up up and away . . .

Hello all you loyal readers!! In honor of Greg Oden leaving for the NBA I thought I'd post this picture (note the reaction of the OSU bench). I can't blame him for leaving but I will miss watching him play for OSU. Good luck in the NBA, Greg.

Sorry it has been a while since we last posted, Wendy has been really busy at work and she is working on a paper for publication in the evenings so she hasn't had time to post. I on the other hand have just been . . .well lazy. Although last weekend we attended a wedding in beautiful Charlottesville, VA, for a friend from high school, Jon Readey. And other than me completely losing my sense of direction upon entering the Charlottesville city limits we had a wonderful time. Congratulations to Jon and Meg!!

Anyway, we don't have much to report baby wise, no doctor visits recently which is fine with us. Last night I did feel the baby kick for the first time through Wendy's stomach, it was a surreal moment. The little alien seems to get active at night when Wendy lays down and for only being a little over 2 pounds (approx.) he/she packs quite a punch.

Naming Baby Grove

Here are some of the great suggestions for Baby Grove's name from friends (and newspapers):

sutcliff said...
If it is a boy....how about Ellis, Gavin, or Maddox?
For a girl....Adain, Rhainnon, or Brin?

Keri (a.k.a Grandma) said...
If it's a girl... I'd like to suggest KerWen (Karen) a combination of the Grandma (Ker) and mama (Wen)dy. Or Kersie, for the two grandma's again Keri and Susie Tee~Hee. Isn't Gramma funny?
For a boy... I might suggest GeRon for grandpa Ron and Papa Geoff :)
Or, you might want to come up with something not so.. well, silly. I have lots of other ideas rolling around in my head, I'll share them later.

P.S. To my dear children, Please remember when thinking of names for the little one that your grandma Keri has trouble sometimes with her "R"s and would hate to think he/she would have to grow up believing it has two names, the one that everyone call them, and the one grandma calls them. To our friends: This came in response to my teasing my sweet Mama about her inability to say the name Rory...it ends up sounding like War-We and Geoff and I like to tease her and say that is what Baby Grove will be named. Of course we wouldn't do that!!!

Shelley said...
Wendy and Geoff - I love the blog -I am so happy to hear you are all doing well and I feel connected through the blog -so thank you! Names - since I am done having babies -I'll share my names which will probably end up as dog names someday...
Boy: Tucker, Jack and Luca (or Lucas)
Girl: Delaney, Sadie, Sofie and Lucy (already a dog name in our house)
Take care - and have fun. See you soon

And, from the Great State of Alabama, where our friend Ariane teaches currently and where Geoff and I saw the TIDE ROLL over and lose to Mississippi State last year:

FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2007
Tim and Hannah Witt showed they are "die-hard fans" of the Crimson Tide by naming their first son Tyde and their second son Saban, after head coach Nick Saban.

In the April 10, 2007 Columbus Dispatch...a story told of a few Columbus families have taken to naming their kids after Ohio State football coaches, including the newly named Tressel Hayes.

Dave Amicon, our friend and bar owner suggested Elliot because all kids named Elliot are smart

Sarah Wachunous, a friend of ours, suggested Matthew for a boy or Sarah or Quinn for a girl.

Grandpa Grove suggested Scarlet Anne so the baby girl could have a name close to scarlet and Gray, the colors of OSU!

And Jeremy, inspired by our Cinderella or Tesla post offered these: Wacko would be a good name if it's a boy, that was the name of Raven's drummer, a great (well, so-so) 80's band. And, if it's a girl, Butterfly Meriweather, which is what the Dead Milkmen's guitarist called himself on one of their albums.

GREAT suggestions everyone! I'll be honest and tell you that some have made the list and some, well, I hope you're kidding. Ta ta for now, Wendy

Baby's First Easter

I know that technically, this is not our baby's first Easter, but he/she got three Easter baskets, so I wanted to mention how very nice that was. Grandpa gave the baby candy and money, as well as candy for the mama in her favorite sugar free flavors. Aunt Pam & Uncle Scott gave us baby food, feeding spoons, bibs, and a soft cuddly peeps toy. And, grandma gave the baby lots of clothes and the sweetest little lamb we have ever seen. Anna wants it, but it has been hidden from her as to keep it free from drool for the little one.

