fs=1]


Okay, okay, all kidding aside, time to update you on Baby Lump's developmental touch points for this week.� At this point, he/she should be about 15 inches long, weigh almost 3 pounds and be starting to form some eyelashes and eyebrows.� One Web site I refer to describes the baby's length as similar to an amusement park cinnamon-sugar-coated churro.� Mmm ...


I had my glucose screening on Monday, which checks for gestational diabetes.� Everything I've read about it prepared me to drink a nasty "glucose cocktail" before my blood was taken, but it honestly wasn't bad at all.� It basically tasted like a very sweet but flat cup of Pepsi.� Anyway, I heard from the doctor today that I passed, although my iron is low (no news here, it always has been), which means I'll be taking an iron supplement from now on.� No biggie.


Well, it seems like we're in the home stretch now folks.� The frequency of my doctor visitations has now been increased to once every two weeks until week 36, at which point I'll check in once a week until delivery.


Does anyone else think time has gone by at a ridiculously fast pace?


Oven Timer: 28 weeks, 2 days

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Topics: Weekly Updates, video, Internet Fun, Media, glucose screening, Brooke Shields, Volkswagen Routan, gestational diabetes, german engineering, 28 weeks

Beware Lamb-Flavored Baby Food at Baby Showers

Posted by Pamela Vaughan

Oct 20, 2008 3:15:24 PM

[caption id="attachment_322" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Definitely not a "Cake Wrecks" cake."]Definitely not a "Cake Wrecks" cake.[/caption]

First of all, let's all be thankful my baby shower cake wasn't shaped like a baby butt or a preggo lady and didn't picture a naked woman giving birth.� Okay, moving on ...

[caption id="attachment_326" align="alignright" width="242" caption="Nina won the candy-diaper-poop game."]Nina won the candy-diaper-poop game.[/caption]

If you ever need to plan an event in the Detroit area, you should employ the event planning expertise of my sister, Adrienne.� Now, I realize I've never been to one of these before, but she, my other sister Lauren and my mother threw me an absolutely awesome baby shower this past weekend in Pennsylvania with my family and some close family friends.

Although I did have to suck it up for the "Make-Pamela-Guess-the-Baby-Food-Flavor" game, everyone had a really fun time.� (Expectant mothers please note - steer clear of "macaroni and cheese" and "lamb" flavored baby foods.� I nearly vomited.)

[caption id="attachment_319" align="alignleft" width="226" caption="Butt Paste endorsement"]Butt Paste endorsement[/caption]

Other, less torturous games were a hoot.� I must say, it was monumentally entertaining to peer across the room and see my grandmother sniffing and tasting the contents of a baby's diaper during the "Which candy bar is in that diaper?" game.� And my sister, Lauren had guests winning oddly appropriate prizes such as baby corn and baby dills by guessing the correct prices of items like breast milk storage bags and butt paste.

[caption id="attachment_321" align="alignright" width="242" caption="practicing my strolling"]practicing my strolling[/caption]

I must say, James and I are definitely a lot more prepared for Baby Lump's arrival after being showered with so many baby gifts.� Guests will be delighted to know I will be tossing all the gift receipts and making no returns or exchanges at Babies "R" Us - such tasteful gift-givers they were!

To sum it up, I couldn't have imagined having a better shower, and I'll never subject Baby Lump to meat-flavored baby foods.


For more baby shower pictures, check out the Little Baby Lump Flickr page in the Family set.


Oven Timer: 28 weeks

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Topics: family, Events, Surprises, baby food, baby shower, baby gifts

The Third Trimester and the Ascent of My Belly Button

Posted by Pamela Vaughan

Oct 14, 2008 2:33:20 PM

[caption id="attachment_307" align="alignright" width="344" caption="This is a turkey - not my belly. Ew."]This is a turkey - not my belly. Ew.[/caption]

My belly has definitely been getting plumper.� Wanna know how I can tell?� The bigger it gets, the shallower my belly button cavity gets.

It's kind of funny how much my belly button has been the topic of discussion between James and me lately.� At this point, if I squeeze the sides of it I can make it temporarily pop out.� Was that too much information?� Is this too weird?� We think it's hilarious.� And my research has proven we're not the only ones obsessed with the pregnant belly-button phenomenon.

