The Name Game

Torquil, Torquil, bo-borquil

Banana-fana fo-forquil

Fee-fi-mo-morquil

Torquil!

Okay, not THAT name game. (Although that name game is useful in eliminating names like "Mitch" and "Chuck" from our list of options.) The name game we're playing is the "What shall we name the baby this week?" game.

The start of our name game began when we realized that "Torquil" no longer sounds strange or amusing to us. And that's a problem. (You should have SEEN the panicky look on my friend's face when I told her that Torquil doesn't sound funny to me anymore - she was afraid we were starting to like it and might actually name him Torquil! Ummm, no.)

So we've narrowed down our list of name options from every name in the baby book (10,000) to about 10. Yeah, we know that's not a short enough list. But it's progress, right?! And we're pretty sure that the middle name is going to be Michael, after Derek's middle name and the many Michaels in my family, including my dad. So, we're picking a different first name each week and calling him that for the week. We started out calling him "Logan" and then moved on to "Benjamin," "Reid," and now "Jay" this week. We're trying to use the name as much as we can during the week, saying things like "Just put that box in Logan's room," or "Next Christmas, we'll need a stocking for Reid." Some names have moved up the list after a trial week, and others just don't seem to fit him, so I guess that's a step in the right direction.

The one thing we've struggled with is that everybody has an opinion on the name. And apparently if the name isn't officially "picked,?\" people feel free to tell you that opinion. Here's the thing folks: we appreciate some CONSTRUCTIVE feedback. Seriously. When my mom pointed out that Benjamin would be "BM Foster," I found that helpful. Pointing out to us that the initials indicate bodily functions is useful; telling us that you "just don't like the name" is not. Because the truth is that we do like the name - that's why it is on the short list.

I bet that if we tell folks that we've decided on a name, they will all say, "What a lovely name!" regardless of what they're really thinking. So whether you truly like what we end up with or not, y'all better act like you like it. Let's practice - all together now:

"What a lovely name!"

So cute I could just EAT HIM UP!

Thursday Dec 13, 2007

When you get pregnant, you pretty quickly get this clueless, what-the-heck-am-I-doing feeling. Never fear! There is a multi-bazillion dollar industry of advice for moms-to-be on all things pregnancy and baby. One of my favorite resources is the BabyCenter website because they send weekly email updates on how big your baby is growing and what cool things are happening to him. But the best part of the entire email is that each week your baby's size (either weight or length) is compared to a food. This week (29), Torquil is a butternut squash! Here's a rundown of some of my favorite past incarnations of Torquil in the produce section...

Week 27 - Head of Cauliflower
Week 25 - Rutabaga (had to Google "rutabaga" to see what one looks like - not cute!)
Week 24 - Ear of Corn
Week 19 - Large Heirloom Tomato (not just any tomato, an HEIRLOOM tomato)
Week 16 - Avocado
Week 13 - Medium shrimp (and he most certainly looked like one on the ultrasound)
Week 10 - Kumquat (huh?)
Week 8 - Kidney Bean
Week 5 - Sesame Seed

All kidding aside, it really is helpful to have an idea of how big he is. And it's fun to guess what he'll be the next week. (I promise, I'm not peeking ahead.) I've already got dibs on watermelon for week 40 - any guesses what he'll be in between?

Posted at 10:18AM Dec 13, 2007 by Jen Foster in General | Comments[1]

The cat ate my ultrasound pics...

Tuesday Nov 20, 2007

Wish I could say that the title was some sort of pitiful attempt at humor. In fact, it's the truth - no stretching, no exaggerating, no embellishing. That troublesome, good-for-nothin', fat, lazy feline ate my ultrasound pictures. For a scrapbooker, this is nothing short of criminal.

We actually have 2 cats, Bonnie & Clyde. Bonnie (my cat) is an angel. She jumps into my lap to snuggle every time I sit down and generally stays out of the way otherwise. Clyde (from now on referred to as "That Blasted Animal") is the devil. He has scratched every surface he can get his claws into, tries to escape the house every time a door cracks open, and will occasionally attack my legs for no apparent reason. I have scars to prove it. This is the same animal who once climbed onto the top of our fridge where we were storing a lovely decorative bowl. He climbed into the bowl, tipped it over, and rode that thing all the way to the kitchen floor, bouncing the bowl only once off the countertop. Needless to say, that lovely bowl is now a lovely mosaic tray.

