A Boy Named Boot

Now that we know we're having a boy, I've been paying more attention to guys' names. And JUST IN time for football season. For some ungodly reason, Bryan was watching Purdue play the Oregon Ducks today. Normally, he's more interested in SEC games, but I think he was texting a friend who was at the game or something.

I heard one of the announcers mention Justin Roper. I'm all, "Justin Ropers? I have a pair of those!"

Then hubby told me it's Oregon's quarterback's NAME. For real.

Justin Roper, meet Justin Roper.

Awkward.

At first I thought, "Maybe he's from a big metropolitan area and his parents don't know cowboy boots from driving moccasins. In that case, he probably wasn't teased about it." Fine. Harmless. Then, I found out he's from Buford, Georgia. I used to live near that area. I estimate the kid got pantsed before his third birthday.

He seems to be doing fine - getting an education, great athlete, etc. But does anyone else think this name was a little negligent?

Shamefully, at the first test of character I proved no better than the schoolyard hazers. While I pondered the possible effects an unusual name could have on a person's psyche, Justin went down on the field. I yelled, "Oh my God! Somebody call a cobbler!"

IT'S A BOY

We are most definitely having a boy - no "maybe" according to the ultrasound tech! He's about 14 oz. right now, and about a week ahead in development, so he may be a big one. Also, she didn't fail to find anything she looked for; we got to count fingers and toes, look at the bones, see heart, kidneys, bladder, stomach, all kinds of things.

I'll have more details tonight (they don't really like you updating your blog at work) but I wanted to let you all know! I know the Ramseys are going to be excited about the potential for the family name to live on. :)

We have some ultrasound video, so I'll post that tonight as well. Hugs to everyone!!

10:28 p.m. update - Umm, I kinda realized there's a lot of personal information on the ultrasound video, and unfortunately I don't have the software to remedy that little video situation. So, if you're interested, send me an email and I'll send it to you. G'night!

Who is it?

Apparently, there's someone in there.

A friend and a few relatives have requested pictures of the bump, so here you are. It's hard to believe, but these jeans used to be loose. That's what 4+ months gestation will do to your figure, ladies.

When I say this site has gone green, I don't mean eco-friendly. MRF is gender-neutral for the weekend; that's because the color will change again Monday when Bryan and I find out how many X chromosomes we're dealing with here. Check back on Monday and if the page is blue, we're having a boy! If it's pink, it's a girl!

All is well - I feel good most of the time. If I manage not to eat too much at one sitting, that is. At my last OB appointment the doctor said I'm right on track weight-gain wise... hopefully she still says that Monday. (I confess, I'm a little worried. The appetite really took on a life of its own this month.)

So, we'll try to be patient together... see you on the big day!

Out of the Closet

Well, hello there. I've been shamed by my brother into breaking my long hiatus. Certainly laziness played a big part in my absence, but I also had something occupying my brain that I didn't want to write about, but couldn't not write about... unless I didn't write. So, I didn't.

But, I'm back and pregnant. I'm in my 13th week so we're to the point where the risk of miscarriage drops drastically. It looks like this one's going to take.

It wasn't nearly as fun telling people this time, though. Several folks' reactions were still very influenced by memories of the last pregnancy. Some avoided talking about it, or brought it up out of obligation. I felt like people expected me to let them down in some way. It was quite strange; nothing like the unbridled joy of the first one, and really nothing's been quite the same in that respect. But, it's been a very healthy, stable pregnancy so far and we're very fortunate for that. We saw an ultrasound three weeks ago with a very active tiny little baby, and the doctor said, "This one looks like a keeper." I didn't really know how tense I was until she said that and I relaxed.

So, there you have it. When you get a chance, pop over to chiliburgers and congratulate the dad-to-be.

Might I Have a Sip of Your Tasty Beverage?

Recently, the husband and I went to a local pizza restaurant. Before the owner rang up our order he warned us, "Our soda machine is out of order; would you like a drink from the cooler?" Bryan said, "Yeah, sure."

