Becki’s Rules for Naming Children:

 

1. It has to flow nicely with O’Brien. Any names ending in “o” are out.
For example: Theo O’Brien (try saying that three times fast)  

2. It has to be a name that looks pretty when written in both
cursive and print. Any names beginning with an “E” are out,
because cursive e’s are my least favorite letter.
For example: Evangeline O’Brien

 

3. It can’t be too popular. Names in the top 50 or so are generally a no-go.
I love a lot of the popular names, but I prefer for my baby to have a unique one.
For example: Charlotte O’Brien

 

4. But, the name can’t be TOO unique.
For example: Hezekiah O’Brien

 

5. It has to be a name that is both easily spelled and pronounced.
I don’t want my child to have to explain how to spell/pronounce their
name every time they introduce themselves.
For example: Isla O’Brien (pronounced eye-la)

 

6. It has to have a good meaning. Sometimes it is a little shocking
to find out what certain names mean.
For example: Tristan O’Brien (Tristan means sorrowful)

Timmy’s Rules for Naming Children:

1. It has to be a name with a “God” meaning.
For example: Jeremy O’Brien (the Lord exalts)

 

2. A Biblical name is ideal, but not necessary.
For example: Gideon O’Brien

We thought we had our names picked out already.

But we found another girl name we both love

and the boy name has been reopened for debate. 

Let me know if you have any suggestions

that meet our (my) picky criteria.

Chocolate...

Timmy took me out for an extra special date night last night. We went to The Roman Candle for a vegan pizza treat of the healthier kind (no more stomach aches from Pizza Hut!). For dessert, we wandered around Whole Foods and found an array of vegan deliciousness. This is the one and only photo we have of me and my dessert choice, a Vegan Chocolate Mousse cake. Tim snapped it on his cell phone as I clutched my delicacy with pure delight, and shortly after this photo was taken, the cake magically disappeared. (Of course, I did split it with Timmy.)

Being pregnant is a really good excuse

to eat chocolate cake with chocolate frosting

just because.

Springtime.

 I grew up in the country, where Spring is bigger, brighter, and more beautiful. The hillsides turn into emerald seas overnight, and bright eyed birds create a chorus of chirping as soon as sunlight hits the tree filled horizon. There is nothing like finding Spring in a place where it is free to roam unhindered through brush and bracken, popping up in hundreds of pink petaled flowers we call “Spring Beauties”. The stream swells with rain and melting snow, and the sound of rushing, churning, dancing water breaks winter's chilly silence and makes the world come alive. The season swells through the air, bringing gentle breezes that smell of dirt and wetness. Spring comes to the country first, kissing the cold ground with life and warmth.

It comes to the city almost as an afterthought, where lawns are carefully kept and trees are confined and placed in lonely perches. It is a softer, more sleepy version of Springtime, and it creeps up without ceremony or dance. 

But it does come. 
(With a little help from Spring welcoming banners.)

 

 Hello Spring!
Welcome back.

Seventeen.

Our small sweetie is five inches long this week,
about the size of an Anaheim pepper. 

 
When Dad saw me this weekend he poked my stomach and commented,
“I think Felix is starting to show! Either that or you’ve been eating too many twinkies…”
 

Dad calls the baby Felix. I have not been eating twinkies.  

I hope that means I really am starting to show just a teeny bit.

The big debate is on as to whether the baby is a girl or a boy. I have a strong suspicion, and so does Tim, but our strong suspicions do not agree with each other. So it is a mystery, and will remain a mystery until we meet her/him in September. 

 
Right now, I’m relishing the fact that the Lord is the only one who truly knows who this little baby will become. It is a sweet sensation to think that as I go throughout my days, God is forming the tiny body of our little one, speaking beautiful words into her spirit and delighting in a life He already knows by heart. Our child will be born knowing the voice of her creator, and it’s our job to ensure that she continues to hear and know Him as she grows. 

 
God is so, so good. 

Growing a life inside is nothing short of a miracle. 

I pray that my miracle may rest sweetly at seventeen weeks,
surrounded by our love and the presence of Him
who loves her even more than we do. 

Photo Friday: Macro

Sixteen.

Baby Love is a pear this week, 

measuring around 4.5 inches long.

