(22 weeks pregnant and holding a 22-month-old Ryder)
It wasn’t until I received a comment from one of you a few weeks ago requesting a pregnancy update that I realized it had been quite a while since I shared my last one. This is actually only my third pregnancy-related blog post for baby #3 so there’s not much to catch up on if you haven’t been regularly checking PBF and are curious about how things are going so far.
Pregnancy Update: 27 Weeks with Baby #3
(24 weeks pregnant)
I’m officially 27 weeks pregnant today and it’s kind of blowing my mind for a myriad of reasons. First, I tend to live in a weird protective place for a long time in pregnancy where my anxiety is high so when I look down and see a big belly or feel baby moving, it is almost surreal in an odd way. Second, when I let myself truly believe we will have a third child in our arms in a few months, it’s something I can hardly wrap my head around. Another baby!? A sibling for Chase and Ryder? Another family member to get to know and love? It’s awesome and I’m so, so incredibly excited to meet our little baby soon.
The first trimester of this pregnancy crawled by for the first couple of months for a number of reasons but despite the fact that most of my second trimester has been spent in quarantine, it’s flying. I joke with Ryan that I went into quarantine sporting that ‘thick, is she pregnant?’ waistline and will be emerging with a big ol’ baby bump! There’s definitely no questioning whether or not there’s a baby in my belly right now and I’m counting my blessings over and over again.
Pregnancy and the Pandemic
I’ve had a few people ask how the pandemic is affecting my pregnancy and I must admit I feel like I ended up in a bit of a “pregnancy sweet spot” when everything seemed to hit the United States. I was out of my first trimester and, therefore, out of the phase of my pregnancy when I went in for bi-weekly appointments (due to our history) and I was a few weeks into my second trimester. I am hoping and praying everything will be better by September when I am due to deliver but we will obviously follow all of the rules and precautions if a “second wave” hits our country.
I had an appointment with maternal and fetal medicine at 18 weeks which went well and another in-person appointment at 24 weeks and Ryan was not allowed to attend either. I was okay with this because, to be 100 percent honest, Ryan and I are both a bit of an emotional mess during prenatal appointments. It’s almost easier for me to be alone and keep my thoughts centered on prayer during my appointments which I know sounds crazy but it’s true. That being said, I feel deeply for the expectant mothers who may be experiencing their first pregnancy or a pregnancy after a loss who truly feel like they need support from a loved one and those who have delivered babies within the past few months and arrived home with a newborn without the ability to receive any help from family and friends. I also think about the women who have received devastating news during prenatal appointments when they’re all alone. It breaks my heart to think about and keeps my perspective in line because I know I’m lucky to be 27 weeks into a healthy pregnancy, especially during a crazy time. Gratitude always, always.
Chase and Ryder and the Baby
(25 weeks pregnant)
One of my very favorite aspects of this pregnancy has been sharing it with our boys. Chase is 4.5 years old and it’s such a fun age because he totally gets the fact that Mom is pregnant and loves talking about the baby, thinking of names (Pepperoni is one of his latest gems) and hearing stories about when he was a baby in my belly. (He thinks the fact that he often had hiccups at night and kept me awake when he was in my belly is hilarious.) He seems less sure about the sex of our baby this time — when Ryder was in my belly he was ADAMANT that Ryder was a boy and would get angry if we said it could be a girl — but he thinks it’s a girl and said he’s hoping for a sister. When we remind him it could very well be a boy, he’s excited about a brother as well and said he wants “another Ryder.”
As for Ryder and the baby, he is almost two years old and definitely doesn’t understand the fact that he’s about to have a little brother or sister but he understands enough to say “baby” when we point at my belly. He’s also baby-obsessed in the fact that he thinks every animal is a baby animal (if we see a dolphin in a book, it’s automatically a “baby dolphin”) and it makes us smile to hear the word “baby” coming out of his mouth so often. It’s crazy for me to think that in a few short months Ryder won’t be the littlest member of our family any more because he still very much feels like my baby boy!
Symptoms + Physical Changes
During my last maternal and fetal medicine appointment, I learned that I have an anterior placenta (I also had this with Chase) and my doctor reminded me that it might make it a little hard to feel baby movement early on but thankfully I recognized the familiar fluttering around 20(ish) weeks and cannot get enough of those sweet baby movements. They’re still not dramatic and I’ve only seen them externally three times but they’re happening every day now and it’s just the best. I cannot wait for the big baby rolls in my belly when Ryan, Chase and Ryder will be able to see and feel our little one move in my belly.
(27 weeks pregnant)
As far as physical changes are concerned, I haven’t been weighed since my 24-week appointment and I was up 20+ pounds. I’m softer all over, cellulite is real and, like my previous pregnancies, I feel like I’m pregnant in my arms, hips, legs and butt, too. Ha! I’m also experiencing semi-regular cramping in my feet and calves and some occasional insomnia. I never have trouble falling asleep at night (on the contrary, I feel like I could pass out at 8 p.m. every night), but when I wake up around 3 a.m., I feel a sense of dread course through my body because something about that 3 a.m. time seems to bring about insomnia and I’ll be up for several hours. It’s not fun but it’s also not as bad as the insomnia I experienced in my second pregnancy, though that didn’t kick in until my third trimester.