So, you may remember that back on October 4 (date is significant) I had THE ultrasound. You know, the really good, detailed one where we learned that Torquil is a boy. The doctor's office gave us some souvenir pictures including the most incredibly adorable picture of his tiny feet. Before my ultrasound, a friend told me to take a CD and ask to get the pics on it then. Did I take her wise advice? Nope. Another friend told me to take good copies of the ultrasound pics because they fade over time. Did I listen? Of course not. I carried those pictures around in my purse so I could SHOW people!

When I finally decided to clean out my purse on 10/29 (again, note the date) I pulled out those pics and put them on the top of my "To Do" pile. I really did have plans to copy them. Next thing I know, I hear this crunching sound ... (you know what's coming here.) I turn around to find That Blasted Animal chowing down on my ultrasound pictures. Bleepety Bleeping Bleep! It was all I could do to stop myself from drop-kicking him out the back door.

While I really was mad, I thought to myself, "I'm going to the OB next week, and I'm sure they'll be able to print more copies. Boy, I bet they'll think this is funny." So at my appointment, I ask the nurse (she has no idea if they can be replaced) and the doctor (again, no clue). Both said they would talk to the ultrasound tech the following day. Neither seemed especially amused by my story, but hey, it was almost 5:00. I never heard back, so yesterday I called the office. I'm going back for another appointment, so I'm hoping I can bring a CD and get copies then. Guess what? They destroy ultrasound records after 30 days. Yes, That Blasted Animal destroyed them on day 25. So, if I had not procrastinated, I might have been able to get new ones. Frankly, it never occurred to me that my medical records would not be kept, if not for eternity, at least until the big arrival.

So now what? I do have the all the chunks, and luckily the best shots are still in one piece. There are multiple puncture holes that look much like the dental records of That Blasted Animal, but I'm hoping someone with mad PhotoShop skillz can repair the damage. Photo refinishing looks to be ~$50 a pic, which I would love to bill to That Blasted Animal (not that he has the means to repay me). Got a better suggestion? I'd love to hear it.

Posted at 01:24PM Nov 20, 2007 by Jen Foster in General | Comments[3]

More baby news...finally!

Monday Nov 12, 2007

Okay, okay - 50 lashes with a wet noodle to me and another 50 to Derek. (Just don't hit me on the belly, please.) I know it's been forever and a few days since I posted here. Really, I just didn't have anything all that interesting to say. Everything is going just as smoothly as it can. Torquil is kicking away and his heart is ticking away, just like the doctors say it should. I'm feeling fine as a preggo possibly can, so what news is there to share? Hmmm... I guess I'll just share what we've been up to lately.

Halloween was uneventful - Derek wanted to paint my belly like a pumpkin and send me out trick-or-treating. I had to veto that idea.

The office-to-nursery conversion is coming along, if slowly. We're still on Step One - get out all of the office junk. But we're very close to cleaned out and most stuff has found homes in other places - just one giant empty filing cabinet left to move elsewhere. I'm trying to pawn it off on my mom, and she seemed open to the idea of using it at her house for her files. Hey Mom - I'll trade you a rocking chair for a filing cabinet!

Torquil got to go to his first basketball game, thanks to my wonderful boss who gave us a pair of tickets to an exhibition game. (One ticket for me & one for Derek - at this stage, Torq doesn't need a ticket.) He was kicking lots at the game - Uncle Matt said he's just kicking along with the Fight Song. Apparently he's got his father's sense of rhythm - we're going to have to work on kicking in time to music. Now, if I could just get him to kick when the whole crowd cheers "Go State!" ... We'll have to work on that.

I never know whether lots of kicking means he wants something (like wants me to EAT!) or if he's mad about something. I suppose that in a few short months, I'll say the same thing about him crying. Experienced moms always say that you learn what your baby's cries mean, and I trust that maternal instinct will kick in on that. Right now when I hear a baby cry, all I can think is, "Somebody give him what he wants to shut him up!" True confession - I'll probably be saying that about my own kid, too.

Okay, so to make the wait between blog postings worthwhile, I've put some pics on here for those of you who don't see me often. Is that belly getting big, or what?!


