Search for the Perfect Name

We have names. A bunch of names. We don't necessarily love them all, but we've got a good list of girl names going. Before finding out that the bean is a beanette, we actually were secretly (or maybe not so secretly) crossing our fingers for a little girl because we could not find any boy names we really agreed on. Of course this is only one of many  reasons were were hoping for a chiquita. I think we came up with three boys names we both liked; one we both really liked. The list of girl names has grown consistently since we found out we were expecting, although I've definitely had a name in my mind for a looong time. Yeah, I'm one of those girls that  picks out her children's names before even meeting the future baby daddy.

Anyways, we both definitely like that name and the middle name I've had picked out, but we're not going to make any final decisions just yet. We're even thinking about not really making a final decision until the beanette actually arrives. *gasp* We're thinking of picking out two names we really, really like and then deciding once we meet our babe. What do you think? Have you heard of people doing this?

So, on this search for the perfect beanette name, I've looked through books, iphone apps, websites, and friends. Today, I found a really cool site, thanks to Spearmint Baby.

Baby Namescape will give you a list of the 10 most popular names in your city. It will narrow it as far down as the most popular names at the actual hospital where you're expecting to deliver.

Here what my search was and what I came up with.
Searched: San Francisco, CA and Kaiser Foundation Hospital
Results:                   

Girl Names:

1. Abigail (don't like)

2. Alana (nope)

3. Adriana (not this one either)

4. Miley (heck no)

5. Danica (ummm...no)

6. Fernanda 

(I don't like names that make boy names into girl names. I have an uncle named Fernando)

7. Shelby (different and sorta cute)

8. Selene (cute, but not for us)

9. Cielo (sweet, but not for us and it's our neighbors daughter's name)

10. Karah (no, thank you)

Alrighty, so far none of the names on our list are on that list!

Boy Names:

1. Gabriel (this was our favorite boy name and my brother's name!)

2. Jake (have always loved this name, but it's our nephews name)

3. Gilberto (nooo)

4. Ever (really?! What...ever!)

5. Jullien (we did like this one)

6. Madison (Isn't this a girl name?)

7. Marcel (Frenchy)

hmmm...it didn't give me anymore. Oh well. 

What's your favorite girl name? Aside from your baby girl's name. =)

Sugar 'n Spice and Everything Nice

We're having a GIRL!!!!

{little baby girl face}

{Baby J staying still for a second}

{little girl arms}

That little bean of ours is one crazy girl. The tech commented a few times on how incredibly active she was. It was both a positive (the hubby got to see his baby move for the first time!) and a negative (she would not sit still for her private showing!). At the end our tech lady let us know we should be looking forward to welcoming a beanette! Apparently they can't say it's 100% (in case they get it wrong and people come back to sue them), but based on what she pointed out to us on the ultrasound and the image she printed out for us, she was confident it's a girl in my belly. Woo Hoo! Go Pink Team!

We are beyond thrilled and I think it's still settling in for both of us that we actually know the sex of the bean. After informing almost all of the important parties, I celebrated by purchasing a little girly something for my baby this afternoon. 

{the new white dress from babygap}

I have to say the image does not do it justice. It has the most adorable pointelle-knit top and eyelet-woven skirt. It comes with a matching baby bottom cover too. Soo cute! It's itty bitty and just adorable. 

I stopped by the mall to actually visit Anthropologie because I have seen them carry the most amazing super duper teensy weensy girly dresses and I wanted one bad last time I was there. Alas, they were out today. boo hoo. I didn't let it bring me down. I was focused on buying one dress today. I would have visited the other shops in the mall, but it's an open-air mall and it was POURING (and babygap is right next door to Anthro)! I'm very excited with my first gender specific purchase!

Next step: picking out a name. 

I Won, I Won

About two weeks ago, I entered a contest on Baby Makin{g} Machine to win a service called, "Baby's First Phone Call." Basically, the company allows you to program any number of phone numbers and then record a message once the baby arrives. The message will be sent out automatically to anyone on the list announcing the bean's arrival. Since we have lots of family and friends around the country, I thought this would be a great opportunity for us. We're definitely going to be making actual-us-in-the-moment phone calls to our parents, but this will still be fun. Anyhoo...I entered thinking it would be neat to win, but not getting my hopes up. I never win anything. Yet, I won. I really won!

Wanna be on our announcement list?! 

Since I won, I think it's only right to pay it forward onto my lovelies that read my little ol' blog. I'm going to think of something good to give away and I will be back to announce it later this week. 

I also won again today! I'm saving that little surprise for later. 