I’ve also randomly had some lower back pain creep in and it almost feels like I tweaked it and dissipates after a day or two. It’s a little odd but nothing too painful and no where near what I experienced when I went through sacroiliac pain during my pregnancy with Chase. That was BRUTAL.
Cravings/Aversions
Now that I’m at the tail end of my second trimester, my aversions have subsided a great deal. The thought of BBQ made me want to gag for months and then a week ago, all I wanted to eat was BBQ ribs. Go figure! The thought of most tomato-based soups is still very unappealing to me (especially tortilla soup) and I cannot stand the smell of the boys’ chicken nuggets when we heat them up in the microwave or toaster oven. Ooph.
As far as cravings are concerned, give me ALL the fruit all the time! Mango, watermelon, pineapple, berries, grapes, oranges… I want it all! Also, randomly, I am loving cold and crispy raw bell peppers. Thankfully the boys share my love for bell peppers (red, orange and yellow versus green) so I try to have some slices cut up in the fridge so we have a healthy snack option available at all times.
Oh and before you think I’m the epitome of a healthy pregnancy and sitting over here snacking on fruits and veggies all day long, two of my strongest cravings are chocolate and ice cream. Ever since Ryan gave me an ice cream maker for my birthday, I’ve been an ice cream making + ice cream eating machine. I also feel like I need (no, really, need) chocolate every day so I almost always have dark chocolate on hand to satisfy this daily craving.
Other random things that almost always appeal to me: Sandwiches (especially French dip sandwiches), pizza (Alino’s is the BEST), eggs, pickles, vinegary slaws, salads if I don’t have to make them myself (#lazy), pasta, mocktails made with coconut water or some kind of juice + sparkling water, oatmeal, baked goods, yogurt, lemon desserts and pastries.
Fitness
Since gym workouts are out right now due to the pandemic, I’ve been working out at home for months and it’s going fairly well. I really, really miss Burn Boot Camp and I miss the YMCA and childcare (a lovely 45-minute mid-morning break from kid chaos for this mama!) but I’m listening to my body and working out four(ish) days a week. I am admittedly often lacking in motivation during my home workouts but keeping my focus on movement outside with the boys (walks are the best!) and strength training in our garage has been key for me.
In case you’d like to see a more specific glimpse into what my workouts look like right now, here are two posts that highlight a full week of my workouts:
Any Baby-Related Purchases?
I made a batch of my DIY organic belly butter but other than the ingredients I needed for that, I haven’t purchased anything baby or pregnancy-related outside of prenatal vitamins. I switched to MegaFood prenatals before I got pregnant and even though they’re huge and not the most pleasant to swallow, I’ve been really happy with them. (I order mine through Thrive Market.)
I would like to buy some kind of a replacement contraption for our Rock ‘n’ Play since it was recalled. We used it a lot with Chase and Ryder for downstairs supervised daytime snoozing but now that we’ve learned more and know it’s a big no-no all around, I’m in the market for something else we might be able to use to put our little one down that might help lull them to sleep for daytime naps when they’re a newborn. Any recommendations?
Pregnancy Favorites
- Lululemon Align Leggings: I bought three pairs when I was pregnant with Ryder and they’re my absolute favorite. I wear them almost daily. So comfy and my pre-pregnancy size works throughout pregnancy, postpartum and beyond! They’re the closest thing to feeling like you’re wearing nothing.
- V-Neck Seamless Bralettes: These bralettes were a Things I’m Loving Friday feature months ago. They’re the BEST and I truly cannot remember the last time I wore a “real” bra. While I am rather small chested, during pregnancy and nursing my breasts tend to grow quite a bit and this bralette has been the best for every stage so far! I love the deep v-neck, the level of padding (which is also removable if you prefer) and the seamless design because it’s honestly comfortable enough to sleep in which I know will come in handy when I begin breastfeeding.
- Quease Ease: This was a pregnancy discovery when I was pregnant with Chase and has proven to be a favorite of mine every time. It’s an aromatic inhaler made with essential oils that somehow help curb nausea. Though this has been my easiest pregnancy in terms of nausea, it’s still something I carry around in my bag with me just in case a bout of nausea creeps up, as it truly makes a difference for me.
- MegaFood Prenatal Vitamins: I mentioned these above and they’ve been my go-to prenatal throughout this pregnancy.
- Diced Candied Ginger: These diced ginger cubes are my favorite! The size is perfect and the ginger is perfectly sweet and a little spicy.
Boy or Girl Intuition?
Ah! It’s so hard to know! I feel like I cannot trust the fact that this pregnancy feels different than my previous two pregnancies because ALL of my pregnancies have felt so different. Toward the end of my pregnancy with Ryder, I began to really have a strong feeling that he was a boy so I’m waiting for that feeling to hit me again.