20 weeks


25 weeks

Posted at 09:15PM Nov 12, 2007 by Jen Foster in General | Comments[1]

Comments:

Our visit in Raleigh was so short a couple of weeks ago that I didn't realize how pregnant you really were! Pregnant or not, you are still pretty as a picture! Kelsey and Livie are enjoying reading about your progress. I will see you in a week or so.

WALYADTB

UDave

Posted by Uncle Dave on November 13, 2007 at 06:18 PM EST #

Does it come with 4WD and a leather seat? (Derek again)

Monday Oct 22, 2007

Suddenly, the idea that we need some new tools and equipment to take care of this new addition to our family is starting to hit us. So we journeyed to the local Babies R Us, and what an experience that was.

Does there really need to be an entire aisle for bottles and nipples? I don't think there are that many variations in the original model! And if we choose the wrong one, will our poor child fill up with so much gas that we can enter him in the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade? Obviously, we were a little overwhelmed by all the options.

When we looked at the strollers and car seats, we were similarly intimidated by the choices. Now we had to factor in price too. Some have fancy European names (isn't Prego a pasta sauce?) and some have lots of options (arm rests and cupholders on car seats--that's better than my truck). We didn't find any with an off-road package or leather, which is probably a good thing as I'm sure some magazine would imply that we are bad parents for subjecting our precious little one to a stroller with cloth seats and 2 wheel drive.

I think it is time to call in reinforcements. Any new moms (or dads) out there willing to do battle with Babies R Us again?

Posted at 09:12PM Oct 22, 2007 by Jen Foster in General | Comments[2]

Those first kicks... or was that my stomach growling?

Wednesday Oct 10, 2007

Since I first learned I was pregnant, I've imagined that moment when I would first feel the baby kick. I would feel a LIFE inside me, and I would be forever changed. (Cue soft harp music in the background...) Reality check - I can't remember it at all. For a couple of weeks, I felt this funny tremble. And I'll be honest, I didn't initially associate it with THE BABY. You know, we've all had those digestive rumblings. Yes, those. Okay, I am big enough to admit it - I thought it was gas.

But since I've learned to recognize those tiny kicks, I can't get enough of them. I sit around with my hand on my belly waiting for that little movement, hoping I could feel with my hand what I feel inside. I've made Derek do it, too, while we're sitting on the couch.
"Did you feel that?!"
"No."
"How about that one?"
"Umm, I don't think so."
(Nothing like trying to feel someone else's digestive rumblings!)

And while he's been patiently waiting, it wasn't until last week that he finally felt that tiny kick. I don't want to speak for him, but I thought it was pretty amazing for him to get to experience it for himself.

Posted at 11:44AM Oct 10, 2007 by Jen Foster in General | Comments[1]

The verdict is... (from the dad-to-be's viewpoint)

Several folks have asked about my opinion of all these changes in our life, so I figured I would post an entry on Jen's blog of my own. Jen let me take this momentous occasion for my first message.

So will it be sugar and spice or snakes, snails, & puppy dog tails? Jen's dad wants to know if he should buy pink or blue hip waders for his new fishing buddy. Will my mom finally get to buy frilly dresses for the little girl she never had? Will we have a NC State football player or cheerleader (actually there is no hope that a child of ours would ever become a cheerleader as clumsy and tall as her parents are!)?

I've been conflicted--I would like a son to toss a baseball with, but there is something special about daddy's little girls, too. We do have much better options for girl names, so that would be definately be easier if we had a daughter, but after that I think it would get much harder for me with a girl. I was boy, I had a brother, and I just don't know what to with little girls. Jen unfortunately is the opposite, and feels that she wouldn't know what to do with a little boy.

Before going into the doctor's appointment today, we surveyed friends and family, and generally most folks thought Torquil would be a boy. Jen seemed to agree with them, while I was leaning towards girl. On a side note (is the suspense killing you yet), the ultrasound is pretty impressive--I get to use one at work, but it is no where near as fancy as the one at our doctor's office. The detail on the picture is amazing! We could see Torquil's little fingers and toes even though he/she is only 11 ounces!

So in about 5 short months, NC State will have its quarterback (or left tackle at least) of the future! Yep, Torquil's a boy! Now about that name thing...

