Interesting name, interesting story...

Wren-Lee

A name most people have never heard of let alone consider bestowing upon their child. 

People are still a little confused or taken aback when we tell them it's the baby's name and that reaction is usually followed by, "Where'd you get that name from?" 

Trevor and I were a bit hesitant to choose names before confirming the baby's gender. He suggested numerous names but part of the problem was that we thought we were having a boy, and yet, not a single name resonated with me. We tried for weeks to find a name and we were obviously caught off-guard when were told at 13 weeks that there was a 70% chance the baby was a girl. The plan for a boy's name was put aside and we decided to start looking at girl's names. 

We spent hours on the internet searching every website imaginable and none of the names felt right. Eventually, Trevor got the brilliant idea of looking through our book collection for a name. It seemed fitting that we'd give our baby a name with a literary reference and researching literary characters was far more enjoyable than long lists of names online. 

At the same time, I'd heard of a new TV series that was getting a lot of positive attention in the USA. The series was based on a book and I started researching the book in hopes of getting some new literature for the summer. The book was called Game of Thrones and it is the first book in series called "A Song of Ice and Fire". Trevor loves epic fantasy sagas and has collected quite a few series in recent years which he usually reads during summer holiday time. He was obviously keen to acquire a new one and asked me to look into the story. 

I discovered that Renly is the name of one of the main characters in the series and something about the name struck a chord with me. I suggested the name to Trevor but we both agreed it was better suited to a female rather than a male. We didn't discuss it again until two days later. By that time, I had decided to put the name Wren up for consideration as well. Trevor still liked the sound of the name but not the spelling. He quickly devised a new spelling and so we got Wren-Lee. 

Wren: A small, inconspicuous bird except for their loud and often complex songs

Lee: A place name meaning "wood, clearing", "meadow" or "sheltered from the storm" in Old English

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how we named our little girl! 

Two fairy-wrens, a male on the left and female on the right

What a week!

We skipped our update last week so please prepare yourself for a loooooooong post.

I can sum up the last seven days like this: Birthday. Braai. Bizarre. Bummed. Baby.

Birthday - I turned 28 on Tuesday. We kept it low-key this year and just the immediate family came over for some cake and conversation. My family got me a gorgeous dress and a spa treatment voucher but my friends also gave me very thoughtful gifts. Marika replaced the wallet she gave me as a 21st gift with a new one. Quite sad to see the old one go because I'd been using it every day for the last 7 years. Natalie got me a Mexican bola which is a long necklace with a chime in the pendant that soothes the baby in utero. How cool is that?! The highlight of this year's birthday was my Irish surprise. Our friends, Darren and Carlyn, live in Dublin and did a little scheming with Trevor. On Tuesday morning, I was greeted by Carlyn's brother, Dale, who was armed with a massive bunch of flowers and a gorgeous chocolate cake - my gift from the Pedro family. It's one thing to be spoilt like that by a family member or even a spouse but it's quite special when you realise how blessed you are to have people in your life who would orchestrate a birthday surprise from a different continent. So, once again, a massive thank you to Doc, Carlyn and the adorable Gabriella for making the 28th birthday one to remember!

Flowers, cake and a happy face :-) 

Braai - We had a little braai on Friday night and the last guests left at 2:30am!!! There was boisterous conversation, plenty of raucous laughter from me and a sing-along to an ancient Tevin Campbell CD. It was just a little crazy but loads of fun! 

Bizarre - On Saturday afternoon, I had a small pregnancy breakdown moment. One second I was preparing to go to a product launch and the next instant I was sobbing. I stood in our bathroom bawling my eyes out and the sobbing got worse the more I realised that I didn't know why I was crying. I wasn't angry or sad or anything. I just cried for no reason. Trevor was in the shower at the time so, he had the fun task of simultaneously washing his hair and telling me how I was like an emotional champagne bottle with too many bubbles which resulted in the tears. I cried for a few minutes, stopped and proceeded to do my hair and make-up. I felt much better afterward and Trevor got another 4000 brownie points added to his score sheet for handling my emotional overflow so well.

Bummed - The Springboks lost their quarter-final match in the Rugby World Cup and Blackberry bombed out yesterday so no BBM or WhatsApp, which rendered my phone nearly useless. Enough said. 

Baby - Yesterday we had a check-up with Dr White. Baby is growing beautifully, everything is normal and it's still extremely active. Dr White says our little Nano's bones are wonderfully strong and dense and we got some good photos. Sadly, Dr White will be leaving her practice early next year. Trevor and I were disappointed to hear she won't be delivering our baby but she's leaving us in the capable hands of Dr van Waart who has over 20 years experience. We'll still see Dr White until January and our last 3 check-ups before Nano's arrival will be with Dr van Waart so we'll get to know her before delivery day.