In other news, I have registered at Target. I share this information not to prostitute gifts from you all, but to mention that babies seem to require their own mountain of stuff. I must have looked like a deer caught in headlights with my scanner device, staring at the wall of disposable diapers, then contemplating the various breast pumps (one side or two?), and did you even know about orthodontic binkies? I sure didn't! Two hours later and I registered for bunches of stuff, yet would love your suggestions regarding strollers, highchairs, car seats, and diaper bags. I think I have resigned myself to finding these items at garage sales this spring as I do not have the energy or desire to do the market research and select the best product. Keep the names coming! I love, love, love your suggestions!

--Wendy

Cinderella or Tesla?

Baby names are a great diversion. Although I am pretty sure Baby Grove is coming out a boy, without confirming that with anyone, it really amounts to a 50-50 shot he/she is a girl. So, I am sure you've heard of this couple in Sweden (or somewhere over there) who is trying to name their kid Metallica. Well, I say, let 'em. If I were naming my kid after an 80's rock band, I might choose Cinderella or Tesla, mostly because Geoff admits to being a fan back in the day. My brother might argue that Metallica is not an 80s band, but I'll take that debate. But, I digress, let me update you on our baby's heart.

The famous Dr. Warner (I don't actually know if he is famous, but I am making him famous here), a fetal cardiologist, met with us yesterday to look over the kids' heart: ventricles, aorta, valves and such. He said that everything looks great! *YAY* Way to go, kid! Everything is developed as it should be (exhale) and while uncontrolled blood sugars can weaken the heart muscle, this would be just a transient, or temporary, condition that the baby would grow out of (exhale). *YAY* Since I don't plan on having uncontrolled blood sugars, I think we are doing great!

So, keep growin' kid, we'll see you in another month (imagine it, no doctor visits for 4 whole weeks!!). Love, your very proud Mama

P.S. Any and all name suggestions will be taken via email or commenting on the blog and posted here in a few days or weeks. So, suggest away. You may have heard that the front runner is Mookie or Santonio Holmes Grove. It's true. I am leaning toward Tesla for a girl, given the cool scientists' contributions and all...

Wonderful News

We have had some wonderful news! On Saturday March 31, we saw our baby on ultrasound and were told that his/her heart, brain, and spine look normal. He/She now weighs an estimated 1 pound, 10 ounces (69th percentile for age) and looks beautiful on screen. The tests that were inconclusive before have now been ruled out as much as they can prenatally. Our ultrasound nurse said that the heart looks "beautiful" and that look ruled out 90% of possible defects. Our echocardiogram on Thursday will look even closer (with a fetal cardiologist doing the looking) and tell us about the remaining 10% of possible issues. When I said to the Doctor, "Thursday is our big day" (the echocardiogram to see any defects in the heart), he said "Well, I think your big day is going to be a quiet one." That is GREAT! The baby had a heartbeat of 149 on Saturday and 146 today, so he/she is going strong.

In other news from the OB/GYN today, the baby's Mama has not gained any weight from last month, but the baby has gained a whole pound. This is amazing given how I have been compelled to eat lately. Also, in even better news, my A1C (the blood test for Type II diabetes) was just measured at 5.3! This is significant given it was 12 when I was diagnosed in March 2006 and down to 6 (normal) in June 2006, but measures the level of diabetic control. This score of 5.3 means that I am well in control of the diabetes, despite haywire blood sugar levels as of late. So, I exhaled a big sigh of relief this morning!

So, baby looks good and Mama is good too. Believe it or not, we are in our 24th week as of Wednesday (2 days from now) and starting May 14th, we actually will see the OB/GYN every two weeks! I am beyond excited now and want to thank you all for your unwavering support and listening to me vent about doctors and self-injections. For those of you who have known me a long time, you know that I need to share the fears and uncertainties to get through the stress of it all. I am floating on Cloud 9 and feel very good. Nausea still comes on elevators (and presumably, airplanes), but other than that, it's pretty uneventful. I feel the baby a lot in these waves or flutters, which is unbelievably fun. Love to you all, Wendy