The Bean Nursery Art: Part 1

I know some of you have been enjoying the beautiful weather we've been having this week. I had told myself that I was going to start my nursery sewing projects this week, but the weather just pulled me away from them. How could I resist spending as many hours as possible outside when the sun was shining?! My ghostly legs even made appearances every day.

Today, mother nature remembered it's still winter and it didn't "disappoint" with gloomy weather. bummer. I went to my monthly dr. check-up this morning. Everything is going great. The doctor always compliments the bean's strong and fast heartbeat. We cannot wait for our BIG appointment on Tuesday morning. YAY! I've been trying to not think about it with hopes of it arriving faster. I think it's been working!

Anyhoo...off on a tangent there. This weather gave me a boost to start a project for the bean's room. Part one of the art. I've got lots of ideas, but this is one that I decided was definitely going to happen.

About six years ago, I found a copy of Maurice Sendak's children's book, Hector the Protector and As I Went Over the Water at a elementary school used book sale. I thought it was cute and I especially liked the way it was signed "To Jean: From, Grandma" and "Easter, 1967." Well, I snagged that baby up quickly. Since that day it had been sitting in my office bookshelf, just hanging out.

A few months ago I remembered I had that cute book and took it out to show Eric and tell him about my idea for the bean's room. He liked it, of course, and then he looked it up to find that it's actually worth 12 times the original price of $3.99. My little treasure is in perfect condition and I love it to pieces. The illustrations are great! I also love that it smells like an old library. 

What I decided to do with my book is this:

I had three of my favorite images enlarged on photo quality paper and then inserted them in the rustic wood frames I bought from PB about a month ago. The mats came with the frames. I've started out with three, but I might end up doing six total since the wall above the crib is fairly large and we have tall ceilings. I'm not hanging them up yet because we're going to be painting the walls in the nursery. I absolutely LOVE how bright the images came out and how they work so well with the frames. They also provide some color without over doing it. The colors also happen to work perfectly with the color scheme I'm going with and the fabric I selected for the bed skirt and glider pillow. Woo! Oh, the color scheme. Mustardy yellow, greyish blue, aquish blue, natural white, tan, and white. That might sound like a weird mix, but it totally works. I think my best girl, Kristin, and I are going to go with some sort of yellow for the walls. She's my design expert.

What do you think? Three or six? The frames are sorta large, 11X14. I guess I should probably show them up against the crib on the wall. 

The Bean Diaper Bag

{ooooooh}

{aaaaahhh}

{woooooo}

{oh yeah}

I actually wasn't looking to buy a diaper bag today. I went looking for some clothes that fit and what did I happen to stumble upon at the Gap?!?! A Petunia Pickle Bottom bag for half off! Not only is it super cutie and stylish...it's their "glazed" version, which mean the fabric is coated with a water-resistant and dirt-resistant something or other. I don't know what you'd call it? Glaze, perhaps?? 

Anyhoo, just had to share. Steph, I know you have one...do you love it or not?

Now, I'm off to my pre-natal massage! It was the Christmas gift from the hubby. So sweet!

The Bean Bump: Week 16/17

oops...skipped week 15. Moving on...

{the bump: up close and personal}

{the bump}

Week: woo! Week 16/17! We've been taking pictures every weekend, but I've decided the hubby needs a little lesson on how to take flattering pictures of his fat pregnant wife. 
Bean Size: high five bean...you're the size of my palm.

Gender: Okay, I'm convinced it's a girl. We'll find out in a week!!!
Total Weight Gain: I weighed myself on the scale at home this weekend and it looks like I've gained another 3 lbs. That's a total of 13 lbs. Lookin' good. 
Maternity Clothes?: Heck yeah! My pre-pregnancy loose fitting tops aren't cuttin' it as preggers tops now. uh oh. I think I'll be doing some shopping this week.
Stretch Marks: nope!
Movement: I think so. I've been feeling little bursting bubbles on the left side while I'm sitting watching tv at night. hehe. At my last appointment I was informed that I have an anterior placenta (a happy placenta sitting on the front part of my belly) and this is supposed to prevent you from feeling much movement in the front. sad. But, I've been feeling it was on the left side. I'm saying it's the bean.
What I Miss: skinny face. I gain weight in my face. yuck.
What I'm Looking Forward to: finding out the bean's gender!!! Can you tell I'm excited?!
Best Moment this Week: being preggers!
Preggers Bod-New and Exciting!..maybe: nothing crazy going on. Definitely looking pregnant. My hairs been looking good even though I desperately need a haircut and my skin is actually calming down. I'm loving being pregnant. 

Bean Milestones: Hey Bean, you're getting some bone! No more floppy cartilage! I hope it doesn't get too hot in there because your sweat glands are actually working now. You're also puttin' on the poundage. I wanna fatty. 