The big news is that Nano is a girl! We were told at 13 weeks it was highly likely to be a girl but we decided to keep mum until we got confirmation. So, we have a daughter on the way and her name will be Wren-Lee (pronounced "ren-ly"). Yes, it's an unusual name and we've considered that the spelling, pronunciation and possibility of being teased about it may cause problems down the line but that risk exists with any name. As parents we hope to raise her to be confident and thus comfortable with having a unique moniker. Because her name is quicker to say than it is to type out on the blog, I'll refer to her as Wren for now :-)

It's quite remarkable that Wren can hear, the grey matter of her brain is busy forming, the soft tissues of her body has already been formed and all her organs are functioning except her lungs. She's a teensy weensy human who weighs approximately 200g - the weight of a slab of chocolate as Dr White very cleverly pointed out. I'm quite excited for our 22 week scan which is in real time 4D and we'll be able to see her face clearly for the first time as well as watch her move. As Wren grows, I'm appreciating being able to feel her move and she's showing signs of responding to external stimuli like my voice and music. Soon enough, she'll give us proper kicks and she'll also respond to Trevor's voice which he encourages by speaking to her as often as he can.

We're truly thankful that Wren-Lee's doing so well and it only amplifies the gratitude in our hearts for all our blessings. On this very happy note, we leave you with some photos :-)

Side view

High five! Clearly visible open hand in the middle of the pic

Little feet...

Sweet 16

*Fanfare!* We have reached 16 weeks of pregnancy!! Whoop Whoop!
This week we look forward to Nano being able to hear and, the big milestone, proper little kicks or flutters.
Well, we got a bit of a preview this past weekend...

Last Sunday, my parents had a potjie gathering while my brother was also hosting a farewell braai for his roommate. It was a good day but what made it even better was that Nano decided to show off.

Most days, Nano stays pretty hidden. As its getting bigger, I've started to feel how its movements affect the amniotic sac. On Sunday, Nano was on the right side of my belly and pushed itself forward enough to allow my friends and parents to feel the little mass underneath my skin. Everyone was quite excited that they could feel the little nunu.

I also decided to treat myself with, not one, but two slices of cake for dessert. Since being pregnant, my relationship with sweet treats has waned a little and I don't usually have that much sugar in one go. Well, my few minutes of enjoying that cake turned into hours of discomfort. Nano obviously can't handle that much sugar and its hyperactivity meant pinched nerves and a very uncomfortable abdomen for me.

Since then, Nano's been quiet. I don't mind because this has been a hectic week for both Trevor and I. Today is only the halfway mark of 10 consecutively busy days, we're both tired already but we're pushing on. Between Pilates classes, orchestra and choir practice, meetings, driving up and down across the city and a big Thanksgiving weekend at church, we reckon Nano is waiting till Mommy and Daddy aren't so preoccupied to get our attention again. (Daddy Trevor is still attempting to play with Nano by talking to it and shaking Mommy's belly *face palm*)

Spring has sprung in Cape Town so, I'm going to grab a banana and enjoy some sunshine now and I'll leave you with a little fruit to show you how big Nano is this week.

Ninja! Bump!

It's been a crazy week at our house!

On Sunday night, I was dreaming about a giant spider sitting on our bedroom ceiling. At the same time, Trevor was dreaming of fighting a ninja. It's not often that two people's dreams will collide but ours did...and the collision was Trevor's hand with my face LOL!
In my dream, the spider fell on him and in his dream the battle had begun. He struck his hand out and THWACK! got me on the cheekbone. Apparently, I screamed and jumped out of the bed but I don't recall anything except waking up and wondering why I was standing.
By morning, we managed to put the pieces of this little puzzle together and it is, with great hilarity, that Trevor's new nickname is *drum roll please* CHUCK NORRIS.

On Monday, the oddities continued. I was determined to enjoy a nice soak in the tub after many months of going without. We got a bath thermometer and I got ready for some peace and quiet in the water. After some water level adjustments and making sure the temperature was correct, I stretched out in the tub.
Discovered that Nano doesn't like the bath.
About 10 seconds in, I felt the entire amniotic sac moving away from the water surface even though my belly was free and clear of the water. Good grief, it honestly felt like an alien was pulling itself around in my abdomen. At first, I marveled at the odd feeling but then it just felt creepy. I tried to calm down but kiddo wouldn't settle and, after 15 minutes, I got out.

