What's In A Name???

OLIVER - (Scandinavian) - Kind, affectionate; (Latin) - Olive tree.



EDEN - (Hebrew) - delightful, paradise



JAREN - (Hebrew) - He will sing; he will cry out.


Why is choosing a baby name so stinkin' difficult??? Ed and I have been at odds when choosing the name for this little boy!

My favorite name is Jackson Edward Palmer and Ed's is Edison Jay or Edison Elias Palmer. Edison literally means "son of Edward"... yeah. We also both like Phineas and would shorten it to Finn. Both the older kids like Jackson and neither of them like Phineas.

I recently found a baby name book at Goodwill and I looked through all of the names in the baby boy section. Here is what I found that I like... (* - Ed likes these) (** - My favorites)



**Audie - a form of Edward

Ashby

Asher - happy, blessed

Audon - old, rich

Bain

Ballard - brave, strong

Beau - handsome

**Bennett - little blessed one

Bodin - messenger

Bodie

Brady - spirited

Brant

Breck - freckled

Camden

Chaim - life

Corbin

Curren

Denton - happy home

*Edison - son of Edward

Fane - joyful, glad

**Fayden

**Finnegan, *Finn, Finny

Hadley

**Harlow

Haywood

Hollis

**Jackson

Jasper

Joben

Joram

Jory

**Joss

* **Kane

Kannon

Keene

Lane

Magnus

Maximus

Micah

* **Phineas, Finn

Quinn

Raine

**Shea

**Shiloh

Sloan



Just tonight Ed told me that Jackson is growing on him. :O) We'll need to figure out the name soon. I only have 8 weeks left to decide!!! It's crazy because Jaren was a toss-up between Jaren and Jackson if he was a boy and Jaren for a girl as well. Who knows... we'll see what we decide in the end! :O)

March Madness

Me and Jaren visiting the Gillespies and their new little girlie!

"CHEESY!!!" I LOVE it when he smiles like this! It's sooooo hilarious!

Briea Jossi Maureen Gillespie

Look at her cute little mouth and those sweet cheeks!!!

Happy Birthday, Grandpa Palmer!!! Celebrating at La Chapala on March 6, 2009.

Jaren and Grandpa Palmer

The handoff to Grandma!

"Toyota!!!"

Perfect form! :O)

Cousins, Evan and Dexter at Grandma and Grandpa Boardsen's house.


Owen, my nephew (step-nephew if you want to get technical).

"What happens if I do... THIS?!?"

Evan, brother of Owen.

March 25, 2009 - Oliver having a headstand contest at Capoeira class.

Oliver learning some moves in class.

March 25, 2009 - Oliver and I on a Mother/Son Date.

I took him to his very first hockey game! Go Blackhawks!

Friday Night Lights... Camera... Action... with Bella!

Friday I got to visit all night long with my good friend of 20 plus years. Her little girl, Isabella, is now three months old and just as cute as a button! I got to take lots of pictures of her and she was even smiling in a few of them! I love how babies smell when they are that age! I held her and loved kissing her soft hair! She is a keeper, Meg!

Sweet little Bella...

Welcome Isabella Lynn...

Well... I think she's a keeper! My best friend growing up (we've been friends for over 20 years now) and her husband just had their first baby on November 5th of this year! I got to see her in the hospital the day after she was born and she is a DOLL! This is a picture of the proof sheet which I thought was cute since her eyes were open in every picture and her expression in Pose 2 was so funny! She looks like a little Cupie Doll! I was even there when she was named! They had two names they were wrestling with. I felt so priviledged to be there at that time!

Welcome to the World!!!

ISABELLA LYNN

Born November 5, 2008

When we went to Disneyland this year, I got her her first Minnie Mouse doll! My friend LOVES Mickey Mouse and Disneyland / Disneyworld and has since we were first friends. She was nice enough to let Jaren open the gift since he was eyeballing it!! I sure hope Bella likes it! We love you!!!

Mandisa's Challenge

Okay... some of us were out to dinner one night and we were talking about our pregnancies and labors. Then we talked about how crappy we looked in our post labor pictures. I was thinking, "I'm sure I have the most horrific looking one...". But... I'll leave that up to you all!