 

Everything is changing, and the truth of that fact is finally starting to soak in. Newness is on the horizon of our lives, and every day that passes brings us closer to the end of Now. Now is so beautiful. I can hardly convey the happiness of my life and the love I have for this husband of mine. 

As we enjoy Sunday afternoons spent sprawled on the couch, laughing and listening to the rain, we know. Everything will be different soon. New feelings, new thoughts, new responsibilities. My heart aches just a little at the unspoken words, because this change is coming quickly. It is with happiness that we see it coming... but part of me wants to live these last months in slow motion. 

To revel in this moment of dreaming and feeling. To exist in our unknown ideas and guesses of what the future will bring. To wonder together who this little one - a combination of us both - will prove to be. And to stretch out these last days of carefree living, these last nights of impromptu car rides to gaze at the stars in our pajamas.

 
Sixteen weeks – four months – 

feels much, much closer to the end of Now.

And I know, know with my whole heart, 

that the three of us will be even happier

than the two of us could have ever been.

We were made to be three.

Happy Four Months, baby Love!

A Conversation: About Pajamas

 

Timmy: Umm, I made eye contact with that lady, 

and she laughed at my pajamas.

Me: Well, not many guys would wear penguin pajamas. 

To Barnes & Noble...

Irish Love.

In front of Killarney Castle - Killarney, Ireland

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Today I celebrated by eating green guacamole on my green salad
and by gazing at green photos from our honeymoon trip to Ireland.

Every day, I'm an Irish girl married an Irish man and

(thanks to him) I have a respectable Irish last name.

I love my handsome leprechaun. 

Fifteen.

 

Our small darling is four inches long this week, 

and her size can be compared to an apple. 

 

 

 This morning I woke up feeling fabulous, and my pre-pregnancy tendency to talk quickly in the mornings came back in full force. After speaking a sentence in hyper speed (unintentionally), I glanced over to see Timmy’s un-caffeinated eyes blink slowly and he stuttered, “Is that a riddle?”  

 

But really, I was just asking him if he dreams in black and white or color.
(In case you’re wondering, we dream in color.)

  We both laughed and laughed, and Tim commented happily that I must be feeling better. This sparked an entire morning of giggles. Sometimes morning is my favorite part of the day, and today was one of those sometimes. 

 

 

Speaking of mornings, my morning sickness has almost disappeared, and my appetite has returned with enthusiasm. My current cravings are pizza, apples, and grapefruit juice.  

Note: This apple was eaten shortly after the end of this photo shoot. 

  Note, note: I satisfied my pizza craving last night with a medium Veggie Lovers Pizza Hut pizza (without cheese, of course). I’m sorry to say that my craving ended with a stomach ache (that’s what I get for eating five pieces in one sitting!). But this morning I seriously contemplated eating the remaining three for breakfast.

Yumm…

Photo Friday: Sunset

I will be playing along with Jamie in the weekly photo challenges at Two Peas.
This week's photo challenge theme was Sunsets.

Sunsets are a beautiful display of an ending day, streaking the sky with shadows as time slowly fades into darkness and tomorrow. With sunsets come thoughts of the day behind us, sleepy yawns, and softly lit lamps, illuminating what the sunlight left behind. Sunsets signify the end of something, and in a more artistic sense, they illustrate the aging beauty of a life that was lived and has passed on to a brighter tomorrow in heaven. They illustrate childhood moments, long ago, with thousands of sunsets and sunrises between then and now. Sunsets are beautiful and bittersweet, because they bring with them the reality of uncontrollable time. 

When I think of sunsets, I think of beauty, and my Grandpa.

 

Spring is only 10 days away.

In the meantime,

Timmy has been supplementing

with daffodils, tulips, and hyacinth.

Giving Up (For Lent)

I love Lent.

I love challenging myself to give up something for the Lord.
The more I love the "something", the more successful I feel.

Most years, I find myself giving up some sort of food. Last year it was peanut butter, my absolute favorite thing to eat at the time. (I was averaging a jar of peanut butter every three days. Yup.) The year before, it was bread. (I didn’t do that one again, on purpose. It almost killed me.)

This year, I can hardly even think of a single food I LIKE, much less love. It would hardly be much of a sacrifice to give up anything in that category, and if there is a food I can currently eat… I really need to eat it.

