SSA Stats and Stuff

So the Social Security Administration has put out its 2009 baby names stats. I love that time of year! It's interesting to see how our baby-naming fares.

"Liam" came in at 49, up 26 from 2008. I am hoping it stays there! I like that it's becoming common to the point where it won't be unheard of, but I don't want him to have the same name as everyone in his school, either. I guess if it really takes off, all the other Liams will be a few years younger. Nathaniel is still hovering in the upper 70's, down 1 from 2008 to 76.

"Grace" is up 5 from 2008 to 17. Baby Girl's first name (and this is going to make one of my friends think she is correct if she cares to do any further research) is down 6.

I had my 34-week appointment this past week (though I am turning 35 weeks tomorrow - yay!). I thought weekly appointments started at 36 weeks, but apparently they start at 34. Darn. I remember leaving my 6-week postpartum visit after Liam and hearing "we'll see you in a year." I was like, "but...but...a YEAR?!" The doctor's office became my second home, and then when you go and you're not pregnant you feel kinda left out. Now I'm like "PLEASE don't make me come back here again!" I mean, I love them, and I am very happy that I go there, but I feel like I am on OB visit overload by now.

The question of inducing at the best possible time so as to avoid a c-section apparently doesn't have much to do with how far along you are and everything to do with how much you're progressing. If I get to 39 weeks and I haven't moved, then I wouldn't be a good candidate. So no planning ahead here. Just taking it as it comes and praying that she'll come out when as soon as possible but not until it would be safe.

This is the first time that I've ever measured small. I've always measured exactly where I should be with regards to fundal height (I HATE that term). I always thought that had to do with the size of the baby, but it's actually more to do with the amount of amniotic fluid. I measured 33 cm. at 34 weeks, which was 1 cm. too low. However, my doctor said they don't worry unless you measure 2 cm. or more too small, at which point they'd do an ultrasound to measure fluid amount. If this has to do with how much water I am drinking, I just don't know if I can do any more than I already am! I feel like I'm drinking water all day long despite the fact that my water aversion has returned about halfway.

I completely forgot to ask about those kicks to my spine because it had been several days since they happened. Now they're occurring more. I did mention the contractions, though, and my doctor said that if you go into labor at 35 weeks, they give you some drugs to try to stop it, but not as aggressively as they would have at 34. At 36 weeks, they don't try to stop labor. I do want to make it to 37 (and with my luck and my history, that should NOT be a problem), but I can't help but hope it doesn't go much longer than that! Each week that passes, though, I feel much better about the safety of the baby if I were to go into labor, even though I'm certainly not rooting for it.

On the Liam front, I am just loving that kid and can't wait till I have the physical mobility to really play with him again. For now, we just do a lot of sedentary things like reading and watching what he calls "Elmo Trash" (his favorite movie - "Elmo in Grouchland") and TRYING to count. He knows 1 through 10...but if you tell him to count anything, it is "1, 8, 9, 10, 9, 10, 9!" Every time. If we help him get from 1 to 2, he can get to 3 and then keep going. It's just so funny because we know that he knows it, but for whatever reason he likes to skip 2-7 and kind of does so with this gleefulness like he knows that it is wrong and he knows that it kind of bothers us even though we don't show it.

I feel as if I have been robbed of the joy of pushing my happy, laughing toddler on a swing. Liam hates swings and will cry if I try to put him in one. It's not fair. All kids are supposed to love swings, and parents are supposed to have these amazing memories of pushing their kids in swings on the playground. Sigh. Maybe next time.

I think I am going to go run and grab some emergency Tums. Drizzling tomatoes in balsamic and then drinking the excess was probably not the best plan at this point in my life.