***BABY NUMBER ONE***

Pregnant with Baby #1 - Unknown Sex. I think I was about 8 months pregnant here.

Looking like the 'Stay Puff Marshmallow Man'! I am soooo swollen! I pushed and pushed soooo long with him... my lips were tingling and I felt like I was going to pass out! Come to find out... he was stuck on my pelvic bone. I almost had to have an emergency C-Section, but they used the forcepts instead... NOT HAPPINESS!

My first baby, Oliver Young Palmer. He was 5 days late, but came on his own. My labor was 13 hours with Oliver. He was 21 inches long and 6 lbs 8 oz.

***BABY NUMBER TWO***

Pregnant with Baby #2 - Girl. I felt sooooo huge with this one!

This is my favorite post labor picture with one of my babies. Just Eden and I. I was in labor for 4 hours. She shot out like a cannonball in four pushes!

My second baby - Eden Lucia Palmer. She was 7 days late and I had to be induced with her. She was 21 inches long and 9 lbs 3 oz.

***BABY NUMBER THREE***

Barefoot and pregnant with baby #3 - Unknown Sex. Again... I felt huge, but I was 9 months prego!

This was my post labor picture and the first time I got to hold Jaren... I think it was like 6 hours later. He had a rough start to life and was in the NICU for the first week of his life with pneumonia.

My third baby - Jaren Freeman Palmer. He was induced one day before my due date. I wanted him to have a different birthday than his Daddy's! I was in labor with Jaren for 7 hours. He was the most difficult pregnancy, but the easiest labor and delivery. I didn't have any stitches and I healed really quickly. He was 21 inches long and 8 lbs 5 oz.

Jaren is getting so big!

I love his worried look from the wrinkles on his forehead!
I love this picture! I finally got him to laugh!
Jaren has eczema like Oliver... really bad. He's got it in his hair, on his forehead and down the side of his face. So, after I lubed him up with lotion, his hair got really greasy looking and so I thought I'd give him a stylin' mohawk! Work it, Jare-Jare!!!
Check out those pouty lips! He's so stinkin' cute!
More "Tummy Time" for our little Jare Bear. I loved the wrinkles in his forehead... his tousled/lotioned up hair... the look on his face... and the sweet little way he has his arms folded!

Adorable. That's all I can say!

Just call me... Alfred Hitchcock

Stacy aka: Alfred Hitchcock - 1978

Check out my double chin!

ENOUGH ALREADY!!!

If I hear one more person ask, "Do YOU breastfeed your baby?" I think they may find themselves on the receiving end of a punch to the face or a knee to the groin! This JUST happened, hence the frustration and anger in this blog!

Now... this is something that I get riled up about BECAUSE... there are so many ignorant, insensitive women (and MEN... the Breastfeeding Nazi from WIC) out there that really think it's their right to get all up in your business and then relay their WONDERFUL stories of their success with breastfeeding, some may not realize how hurtful their stories may be or realize the look that comes over their face when I say, "No, I don't breastfeed." Some of you "bottle moms" know what I mean... the look that says, "Oh my goodness... she DOESN'T BREASTFEED?! Doesn't she LOVE her BABY?!?!" Yeah... the look that "bottle moms" know ALL TOO WELL! A little advice for the well meaning and not so well meaning quizical breastfeeding moms out there:

1. Just don't ask... it's really none of your business what I do with my boobs!

2. "Bottle moms" love their children just as much as "Breast moms" do.

3. If you are insensitive enough to ask the dreaded question "Do YOU breastfeed?"... and you receive a "No, I don't" in return... DON'T ask the even more dreaded question of, "WHY?????". For the moms who DON'T know... this question may stir up some troubling feelings for the mother. We dread the looks we get. We dread the tone of the voice we will get when this awful follow up question is asked. WHY... you'd like to know... well... because here is what often takes place in the "Bottle moms" mind.

THOUGHT BUBBLE "Why... WHY WHY... did you just ask me that question? It's none of your business! Here comes "the look". Here comes "their breastfeeding success story" (even though I didn't ask for it, I just want them to SHUT UP!) Now I have to tell them why I don't breastfeed and try to justify it so that I don't get "the bad mom vibe"."

