Callen James

So, we finally decided on a name! Choosing a boy's name was a lot harder for us than choosing a girls name. Chris liked names that I was so-so on and visa versa. It kind of felt like we'd never agree on anything! I know there are a lot of people who like to wait until the baby is born and see what he or she looks like before deciding on a name. I am obviously not one of those people. Babies change so so quickly in what they look like; I think that whatever name you decide on, you impart upon the child. That said, it was quite a relief when we found a name we both really liked. I am not even sure how we came up with it; it isn't on any baby names list that I've seen; we were just discussing names we liked and didn't like and why and it popped up. So Callen he is!

Here is a side-by-side comparison of me at 24 weeks with Audia (with my dear friend Shaunie, who is also preggers right now! So exciting!) and at 24 weeks with Callen.

Obviously I was a LOT heavier when I was pregnant with Audia (not to mention the TERRIBLE haircut. Don't get me started on that!) I still have not yet reached the weight I was at at my 8 week appointment with Audia....this is a very good thing in many ways: Obviously it's a lot easier on my body, I don't have to watch what I eat as carefully, I can move around a lot more easily, and I can actually still wear my rings! But, it is also a little frustrating because I have to buy all new maternity clothes this time around.... something I admittedly rue doing. I hate spending money on something I know I'll only be able to wear for 5 or 6 more months. I am the type of person who wears my clothes out (I still wear t-shirts from middle school as pajama tops!), so buying something that I can't really get much use out of irks me. And do you know how hard it is to find maternity pants with a 34" or 36" inseam?? Bah.

I'll be 25 weeks tomorrow, and as of right now things are going pretty smoothly. I still get out of breath and tired a lot more easily than I'm used to, and there are of course the usual aches and pains especially when I've been out and about quite a bit, but for the most part things are great. Callen is much more active at this point than either Chris or I remember Audia being. When he moves around, you can almost always see it, and sometimes he kicks so hard that it actually makes me gasp. Considering how strong Audia was when she was born, I have to admit I am a bit worried as to what Callen's capabilities will be when he is born. Fingers crossed he isn't crawling by 4 months or something crazy like that!

*UPDATE* Some people have asked why we chose James as a middle name. Both Chris and his father have James as a middle name, just like both my mom and I have the same middle name. It only made sense that since Audia shares our middle name, Callen should share theirs :-)