So this year I’m attempting something a bit more daring. 

I’m giving up all computer time until after work – 4:30 PM.
Every night, my computer is going to get shut down before bed, and the rule is that I can’t start it back up again until I get home from work that evening. Hard? Yes! I typically check my email right away every morning and several times throughout the day.

But I think this will be a nice break for me – I won’t start my day mulling over anything I read in my inbox or any project I need to get done that night. (And, it will be a nice break for my computer, as it rarely gets shut down, and I hear that’s good for them from time to time.)

I love Lent!
And at the end of Lent, we will find Easter and full fledged Spring.  

Hooray!

(an accurate idea of what Timmy looks like in the morning, sans caffeine)

Timmy didn’t celebrate Lent before he knew me, but since then, he has always given up caffeine. (I say, “Welcome to the real, stimulant-free world, babe!”) This means he is extra sleepy in the morning, and it is much easier for me to convince him to snuggle in bed just… a little… longer…

Fourteen.

Baby is 3.5 inches long this week, 

about the size of a small orange.
 

At our first midwife appointment last Friday, we got to hear her heartbeat for the very first time. The small “whoosha, whoosha” of her tiny heartbeat was for sure the most magical point of this pregnancy so far. That sound created such a connection, and the idea of our baby became so very evident and real.
 

This past weekend was spent at home with Mom and Dad. It was a snuggley sort of time, and I like to think that our baby can already recognize that soft, safe sense of being there. I know that she will be born with a familiar feeling toward the loud, deep voice of Dad and the sweet, gentle voice of Mom. I wonder how much she is able to take in at this point, and it may be that her small consciousness is simply washed with my emotions and the aura of the world around her. If nothing else, baby certainly notes my feelings of contentment and happiness while I’m nestled there, and I know our parents’ house will someday be one of her favorite places to be. (Just like it is ours.)
 

Timmy has been sick with a cold, and I somehow have managed to avoid it so far. My leggings are starting to feel just a little tighter, and more and more people have begun to notice my very small bump. I guess 14 weeks is considered the “official” start of the second trimester (I was feeling optimistic when I said 12 weeks was), so here’s to a happy, healthy beginning of trimester two! I’m pretty excited to watch the morning sickness begin to fade and my belly begin to grow.

Lessons Learned: About Pregnancy

 (a favorite treat)

The other day a coworker asked me if I knew who Dr. Spock was.
I responded that he was some alien from Star Trek.
Lesson Learned: DR. Spock is a renowned baby expert from the days when our
parents and grandparents were having babies. MR. Spock is the alien.
Today I typed my name “Becki O’Brein”. I looked at it and thought,
“Does O’Brien end in an ‘ein’ or ‘ien’?
I stared at it, and stared at it, and concluded that it was “O’Brein”.
A couple minutes later, spell check caught my mistake
as I was attempting to send off the email.
Lesson Learned: O’Brien is spelled O-‘-B-R-I-E-N.
Pregnancy messes with memory.

I have been sneezing and sneezing lately, and have been
a little embarrassed by my many frequent sneezes.
I think the people I work with are wondering what is wrong with me.
They’ve stopped saying “Bless you”
and have just begun to awkwardly ignore my sneezing.
Well, I found out last night that chronic sneezing is actually
just another symptom of pregnancy.
Lesson Learned: Next time something weird starts happening to my body
(for instance, I break out in purple spots), just assume it is because of pregnancy.
It most likely, almost 100% for sure IS FROM THE PREGNANCY.


My least favorite symptom of pregnancy is a
constant awful taste in my mouth. Mints are no match for this taste.
One night Timmy kissed me, drew back, made a gagging noise and said,
“Babe, your mouth tastes like pennies!”
Lesson Learned: Pennies taste awful. (I can neither confirm nor deny this statement,
as I have never actually tasted pennies. But apparently Tim has, and he knows.)


Timmy has been experiencing what we think might be “sympathy pains”.
He is so sensitive to my woes that he has
actually begun to develop a queasy stomach of his own.
He says over and over how much he wishes he could be the one
to suffer in my place, and I know he means it.
Lesson Learned: After a lot of thought I have concluded that,
when it comes down to it, I would never ever want to have our roles reversed.
Being pregnant is a crazy, beautiful experience. 
And I love it.