You know that giggly feeling you get when you know something someone else doesn't, and you know when they realize what you know, it's gonna be, like, awesome? I'd seen the cooler on the way in. It wasn't full of Coke products (an impossible dream north of the Mason-Dixon), or even Pepsi products. It was full of Marsh brand soda.

My excitement made time freeze as he slow-motion turned to the cooler... I saw him see the soda... then, no wait, that can't be right... is that really??... right here in a restaurant? Then his face registered the full horror, and he said, "Aww, man! I feel like I'm eating at my cousin's house."

We had a healthy debate about why a restaurant would possibly stock a cooler with generic soda. First, this pizza joint does a lot of takeout business, but they also have seating for about 30 in their dining room. It seems like a costly risk, when you could just pay a few cents more for real drinks. Don't worry; our story did have a happy ending. (The pizza was fantastic, and the owner doesn't even look surprised when you bring in a big gulp from the gas station next door.)

I've never had good generic soda, but I've had a few good laughs at their names. Since supermarkets are regional, and all brands have their different spun-off brand names, I thought it might be fun to share our favorite generic soda names.

In Georgia, I lived near a FoodMax. FoodMax's generic brand was called "Southern Home" and they worked some variation of the name into each of their drinks:

Dr Pepper = Dr. S
7-Up = Southern Up

Some of the fruity ones get fun, too. Like when the off-brand starts trying to squeeze too damn many words onto the can. Like "lemon lime-o super sizzle berry blast." I mean, that just sounds too exciting to drink, then it goes flat before you get it to your lips.

Let us have it, commenters. Let's hear your funniest off-brand soda names. You can even give us a quality report if you managed to choke down any of it.

From Underemployed to Unemployed and Back to Working Stiff Again

It took me being jobless to post, but, by God, here we are. The good news is, my new job starts Monday. I left being a technician at an Optometry office to go back to my old life in government consulting. Once again I will have one of those jobs where people say, "huh? So what do you actually do?" It's business consulting for government clients, so on a high level, it's helping government run more efficiently. What you actually do is determined by the project you're working on. I happen to think mine's pretty cool (at least with the blissful ignorance of not having begun.) I'll let you know if I still think it's cool after I've eaten from the tree of knowledge on Monday.

I should have some interesting news later; perhaps some info on a souvenir from Mexico. (In news, we called that a tease) but now for the urgent stuff.

Next Friday, Bryan and I are going to New York City for a few days. Woo-hoo! This will be my first trip to the city, and maybe Bryan's second. (I'm sure I'll be corrected at Chiliburgers if I'm wrong.)

We're going for religious reasons: A pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Baseball. Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium are both closing this year, and Bryan's never been to either. So, that's nice. But here's the thing; I'm not really into baseball. I'm sure it will be fun and everything. You know, historic and whatnot. But I'd like to add in a few things more in line with my interests. So far, we have tickets to Avenue Q, which is kinda like Sesame Street for grownups. That sounds incredibly fun, but I need a few more ideas.

So, Internet, have you been to the Big Apple? If so, what do you think we shouldn't miss? If not, any burning thoughts on what you would see if you go someday?

Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude

Bryan and I are in lovely Puerto Vallarta for a few days. He won it for being such a stud at his job, and I'm just along for the ride, shamelessly soaking up the happy. This is the view from our balcony:

Mountains and ocean at the same time. Sigh.

It's one of those all-inclusive resorts, which has it's perks...

Entertainment center with liqour taps. Sigh.

Don't get me wrong - I don't have a terrible life back home, by any means. But Internet: you just have to trust me. I needed this. This is my first trip to another country where they don't speak English. My one year of high school Spanish is coming back slowly... luckily Bryan took three years. We also happen to be here on Cinco de Mayo, which, so far seems to be one of those holidays that's all about selling more Corona in the states.

It's time for breakfast, so I'll post more later. (Typical, huh? I post barely once a month for six months, go on vacation and post constantly. Therapists call it an "all or nothing" personality. My picture's in the text book next to the definition.) Happy Cinco, you crazy gringos.