Introducing...

As a part of getting to go home from the hospital we had to decide on a name for our newest little guy. And while we like "Frog Man" (due to how our little guy splays out his legs), we finally agreed on a more realistic name (Jack's vote for "Pizza Moore" did not make the cut). Without further ado, we would like to introduce you to Isaac Alexander Moore.

Interestingly neither Isaac nor Alexander were on our original list. 

The reason for Isaac is a bit of an emotional one for me. Being pregnant after my miscarriage brought on a lot of anxiety in my life. The entire pregnancy involved a conscious effort to let go of those fears daily. In addition to this fear came increased anxiety from the stress of having complications and risks due to polyhydramnios. The past 9 months have been one long lesson in giving over all of these fears to God, culminating in an emergency c-section where all I could do was pray that both the baby and I would come out ok and then trust God to take care of both of us. 

In keeping with the middle name for Jack, we wanted Baby#2 to have a name that would hold sentimental value in relation to a place that was special to us. 

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For baby Isaac, we settled on the middle name Alexander after Alexander Cave located outside of Mountain View, Arkansas.
 

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Daniel and I first met on a caving trip and took subsequent trips to Alexander. Alexander is a difficult cave with really amazing formations and rooms.

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It is a truly awe-inspiring place and we hope to one day be able to take our boys to this wild cave.

Baby Update: 34 Weeks, Fair Game

Amniotic Fluid
Yesterday I met with my high-risk OB again and learned that my fluid levels have gone back up to 27cm (which is what it was when I was admitted to the hospital for contractions a month ago). This wasn't news to me as I have been feeling more uncomfortable this last week. The good news is that at this point I am far enough along that the baby would be ok coming – everything is fair game. Though my high-risk OB did say that ideally I need to get to 35 weeks to avoid a stay in the NICU for the baby, but she thinks I should make it no problem.

Baby Size
Also according to yesterday's measurements, the baby is currently 6#5oz and has a huge head – Jack was 6#12oz at birth with a big head, so the head size is not a surprise. Unfortunately baby would not cooperate and show us a face – I guess the weekly ultrasounds are getting old. It continues to amaze me that the lips and nose of this baby look very similar to Jack. I can't wait to compare them in real life.

Risks
The high-risk OB and I discussed my risks from her perspective. She agrees with my regular OB that cord prolapse isn't necessarily going to be a problem for me, though she wouldn't rule it out. We also talked about the risk of Placental Abruption. The high-risk OB says she is definitely more cautious and just wanted to make sure I know the risks. There is no way to prevent this from happening, we just have to wait and see. I am doing my best not to worry and praying for a good outcome.

Exercise
According to this website, exercise and a balanced diet can help prevent Placental Abruption, which is a good enough reason to me to keep exercising. My regular OB just says "not to run a marathon" and to "listen to my body." My high-risk OB asked if I was still doing Boot Camp. When I said that I was, she told me she would pretend she didn't know. 

One of the girls I work out with (who is also pregnant) asked if I thought I was more in shape this time around. It is hard to know because I am doing different things. With Jack I ran a half marathon at 12 weeks, but then stopped running. I also did yoga and kickboxing until the day Jack came. This time I lift weights and do yoga once a week and boot camp twice a week. I think I am physically stronger and more toned this time, but may have had more endurance last time. It will be interesting to see how that plays out with the delivery of Baby #2.

Baby Names
We still haven't really talked about baby names. Daniel asked Jack what he thought we should name the baby if it was a boy. Jack said, "Ponga." I later asked what we should name the baby if it is a girl and Jack said, "Pineapple Daniel."  Meanwhile Daniel recently asked me what I thought about "Jim" (I said no) and I asked what he thought about "River" (he said no)... we have our work cut out for us with this naming business.

Readiness
Are we ready for baby to show up? Not really. We moved the crib to the right room, but it is still in pieces on the floor and the nursery art from when Jack was a newborn is on the bed. We know where the carseat is, but haven't made the effort to put the bases for it in our cars. I still haven't packed a hospital bag. This is all stuff we should probably get started on.

Gender
The other day when I was checking out at Walmart, my (young) cashier asked what I was having. I told her I didn't know. She couldn't get over this idea. She kept asking if I had bought anything for the baby. I told her I had stuff from when Jack was born. And she asked what I would do if it was a girl, and I said I would just have to go shopping. She didn't think these were valid ideas. Honestly though, I'm not worried. If we have a girl, she will have clothes and milk and blankets and a warm home and a loving family. It won't matter if the clothes aren't "girl clothes" in the beginning.

Baby #2, 34 Weeks

Comparison: Pregnant with Jack, 34 Weeks

A Rose By Any Other Name...

When it comes to naming your child there is a certain amount of pressure to pick a good name. Though as Shakespeare eloquently writes, a rose will still smell sweet regardless of its name.

Papa Jack holding Daniel {sadly this was the only picture we could find of Papa Jack}.

For us naming wasn't actually a huge chore. A few months ago we sat down and tossed around some names and Daniel mentioned that if we were going to have a boy he really wanted to use the name Jack. Jack was the name of his Grandfather or Papa Jack as Daniel called him. This man was very important to Daniel and instrumental in shaping Daniel into the man he is today. Unfortunately Papa Jack passed away about two years before I met Daniel.

Daniel and Cheree on Mount Rogers – the highest point in Virginia

When we finally found out that we were indeed having a little boy, Daniel and I discussed names over dinner. It was a fairly painless process and by the end of the evening we had narrowed our choices down considerably with Jack Grayson being the front runner.

Daniel with the wild ponies in the Grayson Highlands

Over the following weeks we would periodically mull it over before we finally settled on Jack Grayson Moore. Even after this determination we sat on the name for a month until we really felt certain this was the name we wanted to give our child.

Hiking on one of the balds in the Grayson Highlands

My dad actually offered some really great advice. He told us to yell the name out loud to see if it sounded right. So we did. We shouted it off of our back porch. And felt incredibly silly. But in the end, we were happy with our choice.

Hiking on one of the balds in the Grayson Highlands

Grayson comes from the Grayson Highlands in Virginia. It is one of our favorite state parks to visit as it is part of the Jefferson National Forest and Mount Rogers Recreation Area – famous for its open balds and wild ponies. We want our child to grow up loving the outdoors as much as we do. We look forward to taking him to meet the wild ponies, to hike the open balds and bike the Virginia Creeper Trail. 

Biking on the Virginia Creeper Trail

So Jack Grayson Moore is named in memory of his Great Grandfather and a chain of mountains that we love. We will be calling him Jack.

Biking on the Virginia Creeper Trail