Derek

Posted at 07:51PM Oct 04, 2007 by Jen Foster in General | Comments[6]

Torquil or Torquilla?

I'm in love with ya baby and I don't even know your name!

Well, tomorrow is the big day- the ultrasound where we'll learn if "Torquil" is really a boy or a girl. I should be incredibly excited, but for some reason, I'm a little nervous. Right now, it's all kinda theoretical. It's Baby Foster or Torquil - but they are like cartoon children in my mind. Knowing the sex and seeing an ultrasound that looks less blob & more baby will make it seem so much more real. That's a bit scary. Don't get me wrong-I really WANT to know. And I really am excited about having a baby and I can't wait to meet this new person in my life. But I know that my entire life is going to change and even good changes in my life have been known to stress me out.. I was the kid who cried when Mom?s license plate changed from LKD-13 to AXW-7946. (Yes, I agree that the fact that I still remember those and can?t tell you my current license plate number proves how traumatic that was for me.)

The other thing about knowing the sex is that I feel like I need to have a girl name and a boy name ready and waiting for when we find out. We?re so not there yet! But we're continuing to narrow down the list, and I'm sure by the time the baby is 3 days old, something will hit us over the heads as THE NAME. Until then, will s/he be Torquil or Torquilla?

Posted at 11:59AM Oct 03, 2007 by Jen Foster in General | Comments[0]

Do these pants make my butt look big? Maternity clothes

Well, it's official now - my pants are too tight. I'm in that awkward stage where I don't always look pregnant but I can't fit into many of my own clothes anymore. A couple of people at work keep asking when I'm going to start showing. The hormonal pregnant psychopath inside me wants to say "So you think my belly always looked like this? You sayin' I always looked this fat?!? I know they mean well and they are excited about following along as I grow - and they want to see some progress. So I try to keep psycho mama locked up and reply sweetly "Soon, I think!? But it's tough to feel good about myself when others clearly don't think I look pregnant, and I think I look like I swallowed a football. It amazes me that my "bump" is this big already when Torquil is only the size of an sweet potato. Just how enormous am I going to be at 39 weeks? I'm not sure I'm ready to think about that yet.

I have a couple of friends who have been generous enough to loan me some maternity clothes, and I am eternally grateful. My mom has been amazed at how much maternity clothes have changed in a generation. All the pants have wide elastic bands for a waist, instead of the old rectangular panel in the front. SUPER comfy! And many clothes are made from stretchy fabrics, which have come a long way from the olden days when "stretchy" meant "spandex." The weird thing, though, is that sizes are all over the place. I normally wore size Medium things pre-pregnancy. Now, I have things that are small that actually fit, and some things that are XL, and they fit too. Word to the wise ... if someone offers to lend you their maternity clothes, take her up on it!

Posted at 03:44PM Oct 01, 2007 by Jen Foster in General | Comments[3]

What shall we name the baby?

What in the world are we going to name this child? It seems like such a momentous decision. Just hearing a person's name, you automatically get an image of what that person is like. Choosing a name seems a lot like determining this person's future, and I'm pretty intimidated by that kind of pressure. Just think about what this baby would grow up to be if we really named him "Torquil"? I imagine he'd be the drummer in a heavy metal band called "Fortuitous Bounce."

This weekend, we went to the beach and my mom had brought 2 baby naming books. "The Baby Name Wizard" has lists of different types of names: from Country & Western (Wyatt, Cassidy, and Cheyenne) to Porch Sitters (Myrtle, Bertha, Otis, and Mildred) to Mythological ("Athena," anyone?). We had a blast looking at all of the different possibilities and thinking about their connotations. "Derek" and "Jennifer" were both in the "70's-80's" category with the description (and I quote!), "If you don't choose a name for your daughter, she'll end up Jennifer." So true! Reading that list of 70's-80's names sounded like reading the names of my high school graduating class. Names really do have a life cycle, and I'm wary of sounding either too trendy or too out-of-date.

