Choosing a Name for the New Baby

Why is choosing a name for a new baby so easy for some, yet an overly daunting task for me?? My husband and I have always had a difficult time agreeing on boys names...and given that we have 2, and a 3rd on the way... naming our babies has set us into some heated debates.

My biggest issue...what to consider when choosing a name. With hundreds of articles about effects of names on a child and more than 60,000 names to choose from, just thinking about where to start is overwhelming. I always sit down with my baby name book and make a list of names that appeal to me, then I go back through and make sure none have horrible meanings. Then my husband will add his 2cents and somehow other family members, such as my parents and in-laws always get ahold of my list and let me know how much they hate all the names I've written down, except for one....which is always my least favorite.

So what is important in a name? Should it be Cool? Trendy? Classic? Common? Unique? Original? Easy to pronounce? Simple? Made up? One of a kind? Popular? Strong? Short? Long?

Should you tell your friends and family before the baby is born? Should you decide with 100% certainty before you meet the baby? What if you know someone with the name you like? Should you name the baby after a family member?

There's just too many questions!! In my opinion it boils down to one thing.... this is your baby, and your decision. While it's not something to take lightly, it's not something to dwell on endlessly either. I do think that a name can impact a child later in life. For example, if you name your son Sissy, or your daughter Butch, they might have some social problems in schools. But I don't think that a name is a pre-cursor to crime, as a recent study suggested. Pick a name that you're happy with and that you wouldn't mind going through life with....that's what we're doing!

I Got an Interview!

I just got an e-mail yesterday with a time for my initial interview on March 6 with the local school system!! I graduated in December with my M.Ed in School Counseling and put in an application shortly after graduating. I'm hoping to get a position as a School Counselor in a local school for the 2009-2010 school year. I'm a little nervous about having to put the 2 youngest in childcare, especially the baby....who isn't even here yet! But I know moms do it all the time, and I can't wait to start working! I'll update once it's over! I'm so excited!!!

My Favorite Accessory

A few months ago my Mother in Law got me a Pandora charm bracelet for my birthday. I had heard of them, but had never seen one before. It was beautiful! I instantly fell in love with my new charm bracelet....the first charm bracelet I've ever owned. She had gotten me 3 beads, 2 birthstones for my boys and a baby carriage for the baby on the way. Over the next few months I slowly obtained a few more beads from family as gifts for various occasions. There are hundreds of different beads that you can get for the bracelets, including silver, gold an glass beads. The starter bracelets start out at $35 and beads start at about $25. My favorite is the silver clasp bracelet. It is beautiful and I've never had such a secure clasp on a piece of jewelry. The beads are beautiful with stunning details and elegant designs. If you're looking for a great gift, this is it! She can add to it and change it in any way she wants. And it makes for very easy gift giving for holidays and special occasions to come! Check out www.pandora-jewelry.com for a list of retailers, more detailed information on their jewelry and to start designing your own bracelet!!

Here's a picture from thier website that shows their stunning love themed beads, just in time for Valentine's Day!

Finally got Baby's Coming Home Outfit!!!

My mom and I went shopping at Kohl's today and we found some great deals on some adorable outfits for my new little baby boy!! They had several racks of winter clearance, up to 80% off! But our mission was some Spring outfits....and they were all 30-50% off! It was great! But my favorite is the little blue bib set that I plan to bring my little man home in. It's so cute! I love the little buttons on it and the tiny frog and snail, even if it is a cliche`!

Keeping Busy- My Key to Sanity

As I sit back to reflect on the week that has just flown by I realized that it was a great week...and pretty busy too. We had several playdates this week, including a mall walk on Monday, a playdate in my home on Thursday and a story time at the library today. I also had another OB appt. this week, fun fun! And yesterday the boys and I went to MOPS and then out to lunch with my best friend and her son. And Jake had soccer practice one night too! Geez! That was a lot. But we stayed so busy and my house hasn't been this clean in weeks! Not to mention that the boys have been going to bed by 8pm and sleeping in until around 8am!! Woohoo!

It can be so difficult to schedule so many events into one week, and just as difficult to motivate myself to get up and leave the house for the events! But I'm always so glad that I do. The boys really, truly enjoy themselves, and I do too. It's nice to have some adult conversation throughout the week instead of being cooped up in the house with just the kids. And I think the boys have really benefited from all the socialization that they're getting. They still have a ways to come with their manners and social skills, but I think every outing helps. I'm so glad that I've gotten into all of the activities that I have and I want to start taking the boys to church regularly too. I think that as a mother it's important to keep yourself and your kids involved with activities other than family events.

Two Ways to Earn FREE Pampers Diapers!

Over the last few weeks I've been shocked to learn how many moms to be and moms with little ones in diapers don't know about some of the easiest ways to earn free pampers diapers! I'm not talking about signing up on any of those bogus websites that you have do things for or by getting others to enroll on another site. There are 2 legitimate ways to earn pampers. Here's how:

1.) Sign up with pampers.com and enroll in their Gifts to Grow progam, it's completely free! Then save the little green stickers from inside pampers diapers, training pants, swim diapers and wipes and enter the codes on their website. For every 125 points you save up you can redeem them for a coupon for a FREE Jumbo package of Pampers diapers! It's that easy!! It's really easy to save up the points too, you can earn anywhere from 1-10 points per product. You can also redeem points for gift cards to places like Starbucks and Gap, as well as for Snapfish prints and photo gifts, and toys or books. Pampers also has a great online community with tons of helpful articles and advice!

2.) The second way to earn free Pampers is to sign up for a new rewards card with Toys R Us/ Babies R Us. This new rewards card allows you to earn "R Us Dollars" (or a $5 coupon for every $150 in qualifing purchases. But the best part.... for every 9 boxes of Pampers diapers you buy, you get the 10th box FREE!! You can't beat that! Especially if you use their coupons and manufacturers coupons as well!

Happy Diaper Shopping!! :)

My Much Needed Nap!

Well last week I caught the bug.... I was sick as a dog all day and didn't feel right for about 2 days after that. I was just drained! But the second day of it all I was actually able to get both of my boys to nap...at the SAME time!!! I still can't believe it! My 4 y/o was a little fussy, so I asked him if he wanted me to lay down in bed with him for a little bit, "just to rest"....and he agreed. Hmmm...ok. I'll take that. Then I got my 22 month old to come and lay down with us. Sweet! Before I knew it the big guy was snoring so loud he could have woken the dead! And about 5 minutes later the little one was sound asleep as well. So, naturally I attempted to make myself comfortable....laying on my side and being very careful not to lean back at all so I didn't smash my 4 y/o and trying to hold onto the little one so my big pregnant belly didn't knock him off the bed! BTW- we were all in a little twin bed, with several over sized stuffed animals! If anyone would have come over to visit at that time they would have gotten a good laugh! But oh well, I got a nap, for almost an entire hour that day! And all I've been able to think about since then is another nap!!!