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Naming baby girl #2 was no easy feat. I was positive we would be in the hospital trying to figure out a name at the very last moment. Do we stick with a "V" name? Vivian made the list.. Vaeda made the list.. and I had a ton of non-V names narrowed down that Dan was not on board with.
Then this little scene happened:
We were on our way home from New York (spent 5 days there visiting family) and decided to use some of the 4.5 hour drive home to get back to the name game. Tori is napping and we are listening to the radio.. A song by Adele comes on.. and I start thinking hmmm.. what about Adele? Ya know, no one would probably be able to think of anyone besides the singer so nah, not Adele. Hmm.. where else have I heard that before? Oh right, I have a friend who has twins named Adele and Ava... Ava... Ava. "Dan, what about Ava? It's pretty, classic, feminine, albeit a little more popular than I would normally like to go for.. I don't know anyone named Ava nor do we have any friends who have a kid named Ava". Dan... "Ava, well its a new one we haven't talked about so I don't know if I can commit yet.. but I like it".
Fast forward: Her name is officially Ava Estelle Rera.
Estelle means "Star" in French (and Toris middle name is Luna which is moon in Spanish).. our little Moon and Star. What makes our world go round.
How far along: 26 weeks!
Total weight gain: 20 lbs
Maternity clothes: Yep! Summer dresses are my jam right now and just this past weekend I got 3 cute tops from a consignment shop (totaling $13)
Stretch marks: Nope
Sleep: For Tori, not so much which means for Mommy, not so much. I don't know if she is wanting to prep me for a newborn again or what but man.. she doesn't want to sleep, she wakes up in the middle of the night, she wakes up earlier than usual.. It is not fun and I don't know where it came from?!
Best moment of this week: Tori is starting to rub my belly and talk to her sister which is adorable. "Baby Ava!!!" as she lifts my shirt and rubs my belly. Oh yeah, did I mention we are naming her Ava? Ava Estelle Rera.
Miss anything: Alcohol and its way harder to paint my toenails right now.
Movement: YES! A LOT! I love it.
Food cravings: Dessert... which is actually not any different than pre pregnancy.
Anything making you queasy or sick: It changes daily but right now I have been battling a really tough case of acid reflux/heartburn.
Have you started to show yet: Yep.. that big, pregnant belly is out for everyone to see and Im seeing the change in my face now too.
Gender: GIRL!
Labor signs: Thankfully no!
Belly button in or out: In but on its way out
Wedding rings on or off: On
Happy or moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: Trading in our car! Its time to make the SUV upgrade. Family car! Woohoo! Goal is to do it before the babe is here so its research, research, research.
In honor of Madelyn's bridal shower this weekend I thought I would do a little recap of my wedding experiences. To date, I have been in 7 weddings (by next month). By the time all of my best friends are married, I think I will hit the 10 wedding mark.
I have been both, maid of honor and bridesmaid.
I have been a part of a destination wedding that I couldn't get to (so therefor I handled all of the celebratory events that were home including her bridal shower and engagement party).
I have worn gold, yellow, light purple, dark purple, gray and next month, navy blue.
I have worn short dresses every time but one.
I have had my hair all up for all but one wedding, where it was half up and half down.
I was not 21 for two of the weddings.
I was pregnant for two of the weddings. (about 9-10 weeks pregnant for one and 7 months for the upcoming wedding)
I missed one bride's bridal shower due to giving birth to Tori.
I missed one bachelorette party due to being 6 months pregnant.
Some of the things I would like to note about being in a wedding:
-It is a financial commitment. After you buy your dress, pay for your hair and makeup, shoes, your part of the shower, your part of the bachelorette party, and then.. if your significant other is also in the wedding... you need to really love these people. lol.
-You should have the entire weekend available for wedding festivities. Rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, day of, day after.
-It is so, so flattering that a person asks you to be in their wedding.
-You do not need to ask someone to be in your wedding just because they asked you to be in theirs. It should be who you whole-heartedly want in your wedding.
Tips for finding the perfect bridal party:
-Remember to ask someone who you know is a part of your life NOW. Sure, friends from way back then are nice.. but if you know that realistically they cant tell you what your fiancé's last name is or the last time you guys hung out, they are likely not going to be there for the long run (sorry people).
-Ask someone who is not a huge drama queen and is really going to let you shine as the bride.
-Ask someone who doesn't take things personally. You will become a bridezilla at some point or another so they need to be able to handle that.
-Ask someone who knows your family and knows how to handle emergency annoying family situations.
-Ask someone who has fabulous taste and is honest with you about fashion, etc.
-Remember the financial situation. Do not decide for someone if they want to be in your wedding. You may have a broke friend that you want to ask, ask them and if they decline due to finances then understand and ask someone else. Don't make them feel bad for not wanting to over extend themselves.
-On the other end of that, ask someone who understands the commitment financially. It is terrible when you ask someone and then they never want to pay for anything and act clueless about the fact that it was going to cost them money.
My list of MUST HAVES FOR A WEDDING:
-Alcohol (even just wine and beer is ok)
-Dj (Worth the money, there is nothing worse than a wedding where everyone sits on their butts the whole time)
My list of what you can do without:
-Programs. Seriously. No one looks at them after the ceremony and most people at your wedding will know who everyone is.
-Ellaborate flowers. Unless youre a huge flower person, then flower on.
-Videographer. You will not watch this video more than once unless you really love yourself. A lot.
-Bouquet toss and Garter: Played out. Old school. Not usually enough single people to make it any fun. Unless youre in your 30's, then maybe you will have a lot of divorcees at the wedding.
Here are a couple pictures.. I couldn't find one for every single wedding. Enjoy.
How far along: 24 weeks!
Total weight gain: 15+ lbs (Not sure exactly but I have a dr appointment next week)
Maternity clothes: Yep! I have a couple of pairs of shorts that are my lifesavers right now and a couple of dressy tops that have been getting me through work.
Stretch marks: Nope
Sleep: Sleep is going so much better. Thankfully!
Best moment of this week: We picked a name!!! YAY!!
Miss anything: Alcohol
Movement: YES! A LOT! I love it.
Food cravings: Dessert... which is actually not any different than pre pregnancy.
Anything making you queasy or sick: It changes daily but right now I have been battling a really tough case of acid reflux/heartburn.
Have you started to show yet: Yep.. that big, pregnant belly is out for everyone to see.
Gender: GIRL!
Labor signs: Thankfully no!
Belly button in or out: In but on its way out
Wedding rings on or off: On
Happy or moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: Painting the baby/Tori's bedroom and possibly doing a maternity photo shoot!