Food Cravings: The same: tangy, citrusy things like lemonade, orange juice, berries, and meat. This baby's consistent.
How's the Rice?: I love him. He says he's eagerly waiting to find out the bean's gender. No other news from his end.

Tid Bits: Since I have this week off from work, I decided it's time to get started on the sewing projects. The guest bed has been moved into the other room, I put the crib together, and the fabric is in. I still haven't picked the bed skirt fabric, although, I'm pretty sure I know which one I'm going with. I did decide on the fabric for the bumper! yay!

Bean's First Onesie

Yup, this is what the bean scored yesterday when I felt like it was time for me to buy our frijolito some clothes. I guess I've been waiting to find out the gender so that I can go crazy on the little jeans or the girly dresses, but I just couldn't help it. 

I purchased all the items at the babygap. The top one says, "I love mommy" with a little blue heart in the background. The grey bodysuit has a bunch of little guitars. I just couldn't resist that one because I knew it was going to make the hubby happy. It did. 

This is How We Ride

The beetle/bug is my car of choice.

Even before the time I was old enough to drive, I've always had a fascination and real appreciation for those adorable cars. As I sit here in my quiet classroom (The kids are gone for the day and a week. woo for ski week!!), I literally have 4 different types of bug paraphernalia surrounding me.

When I was in college, the car I'd been driving was totaled. When I finally received my insurance money, I was out and looking for my little bug. My mom never let me have one because she swore they were death traps. Mom, what does she know??hehe. I ended up with a completely original, almost-in-mint-condition, blue bug named Bert. I bought it from the original owner, a little old lady, that had named the car. Bert the blue bug and I had a great time until he ended up getting rear-ended.

While he was in my possession I immersed myself in everything bug and learned a lot! I ended up working on my own bug's engine and am able to tell you what year bug you have just by taking a quick peek at it. You can say, I am a bit obsessed with bugs. I was and still am. You can see me driving around the City in my white VW Beetle now.

Anyhoo....I'm sure the bean's attire will without a doubt be displaying "our" love for the bug. Especially since we'll be selling the lil' bugger in order to get a larger family car. I'll still need a little bug in my life somewhere; somehow.

How cute are these?!

{VW Bug Onesie}

{Onesie from a childs closet}

VW Bug Applique Mckinley-Allen Designs

Udder Covers

When the bean arrives in July or early August, I will be making an attempt to breast feed. Although some of your tales have frightened me a bit, I'm willing to take on the challenge because of the benefits it will have for the bean and also for myself. It also just seems like such an intimate and special time with your little one. Go ahead and correct me if I'm wrong. =)

Although I will be exposing the boobage to the new babe, I definitely do not want to create any traumatic memories that will pain the innocent for the rest of his/her existence.....soooo...I've bought an Udder Cover. Sounds hot, right?!

{Jones}

I found them via Bower Power this afternoon and I just had to share because Udder Covers is having quite the promotion. I know some of you probably already own some boobie hiders, but maybe you need one more?? Anyhoo...they have a deal where you can get their gift set for $5! Yeah...five dollars total! You of course have to pay for shipping (what a pain!), but I still think it's a deal, especially since I was thinking of making one and it's probably cheaper than buying all the supplies (and less work for me).

{gift set}

How do you get this fabulous deal?! Type in "Valentine" to apply the price change before you check out. Easy peasy. wooo....

Baby in the Bucket

Hmmmmm....does this baby tub look like a big bucket to anyone else?

{Get your very own Spa Baby Tub here!}

It's supposed to be a fabulous for the bean's bath. I'm skeptical about paying that much for something like that. I'm actually sure about the baby probably being warmer and there being no slipping and sliding around....but still. 

Good Stuff

Who doesn't like warm gooey goodness? I'm a big fan. So, when I came upon this post by Jennifer over at the The Newlywed Diaries, I felt it was only fair to pass this super easy delicious recipe on. I haven't made it, but I'm thinking this will probably be dessert tonight after our mid-pregnancy class. I think the bean will like it.

Jennifer's recipe is as follows:

Use some crescent rolls, brush them with melted better, sprinkle with cinnamon, sugar, and some nuts. Roll them up, brush a little more butter on top, bake, and then drizzle some milk-and-powdered-sugar-icing. Yummmm-o!

I think I might even work it into a chocolaty treat by putting some chips in them. 

Rockabye Baby!