For a long time, I've been planning to name my daughter Margaret after my grandmother, Margaret Perry. Everyone who knew her called her Appie, a name that I had the honor of choosing for her (albeit as an 18 month old - I was a naming prodigy!). I've wondered if "Margaret" might sound a little too "Porch sitter"? and had imagined that Maggie would be a good nickname, but I'm learning that Maggie may be the new "Jennifer" of this generation. At least 2 people I know have named their daughters Maggie in the past 6 months. I'm not sure I'm willing to give up on the name because others have chosen it, but I also know that Appie never loved being called "Maggie" as a nickname for Margaret, so I'm thinking about other nicknames like Meg or Molly. And the book puts Margaret into the "Timeless" category with Katherine and Caroline, so maybe calling her Margaret w/o a nickname isn't as old sounding as I imagine.

Girls' names are easy - but what if we have a boy? The book had a few good options in that department too. But we're not going to get too hung up on choosing one until we can at least narrow down to girl names or boy names. And heck, I was "Baby McLean" for 3 days until the nurse finally told my parents that they couldn't remove me from the hospital without a name. I have teased them mercilessly about this for my whole life. I mean, you had 9 WHOLE MONTHS to pick out a name - was "Jenny" the first thing that jumped into your head when the nurse tried to kick you out? Could you have been any less original?! Mom & Dad, consider this my official, public, crow-eating apology. Nine months isn't nearly long enough to decide something of this significance, and sometimes we all just need a little time pressure to make a decision.

Posted at 05:12PM Sep 17, 2007 by Jen Foster in General | Comments[3]

Comments:

First, let me say that I am so excited to read about the progress of baby Torquil via web blog... and now you will not have to deal with me calling you bi-weekly to get an update. Second, as a teacher, let me inform you that there are certain names that are quite popular now. Any version of "unique" K names such as Kaley, Kirsten, Kayla, Kendra, or Kelby. Also, while I am a fan of the use of J as the first letter of any name, please stay away from Jake. The odds that the child will be obnoxious increases exponentially if the child's name is Jake, and let's face it, us teachers need all the help we can get in having nice, well-manneres children in our class. Not that all Jake's are obnoxious, but many who are obnoxious are named Jake... get it? Thirdly, I have a 2 Margarets in my class and they went by Margaret and were nice girls. No one nicknamed them "Grandma" or anything. I think Margaret is making a comeback and Appie would be honored.
Love to you, Derek, and Torquil...

Posted by "Aunt" Jamie J on September 17, 2007 at 07:15 PM EDT #

I have been thinking a lot about this, and I think that "Wolfman Jack Foster" pays a nice homage to your alma mater and is a nice throw-back name to the 70's without risking that every other little girl in the class will be named the same thing. I will be back later with a suggestion for a boy. Love to each of you...

Posted by Aunt Beth on September 23, 2007 at 08:57 AM EDT #

Wow - Torquil doesn't even show up on the Baby Name Voyager. Looks like Torquil might have been catching some schoolyard flack no matter what century he was born in. And I thought Archibald (grandfather otwell) was bad.

A delicate balance to strike - uniqueness that everyone can pronounce and spell. Good luck!

Posted by dwight on October 02, 2007 at 12:52 PM EDT #

Making room for baby

It's hard to believe that this baby, while only the size of a lemon, is currently taking up so much space in my life. It's almost funny how much mental energy is sucked up thinkng about potential names, what will s/he look like, what kind of crib should we buy, and how can I justify eating my third milkshake in 3 days... hmmm, the trials of parenthood. But Torquil is starting to take up lots of physical space in our house also. Derek and I spent last weekend cleaning out the room that will be little Torquil's nursery. It's pretty amazing - it's actually the room that was my nursery when I came home from the hospital. I think that's one of the coolest things about renting this house from my folks, watching the cycle of families and imagining my own parents with the same excitement & fear about bringing me home to this same place. I keep nagging Derek to put up the swing I loved so much in the giant oak tree in our backyard. I'm sure we'll get around to it by the time Torquil is old enough to sit on a swing.

