What's in a name

When it came to picking out a name for our son, I really struggled.  I have the teacher's curse.  There are names that I have loved in the past, but after teaching preschool for a few years some of those names have been taken off the table.  There was one name that really stuck with me though and that was Noah.  Now of course there is a famous Noah, even more famous then the character Noah from the book/movie "The Notebook" :)

When I think of the name Noah I do think of the biblical pioneer.  To me the name Noah represents someone who is a good listener, a great builder, and a lover of animals.  The name Noah means comfort and peace and I love the idea that a man can represent those words. 

His middle name is Charles which is in honor of my father. The meaning of the name Charles is strong man. 

I love the idea that my son's name represents a man of strength thru peace.  I think it fits him well.  He loves to look around and just take things in.

Noah Charles Hamann





The Answers To My Questions

A few posts ago I listed some of the questions I had regarding Noah's arrival.  Here are the answers :)

When will labor start?
~2 am on Tuesday, September 20th

What will it feel like?
~Horrible back pain :(

Will I make it to the hospital?
~Yes!

Will I have time to get an epidural?
~Yes!!!

How long will I push?
~1 1/2 hours

Will he have lots of hair?
~I would say average amount, but definetly not bald

How much will he weigh and how long will he be?
~8 lbs 2.7 oz and 20 1/2 inches long

Who will be look like?
~Right away my doctor said he looks like me.  Now having stared at him for hours upon hours I would say that he is a blend of both of us.

Will he come out with a name tag? :)
~No name tag, wishful thinking on my part :)

Will he latch right away?
~In the words of the lactation nurse, "He sure has a strong latch!"

Will the swelling finally go down in my feet...please oh please?
~It took a week, but finally my narrow feet are back.

How will Maggie react to our new family member?
~Maggie is doing ok with the newest addition to our family.  She is not so impressed with crying every few hours during the night.

Coyote

Maggie is not a very vocal dog.  Usually she only howls/barks if there is something or someone around who makes her uneasy.  She has an issue with men who look like farmers which might have something to do with the fact that she was taken from a farm in Indiana where she was neglected.  This of course makes going home to South Dakota interesting because of course there are no farmers there!

So last night Maggie was at the back screen door howling her face off.  There was nothing and no one in our backyard, but still she was really bent out of shape.  I opened the door to let her out and I heard the most sad little howl/cry.  It sounded like a coyote, but since I am definetly no expert on the calls of the wild I needed to pull in a native expert who has heard diverse animal calls...my husband.  In his expert opinion he thought that is sounded just like a coyote pup.  We have a bean field behind our house and it sounded like the pup was lost sitting in the field missing his mommy.  It broke my heart.

Maggie continued howling like a manic at the sound of the pup's call.  Now Maggie is no more equipped to defend herself against a coyote as she is a plastic bag floating in the wind, but still she was really for the challenge. 

Now does this look like a true killing machine?!

Eviction

It is official...
If Baby Hamann does not vacate his residence by September 23rd he will be evicted.  His scheduled date to move out is September 19th, so we will see.

Feet

My feet should be on display at a circus...
They are what I imagine flinstone feet would look like.
I can make dents in them that stay and if I put enough dents in them they look like swiss cheese.
I will not in the slightest miss these bags of water straped to my feet.

Iced Tea

The last few weeks of this pregnancy I have craved iced tea.  Now I am not talking about a simple craving that entails wanting something a lot, I am talking about a craving so deep that my mind wanders during the day thinking about where I can get the goodness that is fresh brewed unsweetened iced tea.   I think I am getting a sense what it is like to have a drug addiction and needing to get my "fix".  So like any good addict I know where to get the best stuff at the cheapest price.  For me it is McDonalds.  I can get a large unsweetened tea for $1.07 and I don't even have to get out of my vehicle, just zip through the drive thru with my exact change.  So if you are planning on buying stock you should consider putting some green into McDonalds, at least until my pregnancy is over.

Four Weeks

As of today I officially have four weeks before Baby Hamann is due (due date September 19th)!  I am so incrediby nervous/excited/terrified/anxious.  So many questions are constantly running through my head:

When will labor start?
What will it feel like?
Will I make it to the hospital?
Will I have time to get an epidural?
How long will I push?
Will he have lots of hair?
How much will he weigh and how long will he be?
Who will be look like?
Will he come out with a name tag? :)
Will he latch right away?
Will the swelling finally go down in my feet...please oh please?
How will Maggie react to our new family member?

So many questions to be answered.  The only thing I can do right now is wait and let the answers unfold.