But that wasn't all. You see the bath thermometer is shaped like a little yellow duck. The entire time I was in the bath, Rhapsody was glaring and moaning at the duck. She was hell-bent on hunting the thing and her vigil for the duck continued for the rest of the evening while the duck was safely stowed by our bathroom window.

(The duck is still in the bathroom and she checks on it periodically to make sure her new "pet" hasn't disappeared.)

Nope, the fun doesn't stop there folks!

On Tuesday, Trevor decides to indulge in a relaxing soak in the tub. And once again, Rhapsody is not content to just be a spectator. She actually tried to climb in the bath with him!!!!! He had to fight her off and also abandoned ship after 10 minutes.

As for Nano, it has decided I deserve payback for the bath torment and has plonked itself next to my right hip  and on a nerve. I have tried everything to try to move Nano, even Pilates class didn't unseat this child, but to no avail *sigh* So, I'm plodding along with the occasional twinge.

Also, it is with great excitement I announce that this week Trevor and I chose a girl's name for our little person. We're keeping our name choices under wraps until Nano arrives but the search continues for a boy's name. Drop us a suggestion in the comments box if you'd like. We're open to possibilities :-)

In closing, Trev, Nano, the doggies and I would like to wish you a great Heritage Day/Braai Day weekend!
Our little family will be celebrating Nano and I reaching the 15 week pregnancy stage today and, to mark this occasion, I'm posting the first "bump!" photo.

My butt looks goooood hahahahahaha!!! 

Commentary confusion clarified

Hello!

My dear friends Darren and Carlyn Pedro sent word from Dublin that they couldn't comment on this here blog.
I checked the comments setting and discovered the setting was wrong. It has been changed so anybody can drop a comment on the blog posts.

You are now welcome to go nuts and leave us your thoughts, messages, LOL's, advice or just a "Hello!" :-)

Coming up soon on +1: Trevor dreams of being a ninja...with interesting consequences, Nano meets lukewarm water and Rhapsody hunts a little ducky. Plus, have Erin and Trevor chosen a name for the baby? And who are "The Pregnant Princesses"? *cue dramatic music* All this and more in the next episode...

13 week super scan

Last week Friday, Trevor and I paid a visit to Dr Linnie Muller for our 13 week super scan. Ok, it's not called a super scan. That's my simplification of its actual name: "Nuchal translucency screening test". Mine sounds cooler.

I don't get nervous easily but I was anxious about this appointment. We hadn't had a check up in 6 weeks, I felt like my old self and not at all pregnant and of course I worried about Nano's well-being. Turns out I shouldn't have worried at all. 

Nano is hyper! For almost 20 minutes, he/she wiggled about, did somersaults and stretched in a fine display all for the sake of the camera. I didn't know Nano could do all that already! Nano seems to have inherited its father's sportiness and clearly shares my love of being on screen. It was pretty cool to see how big Nano's grown and is enjoying its swimming pool of amniotic fluid. 

Dr Muller took all the necessary measurements and Nano did everything the doctor wanted it to do at the right time (Good kid!). She also showed us the blood flow through the umbilical cord and my placenta as well the four chambers of the heart. We got a brief glimpse of the lungs, stomach, liver and we could clearly see all the little bones. We counted 5 fingers on each hand and quickly saw the little feet. 

All of Nano's measurements were spot on for the current stage of development and he/she is a supermodel at 10cm tall with a heartbeat of 165 beats per minute. He/she can already open and close its mouth and, according to Dr Muller, has a cute bum. 

So, all's well in the womb. As I write this, renovations are taking place and I'm a little uncomfortable but the kiddo needs room to grow. Still can't feel Nano's movements but I have a sneaking suspicion there'll be a flutter as a birthday present. 

Here are two new pics: Baby's head is clearly visible on the right, tummy in the middle and legs on the left of the pic :-)

Farewell first trimester!

Good bye first trimester! Hanging out with you has been fun!

Thank you for the fatigue (I was an Olympic sleep champion LOL!), the random nausea, the back ache, the indigestion and the complete and utter aversion to cheese and chicken. Thank you also that most of that happened for only two weeks and that I discovered Pilates for the back ache.

Thank you for making me so tired that Trevor had to do all the cooking for a month. I felt like a princess *sly grin* Thank you for bubblegum Steri Stumpie, Zoo biscuits, strawberries and clementines.

Thank you for my little belly, for my awesome cleavage and for my skin looking waaaaaay better. I was starting to get self-conscious and you fixed that pretty quickly. Thank you also for my shiny hair that looks like Kate Middleton's and no longer tangles into angry knots.

We had our bad times but we also had our good times. It was great getting to know you but I can't say I'm going to miss you.

Till we meet again for the next kid, I bid you adieu!