Poor Derek - In making room for baby, he has to lose his "man cave" of an office, well decorated with lots of manly NC State stuff (and more than a few cow/veterinary things). In its place, we're creating a nursery filled with baby stuff and Derek's office space gets relegated to a tiny corner of my craft room. So we spent the Labor Day weekend cleaning out all the manly stuff and musty vet school textbooks to make a home for the baby. Most of the NC State stuff came to my office, and many of my co-workers have commented on the explosion of NC State paraphernalia that I brought to work. (Personally, I think we need more campus administrators who love NC State the way I do!) Most of his textbooks went to his office or into storage, and his old notes headed to the recycle bin. It's a liberating feeling, cleaning out and getting rid of things that you no longer use. I'm not sure our trash collectors were too happy with the volume of trash & recycling this week, but it really does fill good to simplify. Of course, I'm sure that space will be filled with all sorts of things that every new parent simply MUST have ... like that video baby monitor that my friend swears that I really need. How did our parents ever raise us without the ability to watch our every move in the middle of the night?!

Posted at 07:04PM Sep 07, 2007 by Jen Foster in General | Comments[3]

Comments:

Milkshakes are a dairy product! You NEED calcium and lots of it!!

Posted by Bethany on September 12, 2007 at 05:45 PM EDT #

Awesome blog, Jen! I feel for Derek and his loss of the man-office. That was a really cool room.

Posted by Ryan on September 12, 2007 at 09:25 PM EDT #

Great blog! This is deja vu for me - I remember the nursery as YOUR nursery and I remember the swing well! Can't wait for our new baby....Love AJ

Posted by Aunt Jeannette on September 17, 2007 at 03:25 PM EDT #

Let the 2nd Trimester begin!

The first thing that anybody asks when I mention I'm pregnant is "When are you due?" And that question is almost always followed by "Have you been sick?" Amazingly, the answer to #2 is "Nope - not yet." And I seriously hope that it stays that way!

I have been really lucky not to have any of the horrible morning sickness that friends have suffered through. One friend described rolling on the floor crying, "Why does this baby hate me?!" Another has nicknamed her in-utero baby "Zofran" for the anti-nausea medication that she's taking. (I think that Torquil & Zofran are going to be great friends!!) So I feel kinda guilty saying, "Well, this indigestion & heartburn are really a pain." And they are - I mean, who wants to have indigestion? But I've discovered that me & Tums get along well, so I pop 'em when I need them like they were Smarties candy... if only they came in one of those crinkly cellophane rolls, I could pretend much better.

But I'm officially entering the second trimester (HOLY COW - I'm already 1/3 of the way there?!) and I'm supposed to start feeling great. The books say that the fatigue & nausea are going to start wearing off and that I'll be sailing through the next couple of months. That is until I get huge and my feet swell and my back aches and Torquil starts kicking every internal organ I have... but I digress. I'm feeling good, doc says the baby's feeling good, and I'm hoping that things only get better from here. Bring on trimester #2!

Posted at 01:52PM Aug 27, 2007 by Jen Foster in General | Comments[0]

So you've heard the news...

...I'm pregnant!

Not sure I ever thought the day would really come, but ready or not, Torquil's on the way.

Torquil, you ask? What the heck kinda crazy name is that? Not one we're going to permanently name this baby, I assure you! Torquil Shaw is the name of my dad's great grandfather, who immigrated from the Isle of Jura off the coast of Scotland to Fayetteville, NC. Last summer, we traveled to Scotland with my folks to visit the Isle of Jura and see where Torquil & his lovely wife Annie lived prior to their great journey to America. Beautiful place - very remote and isolated, but incredibly beautiful in the foggy, drizzly Scottish way. Anyway, we thought that Torquil would be hilarious as a baby name, though not one we would really want our child to be stuck with for life. So until we come to agree on a real name, Torquil it is. And so comes the name of the blog...

A quick Google search reveals that the origins of the name "Torquil" are Scottish/Gaelic and that it means "Thor's Helmet" or "Thor's kettle." (So Thor is using his helmet as a kettle?!) It's described as a "very rare male first name" (well, duh) that hasn't broken the top 1000 in the US top baby names. Ever. Maybe it's actually got potential after all ... as one of countless Jen/Jenny/Jennifers growing up, I wished for a slightly more unique name. But probably not that unique.

We're hoping that Torquil will make his/her big entrance on February 29, 2008. Although my official due date (and that of lots of other people, apparently!) is Feb. 28, I think a leap day birthday would be incredibly cool. And easy to remember. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Posted at 04:49PM Aug 07, 2007 by Jen Foster in General | Comments[0]