So this should keep you all guessing as to what the names we kept were.  The requirements Nathan and I had were very different.  I wanted a name that was different.  I don't want our children to be one of 3 or 5 or more in their class with the same name and be forced to take a nickname to be different, like being called Frazier.  And the name has to have a good meaning, personally or traditionally.  Personally I mean like paying tribute to someone close to us, like Lauren's middle names Maxine and Beryl our paternal mothers' names (I think that's right, our grandmothers on our fathers side).  Traditionally like Lauren meaning "the bay or laurel plant" and she really has lived up to that name.  Laurels are some fast growing plants and she is a fast growing girl!  I wanted her to be strong and resilient with deep roots and high aspirations.  So my requirement was that the name couldn't have been in the top 20 (really I would have liked the top 50) in the last 5 years. 

Nathan is much more a traditional kind of guy when it comes to names.  And also his perception of unique is much different than mine when it comes to names.  Growing up in Australia he didn't meet another Nathan until he was older, where as Nathan here was a pretty popular name.  He also grew up in an area with a large Jewish population so there were a lot of typical Jewish names, (even more Jewish than his own Nathan David) which are not very common to me at all, but he was quite used to.  So when he went to school there weren't a lot of kids with the names James, Rachel, Jessica, David, Jennifer, Ryan, Robert, etc compared to those I went to High School…well you all know how many there were you may be one of them, I was at least only one of 3 in my graduating class, instead of one out of 10 but it was still annoying.  So Nathan's requirement, it can't be TOO Unique, something in the top 50 would be nice.

So I didn't keep a list of the names Nathan suggested, but James, Rachel, Jessica, David, Jennifer, Ryan, and Robert, were among them.  I think Kelly, and Allison were also in there.  The names I suggested were: Aspen, Edison, Forrest, Cedar, Bracken, Isle, Marine, Lakelann (Lochlan), Oceanna, Marcail, Dailey, Gael, Mallory, Kagan, Murel, Cress, Baradine, Ashby, Heath, Dundas, Hamilton, Merrit, Tuart, Elsie, Hazel, Fletcher, Porter, Werner.  All vetoed by Nathan.  Too strange, too hard to spell, too hard to pronounce, didn't want to name a child after a paddle (I really liked Werner, and their paddles are nice too), too easy to make nicknames up for (like Cooper, or Tucker) and most of them are well outside the top 50 names, some of them outside the top 100 names, and some aren't on the list at all.

We did settle on names, one girl, one boy with at least one middle name as well.  What are they?  Not saying…but they are between the top 20 and top 50 most popular names according to the SSA for the last 5 years.  So there ya go, if you are looking for a project, you can go through the names from the last five years and see what we picked, but we won't tell you if you are right or wrong until after July is born!

I found this recipe in the Costco Connection, it is from a book called Absolutely Chocolate, I modified it just a little as I don't like thin crispy cookies and the photo that accompanied the recipe sure made them look thin and crispy.  They have a nice flavor, with the coffee, chocolate and the cinnamon, but none of them seem to overpower the combination.

INGREDIENTS
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/4 cups butter, 3/4 cups melted, 1/2 softened
2 Tablespoons fine ground espresso beans
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
about 1/4 cup granulated sugar for dipping

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In mixing bowl beat the butter and espresso powder until well combined.  Add the confectioners' sugar and brown sugar and beat until creamy and smooth.  Add baking powder, cinnamon.  Add flour 1/2 cup at a time making sure it is well incorporated.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Put the granulated sugar in a shallow bowl or plate.  Scoop about 1 tablespoons of dough and flatten it slightly into a disc.  Dip one side into the granulated sugar and then set the disc, sugar side up onto an ungreased baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the discs about one to two inches apart.  Bake until edges start to darken, about 15 – 20 minutes.  Allow to cool on baking rack for about 5 minutes.

Makes 30 cookies.

19 weeks already.  Sheez, next week I will be "officially" half way done baking July Baby.  I say "officially" as Lauren came nearly two weeks early, so if July does too, it will be June baby and I am already over the halfway mark.  Only flaw in that logic is that I think July is a boy and the  boys in the family are born on the 1st, and over a month early seems too much, so it would be July 1st, which would still be a week and a bit early, so yeah, halfway!  Baby his doing great.  Last appt I the heart rate was 150bpm, and active.  I can feel pushes, and kicks, although Nathan thinks he might have I am not sure if he has or not.  Lauren's placenta was in the front and low, so it took longer for him to be able to feel her move.  We have our 20-week ultrasound on Feb 23rd, and we will get some update pictures!  They did an early Group B Strep culture and it was positive so I am on a hefty dose of anti-biotics again, but it actually makes me feel a bit of relief, even as much as I hate taking anti-biotics, it is worth it!

Lauren is growing like a morning glory vine in the height of summer, FAST!  She is a climber for sure.  The other day she apparently wanted something on top of her dresser so she pushed her rocking snail against the wall under her window climbed it, climbed into the window and was caught standing with one foot in the window sill one hand holding on tight to the window, and the other hand and foot headed toward the open dresser drawer.  We took her to Bigelow Park the other day and she figured out how to climb the climbing wall.  She scales chairs and stairs with ease (both up and down), and has mastered the lever door handle, which isn't a big deal for the most part except the inn's front door is a lever, so we have to be careful when she is out and about the inn, usually in the mornings.  Oh and she gave the librarian a jolt the other day at book babies when she pushed the librarian's chair over to the table with the books, after she had already pulled down all the ones she could reach, and climbed the chair and then up onto the table to get the ones she couldn't reach.  Oh monkey girl!  She is getting more verbal all the time, and will usually use the word or the sign for what she wants when you ask her to use her words, rather than the screaming.  Usually she only screams about stuff when she is tired.  She does have a few words that when she says them they sound the same.  Please, Shoes, Socks, and Sit.  They come out sounds like sh!t.

She puts herself to bed if you ask her if she is tired or if it is time to go to sleep.  Usually she will nod yes, and then trot off to her room and climb up into bed and lay down.  Of course she has to get into her PJs and have a fresh diaper put on first, so you have to follow her in and really get her ready for bed, but it is still pretty cute!  We don't think she has gotten the concept that there is another baby in momma's belly  yet.  We have checked out a few books for her from the library on the subject, but so far she has only liked one, I'm a Big Sister Now.  She would read it over and over and over and over and over, well you get the point.  She does give my belly kisses, but then usually also head butts it or tries to give it five.  We'll see, she likes other little babies, she sees them at Book Babies and is usually pretty gentle, but I think she wonders why they don't say HI! back.  She will be so happy when July is old enough to play with, sometimes I think she needs a playmate, but then other times when she is around other kids her age she goes off and plays by herself, that is usually only if there are more than a couple though, maybe she gets overwhelmed.  We love having her around though, she makes life interesting and fun!