The hubby and I took a  little trip to Lullaby Lane today to test out the stroller I've been considering, the Bumbleride Flyer. I'd forgotten about Lullaby Lane, but was recently reminded of it after two different blogs I read mentioned their visits to LL. The last time I went was when my mom was pregnant with my 18 year old brother, so it's been a really long time. That place has been around forever, I think since the 1950's. I do remember it being quite the shopping experience because they have sooo much to offer. It actually has four different stores on the same block; the original store, a "gear" store with strollers and such, a clearance store, and the toddler to teen store. They calls themselves the "baby superstore" and I have to completely agree.

We focused our visit on the Gear store and found they carry almost every possible stroller that's worth carrying. It also happens to be one of a few places that carry the Bumbleride Flyer. So, what did we decide on? Were we sold by the BF? We were. We decided it has everything we need and like. It has the handle that moves back and forth (so you can face the baby or not), the fully reclining seat with the foot thinger that goes up to become suitable for an infant to sleep in, a nice basket, smooth maneuvering, a big umbrella, holds up to 45 lbs., not very heavy, works with an infant carrier, and it's super cute to boot! They sell it there for $360, but I already found it on the internet for much cheaper. Yay! We're going to save up a little to get in a few months.  Our bean's going to be rollin' and rockin' in this cool ride! Oh and there's other colors, not just the fancy orange. I'll probably just get the black one...messes won't be as noticable.

{Hey, good lookin'!}

Our one take home score of the day was a great lullaby CD. I'm listening to it right now while the hubby plays along with his guitar. I think its even put Rosco to sleep. =) It's called Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions of Bob Marley. The informational bit on the back says, 

"No baby, no cry. Bob Marley's lilting melodies will gently sway your loved one to sleep. The perfect antidote to restless nights, these comforting renditions will transform bed time into a peaceful wonderland."

I think it could very well work some magic. It's so soothing and rockin' at the same time. The CD caught our attentions when we noticed they actually have lullaby compilations of bands like No Doubt, The Eagles, The Beatles, Nine in Nails (can you imagine?!), The Smashing Pumpkins, Led Zeppelin, Metallica...and such. Here's a sample of what we're listening to right now: Rockabye Baby! Bob Marley's " Buffalo Soldier". I think we might have to go back and get The Beatles CD too. 

Blame in on the Preggers Brain

I can easily say that I always know what I want. Be it dinner, the shoes I spotted somewhere, the specific type of cake I'm craving, or the fabric in my house; I can quickly make a decision. Maybe it's the leo in me? Yet, for the life of me, I cannot decide what fabric I want in the nursery. This is something that should come easy to me. I'm a fabric lover. I love decorating and sewing new things for our casita. But...I...just...can't!

I can't blame it on the alcohol (the hubby hate's that song), but I think I might have to blame this problem on the preggers brain.  Preggers brain, you say?

preg⋅nan⋅cy

 brain [preg-nuhn-see breyn]

–noun, plural -cies.

the state, condition, or quality of being pregnant and losing your marbles simultaneously.

It really exists. Although, I might just have an extreme version that specifically affects the portion of the brain that resolves problems/makes decisions. That's me!

At this point, I'm going to wait two more weeks until we find out the bean's gender to make any decisions. I have been curbing my desire to purchase fabrics I love by creating inspirations boards on Polyvore. Yet, it's not giving me the same satisfaction as creating something tangible and I also can't include exact things I have in mind (their database is somewhat limited). I'm thinking the next step will be to create an actual inspiration board on a poster. Hmm...that sounds fun.

Oh and just for fun, here's one of the boards I've created. I basically included things we already have...the glider (that's the color I slipcovered it in), the crib, the mobile, a similar dresser, the white shelves, the pillow, the elephant table, the bird houses, and then added in the fabric and a few extras. I fell in love with this fabric from Calico Corners by Laura Ashley (It's not on their site) for the crib skirt. I also found this really cozy natural-colored quilted cotton that would work really well for the bumper. The ikat fabric is in "Lapis," which I think would be really cool for either boy or girl. It's also waterproof and stain resistant...perfect for a potentially messy bean.

Teals and Creams by Eskimobar on Polyvore.com

p.s. Totally weird trivia about me...but I have always loved that my name can be found in the word pregnancy. I have always envisioned pregnancy as a beautiful thing. 

Celebrating Corbin Jett

My brother, Gabe and his girlfriend will be welcoming their little bundle of joy in about a month from now. I can't  wait to meet the very first grandchild for both sets of grandparents and my very first Escobar nephew! This past weekend, my other two brothers, our mom, and I drove (I drove the whole time.ugh! Ten hours total.) all the way down to Bakersfield to visit them and help celebrate the upcoming arrival of Corbin. No bean bump pictures this week. But...I do have Amberly's baby bump picture.

{How cute are they?! They matched without even knowing what the other was wearing.}

{Amberly's mom had this made. So adorable}