So the question is asked... no turning back now. The "breast mom" is staring at you, waiting for your answer, in order to rate it. For example:

"WHY DON'T YOU BREASTFEED?"

Scenario #1

"Bottle mom" reply - "Well, I have health issues and take medication and I don't want to pass it on to my baby."

"Breast mom" reply - "Oh, that's too bad." OR "Well can't you switch medications so that you CAN?"

Now this reason for not breastfeeding usually satisfies the "breast mom's" question. This says that the "bottle mom" really cares about the baby enough to not transmit the meds to the baby and is therefore usually acceptable in their eyes. And... the questioning ends there. But watch out! Sometimes the questions just don't stop!

Scenario #2

"I just don't produce enough milk for my baby."

"Well, have you talked to a lactation consultant? Don't quit now! Keep trying!"

There is NO OTHER WAY... BREASTFEEDING MUST OCCUR, even though your baby is being malnourished. Don't even THINK about supplementing... do NOT confuse them with another nipple!

Scenario #3
"My baby won't latch on."

"Sometimes it hurts, but it's the best for your baby! You can pump. Why don't you PUMP?"

You must NOT use a bottle or the baby will NEVER go back to the breast! THERE IS NO OTHER WAY BESIDES THE BOOB!!!

Scenario #4
"It hurts. I'm in constant pain. I don't know if I'm doing it right."

"Well, I breastfed through cracked and bleeding nipples..." BLAH BLAH BLAH...

GUESS WHAT... WE DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR BLOODY NIPPLES! I don't recollect ASKING you about the condition of your nipples! If you stop you are definitely a selfish and bad mother! You can't handle the pain of giving your baby what is best... therefore you are selfish.

Scenario #5
"I just don't want to."

Imagine mouths dropping and eyes staring at you in awe...(Insert various health benefits and their success story)

This reasoning is just NOT ACCEPTABLE!!!

As if we don't already know about the health benefits and all that. We really don't want to hear YOUR story because sometimes it brings up painful issues that we may not want to talk about. We already feel like bad mothers because we've been bombarded with looks and snide comments. We feel like less of a woman because we can't do what's "natural". And sometimes... we just don't WANT to breastfeed. Some of us just don't have the desire to. And... that's OK!

We get drilled into our heads that if you don't breastfeed, you don't care about your baby's health. You won't bond with them, they won't be as smart... BLAH BLAH BLAH. Well guess what! I breastfed Oliver for 3 weeks... and he has lots of health problems. I didn't breastfeed Eden at all and she is fine! What do you have to say to THAT!?! I wasn't breastfed and I'm fine... I had a 3.7 cumulative GPA throughout high school. I bonded with my mom and she is one of my best friends! I don't have any life threatening health problems. Poppycock, I say... POPPYCOCK!

It's great if you can do it, but it doesn't mean that you were bestowed with blessings from on high, and that the Lord loves you more because you can do it! It doesn't automatically make you a better mom. It absolutely does NOT give you the right to judge others who can't or who choose not to. Parenting is hard enough as it is without someone up in your face about something that we never even asked your opinion about in the first place!!! Leave your success stories for those who really want to know... for those who need the help and ask for your advice... for the circle of people who likewise have had success. Please be a little more sensitive to those of us who choose to bottle feed our babies! It's not like we are feeding them poison!!! It's a choice and Heavenly Father loves us just the same!! He's the one who has sent those spirits to us and has all the faith in us to raise them up and teach them the important things in life... Breastfeeding is not one of them.

In closing, I would like to say that it's great if you can breastfeed and you like it and have had success. Awesome. It's great if you choose not to breastfeed. You are still providing nourishment for you baby! Awesome. If you can't breastfeed, don't feel like a bad mom or less of a woman. Parenting is hard enough without constantly comparing ourselves to others. Judgement is a waste of everyone's time and energy. Like the poster at the top... it's an individual choice... LET IT BE! Let's band together to stop the things that are most likely to harm our children, abuse, drugs, pornography, etc. I'm sure we are all in agreement on the potential for harm these issues bring.