James is truly looking forward to the day when my belly button pokes out from its little lair.� Although, this is probably because he thinks there will be an actual, defining moment when my belly button will suddenly burst free, making an audible "pop"ping sound.� Keep dreaming, James.� My belly button is not a turkey timer.� (Although the similarities between a baked turkey and a near-ready bun in the oven aren't too far-fetched!)

As for my bun's development this week, Baby Lump should be about 14� 1/2 inches long and weigh 2� 1/2 pounds.� What's even more exciting is, if born today, he/she would have a whopping 85% chance of survival since his/her lungs are now capable of breathing air!

Feel free to also join in on congratulating me on the completion of my second trimester.� It's all downhill from here ... that is, unless you count the whole natural birthing part.

Oven Timer: 27 weeks, 1 day
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Topics: Weekly Updates, Milestones, pregnancy, little baby lump, turkey timer, belly button

Martha Stewart Food-Baby Costumes: FAIL!

Posted by Pamela Vaughan

Oct 7, 2008 12:56:14 PM

Okay - what is with the world's fetish with the babies-as-food thing?� This is even worse than the baby shower Cake Wrecks because now, actual humans are involved.� Seriously, this makes me want to stop sharing those food analogies the sites I read use to describe my baby's growing size.� Baby Lump is getting too big to be compared to single servings of food anyway, unless I'm planning on chowing down on a whole meatloaf or something.� Have a look, and see what I mean ....

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-wj6ppCYM8&hl=en&fs=1]


My friend, Yianni is right - Martha should go back to jail for this one.� Those poor babies.� These are the cruelest baby costumes ever!� There's no way Baby Lump's first Halloween will be spent as a lemon meringue pie or a boiled and plated lobster.� That apple pie baby looks like she's in a food coma.� No wonder "Caesar salad baby" doesn't want to cooperate ...


In weekly updates, Baby Lump now weighs two full pounds and measures about 14 inches long (as long as he/she isn't gearing up to be a Paul Bunyan-type baby).� He/she has also started working on that birthday hairdo and should be growing some cute little baby fuzz by now.


According to many Web sites, this week marks the last week in my second trimester, so apparently I'm about two-thirds of the way there.� Third trimester, here I come!


Oven Timer: 26 weeks, 1 day

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Topics: Weekly Updates, video, Halloween, Internet Fun, Bizarre, Media, little baby lump, food, baby costumes, 26 weeks

Little Baby Lump: The Next Paul Bunyan?

Posted by Pamela Vaughan

Oct 1, 2008 3:26:54 PM

First of all, I'm glad to see some of you are really getting into the birth stats betting guessing facebook group.� It's been fun to track all of your (sometimes quirky) guesses.� And while I doubt I'm going to give birth to a manbearpig (I guess this is what I get for the pambearpig nickname), a demigod or Paul Bunyan, I can see where you're all coming from.� Given that James was almost 11 pounds at birth, I suppose it's not that far-fetched

Although it may not take five storks to drop off Baby Lump at my doorstep, he/she has done some growing in the past week.� Little lump should now measure about 13� 1/2 inches in length and weight approximately 1� 1/2 pounds.

What's even more intriguing is that his/her eyelids are no longer fused shut (not that Baby Lump can see anything in the darkness of the womb, anyway), and his/her lungs are now capable of breathing air!� This means that although Baby Lump is taking in tiny breaths of fluid in the womb, he/she could now breathe outside the womb without medical assistance.

You may have noticed from my baby bump photos that I've decided to start taking pictures from a full-body perspective.� Based on the fact that some of you have been questioning whether I'm actually taking photos of my knee and not my belly, I figured it was time for a change.� I think you will all get a better idea of how big Baby Lump is getting from this perspective.

Maybe you'll all also agree that Baby Lump is definitely not Paul Bunyan material.

Oven Timer: 25 weeks, 2 days
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Topics: Weekly Updates, baby bump, little baby lump, Facebook, birth stats, Paul Bunyan

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