Mason Douglas Timberlake

So, I haven't written in awhile and there are a whole lot updates so brace yourself for an extremely long post!  I think pregnancy amnesia has set in because my thoughts and memory are very disorganized, so I'm going to attempt to do this in chronological order...

Monday we had a regular doctor's appointment. Because of the whole fiasco at the last appointment, we were guaranteed to have an ultrasound at this appointment. Doug worked the night shift the night prior, so he got home around 6am just to find out he had to go back in for a quick meeting.  He got back home again around 8:30am.  Our appointment was at 11:30, so he decided to just stay awake and sleep after the appointment.  

About 10 minutes after we arrived, they let us know the doctor was about to deliver a baby at the hospital so we would have to come back at 2:30pm.  We know this doctor is highly sought after because of her dedication to her patients. She makes every effort to be the doctor who knows you through your pregnancy and is there for your delivery, so it's easy to be understanding when things come up, because if someday we need her to shift things around for our baby, we know we will be thankful!

Poor Doug though, he was still running on no sleep!  We got back home and he dozed a little, but then it was time to wake up and head back out.  I told him he didn't have to come, but he absolutely didn't want to miss out on a chance to see his baby, and we both knew that at this point in the pregnancy, she might just be able to decipher the gender!

We got there a little early and waited for over an hour.  Doug fell asleep in the waiting room. There is only one ultrasound machine at this office since it is a private practice, so if there are other patients in front of us that require an ultrasound we have to wait for that specific room to open up.  Otherwise you usually are seen much more quickly.  I don't mind waiting if I know I'm going to see my baby!

We finally went back and just as soon as the doctor put the wand to my belly we are staring in between our baby's legs.  She very quickly told us there really wasn't any guessing, we were definitely having a BOY! Doug no longer looked sleepy at all!  I can't even describe the flood of emotions that filled my heart. My only disappointment was that we didn't really see anything except for our son's boy parts.  We have about 15 ultrasound pictures that show between his legs, but none of the classic profile shot.

Although I'd love to say what everyone always says, "It doesn't matter as long as the baby is healthy". I would be lying not to admit a bit of disappointment. I grew up around mostly girls, and taught dance classes to mostly little girls, so I had it in my head that I would have a girl.  I think it had a lot to do with staying within my comfort zone.  I spent the next 24 hours or so on an emotional roller coaster.  I was excited, disappointed, scared, and happy. I also felt guilty for being disappointed.  Then, it just hit me, and I got use to the idea and began to love it.  Every day since then I've become more excited about my son! Doug had a tinge of disappointment at first, but his disappointment seemed to be instantly replaced with utter excitement!

We didn't want to announce the gender yet, because Chris, Bethany, and Jane were coming with us to our elective ultrasound that Friday.  We didn't cancel it because it came free with our 3d/4d package, and we wanted to share an ultrasound experience with people we love!  It's an amazing experience to actually be there and see the baby move - the pictures never do it justice!  

So, we started calling/texting family and close friends to let them know, "IT'S A BOY"!!! I made cupcakes with blue icing to take to work the next day. Then I began my campaign to pick a name. Doug was of the belief that we had plenty of time.  I'm sure most sane people would agree with Doug, but I've never claimed to be sane :) I felt a huge sense of urgency to name our son.  In my opinion there are so many things that can't be done right now, so I'd like to do the things we can do now so there are less things left on my to do list!  So, after days of negotiating and pleading with Doug, we made no progress in naming our son.

It was finally Friday, so we went to have our elective ultrasound that evening.  Just as soon as the tech placed the wand on my belly, our son slowly raised one hand towards his face.  We thought, how cute, he may suck his thumb... which he eventually did (as shown in the picture at the beginning of this post), but first he wanted to show us all what his middle finger looked like!!!  Ohhh if that is any indication of his future behavior, I'm in big trouble! :)

This was only supposed to be a 10 minute 2d session for gender determination only.  It ended up being almost half an hour and he even showed us some 3d shots!  The baby is too small at this point to really make things out in 3d, but it was still amazing to see! Doug and I both ruined the surprise before the announcement was made.  We both at one point or another referred to baby as "he", so we did somewhat spoil the surprise for Bethany, Jane, and Chris! Nonetheless, it was so nice to have them there to share that experience with us!  We can't wait for the 3d/4d ultrasound!

So, I continued to pressure Doug to make a decision on our son's name.  Not only could we not agree on names, but our own minds would change every hour!  We obviously love to share all the details of the most important parts of our lives with all of the people we love and cherish.  So, I came up with a plan. We'd let the people we love decide for us!  We'd come up with a list of names that we both would be happy to name our son and put it to a vote!  Everyone could participate in the decision making process, and we would have a name for our baby!  So that's just what we did! 

Once the voting started, somehow it made me like the name Mason more. I honestly would have been happy with whatever the outcome of the vote was, but I was glad that Mason won after all! Doug was torn between Mason and Caleb, but he started calling the baby Mason before the voting was even done! The final count ended up being: 36 for Mason, 31 for Caleb, 21 for Brayden, and 17 for James. I really loved having everyone be a part of the process!  Thank you very much to all who voted!

We spent the entire day on Sunday perusing baby stores.  We didn't buy anything, but we had fun browsing and getting an idea of what we do and don't like.  We then went home and started to frantically research.  We were mostly looking for safety recommendations for things like car seats, but also general recommendations on what the best products are and why.  

Excitement quickly turned to panic.  There are SO many things to buy and TOO many options for each.  Then there is the balance of need versus want.  It's never black and white either.  What 10 parents say are a useless waste of money, 10 more will say are must haves.  What do you skimp on? What do you do without?  What do you splurge on?  We are first time parents, so although we know we are probably overdoing it, that doesn't mean we can stop ourselves!  Every parent wants the best for their baby, and I know I don't want to take any unnecessary risks to Mason's safety or cognitive development.  So, I think I'll be spending the remaining months of the pregnancy figuring out exactly what we need.  I'll spend all of my extra time reading reviews and getting advice.  The phrase, "I didn't have any of those things, and my baby turned out just fine" just doesn't work for me.  I just assume that they are luckier than me, and I'll be a part of the small minority where something goes wrong because I didn't opt for a simple bell or whistle.  Irrational?  Yes, I know I am.  But, the first step to recovery is admitting the problem... right???

So lots of big news... it's a boy, his name is Mason Douglas Timberlake, and I have a lot of research ahead of me!  This has been an incredible journey thus far, and there are so many wonderful things to look forward to!