Making Preparations and Picking Names

People always talk about the strength of the nesting instinct in the last weeks or days of pregnancy. A woman at the park the other day told me that she was washing up her salt and pepper shakers and knew at that point she was ready to have her child...and went into labor 12 hours later. Of course, I didn't admit that I polish our salt and pepper shakers every month, baby or no baby. However, over the past couple of days, in a burst of productivity, I have prepared and placed in our freezer: lasagna, a tray of manicotti, taco bake, enchiladas, bean and hamburger bake, teryiaki chicken, corn and cheese cassarole, a dozen salmon cakes, and one and a half dozen banana bread muffins. It took me hours to put it all together and there is no more room in the freezer, but I am energized by the thought that I will have little to do when making dinners right after the new baby arrives. So energized, in fact, that I think I will spend the next few days scrubbing floors and cleaning ceiling fans.

According to my midwife, things are looking very good and the baby is healthy. Somehow, I have had more energy recently than the past few months and am taking advantage of this by finishing up projects around the house and taking Noah out to a park almost every day. I'm not sure how long this "second wind" of energy will last, but we are taking advantage of it now.

Travis, in the meantime, is working on names for the baby. He has a small list for our new little boy, but goes back and forth on his favorites every few days and brings in new ideas every now and then. I have turned the naming responsibility over to him almost completely. Partially, it is because I trust his judgment and like most of the names he is considering. Then too, I also know that I will retain the right of veto in the delivery room after giving birth. Travis has been really through in his considerations. From matching up middle names, checking initials, to practicing each name in cursive to see how hard it will be for the child to learn to sign, Travis is examining names from all the angles. Of course, he has enlisted Noah's help as well: Noah is regularly asked to repeat baby names as we explore what he can and can't say...and what just sounds adorable. Eli, for example, is pronounced (by Noah) as "why," while Emmett comes out perfectly. To keep things interesting, I always throw in Tenzin, a tibetan name meaning "upholder of truth" and the birth name of the Dalai Llama. To our amazement, Noah has no problem pronouncing this "foreign" name, even though half the time we ask him to say Will it comes out "wheel". Perhaps we'll just have to have Noah name the baby, though his top choice when we ask is usually Tractor.