So far, I’m feeling rather clueless but if I had to say I’m leaning one way, I’d say I’m leaning toward believing this little one might be a baby girl. My reasoning is pretty much based on the fact that this pregnancy has been noticeably easier for me than prior pregnancies from a nausea perspective though I feel like I’m carrying this one similarly to the way I carried Ryder which is noticeably higher than the way I carried Chase who felt rather low.
I’ve also had two vivid dreams about this one being a girl, although one centered around our doctor accidentally revealing our baby’s sex before the birth and I was so, so upset that the surprise was ruined! Clearly I am ALL IN on being surprised and love, love, love not knowing the sex of this baby!
Name Progress?
We’re pretty much in the exact same position we were when I last updated you guys about baby name ideas… sooo basically we’re clueless! Ha! Coming up with a third boy name we love is admittedly much harder than brainstorming girl names we love at this point so I worry that if this one ends up being a boy he will be nameless in the hospital for a couple of days like Ryder was after he was born!
We haven’t chatted too much about a baby girl name to be honest but I think that’s because we still like the same girl names we loved during my pregnancy with Ryder. (Also, is it just me or are baby girl names a million times easier to come up with than baby boy names? There are just so many beautiful girl names out there!) Sooo please help!! We’re open to name suggestions, especially for a boy! We like simple, easy to say, easy to spell names for a boy. Some boy names we’ve entertained include Luke, Mac (I love this one because it was my grandfather’s nickname but don’t like the way it flows with our last name… I just envision “McFagan” versus Mac Fagan), Hayes, Reed and Jax … but none of them feel quite like “the one” if we have a little boy.
Also, in my previous post, I mentioned a boy name I brought up to Ryan that I loved that he liked, too, but I think that name may be off the table. We still like it but something funny happened that kind of ruined the name for me. Ryan had a phone call the other day from a random number and when he hung up and I asked who it was, he said, “Jake.” I immediately said, “Jake? From State Farm?” and we started cracking up. Now whenever we talk about the name Jake, I think of the State Farm commercial! Haha! It’s not off the table, but it’s not exactly the front-runner it once was either.
Birth Plans
(26 weeks pregnant — this is the closest I have to a belly pic from last week!)
When I was 18 weeks pregnant, some crazy things happened at my doctor’s office and the entire office closed. Yep, like completely closed down and patients were told to find alternate care. It was a M-E-S-S and not a decision made by the doctors whom so many of us in the Charlotte and Lake Norman area adore. I was able to speak with one of the doctors who told me they were working to join a new practice quickly and thankfully after a little over a month this happened and so now I am back with the same group of doctors I’ve seen through all of my pregnancies, including the one amazing doctor I began seeing almost exclusively after our losses. This means I’ll be able to deliver at the same hospital where Chase and Ryder were born which makes me happy!
As for my actual birth plan, it’s pretty much identical to the plan I had with Chase and Ryder: Labor at home until my contractions get close enough together to go to the hospital and then get that lovely little epidural ASAP.
And I think that catches us up! I am hoping to share pregnancy recaps a little more regularly now — I’m thinking every 3 weeks or so? — because I’m already feeling a little sad I don’t have more of this pregnancy documented for the sake of my personal memories, so hopefully it won’t be too long before I check in again.
As always, thank you for following my life, my family and our journey to baby #3. I appreciate you guys more than you know.
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Hi Julie!
So excited for your new little one! I love naming babies. We have two children, Reed and Lola, so I feel that I have so many more names to come up with.
Some ideas: Jude, Max, Nate, Kai…Wren, Iris, Ava
Have fun!!
Oh my gosh, Jude would be adorable! Chase, Ryder, and Jude! Love! I also love the name Hayes!
Julie, I’d love to hear some girl names you’ve considered (even just one!) to get an idea of the style you like. I remember you said you and Ryan have a name you like but can’t agree on the spelling!
I would love to hear some girl name ideas. My husband and I are clueless on girl names!! Looking for all the inspiration!
Couple days ahead in pregnancy and I was the same with chicken nuggets, my husband made some for my son and I had to go sit outside to hopefully not throw up! Nausea is so weird!
I’d highly recommend a SNOO for newborn sleep – it’s worth every penny and you can even rent one. I like easy and simple boy names that sound traditional, but have some interest. I also fully agree that boy names are SO much harder than girl names. My boys are Cole and Banks. We also considered Graham, Davis, Harris and Jones. Hope the rest of your pregnancy goes smoothly!
I love these names — especially Cole!! That one was on my list when I was pregnant with Ryder!
I came here to suggest Cole so glad to see it is covered!!
I love the name Harris! I tried to talk my husband into using that name!
For some boys names, ours are Jacob and Caleb, and we love them!
Dean for a boy! We have a Dean and everyone always says what a strong name it is. It would go great with your other boy names 🙂
As far as baby boy names, I have a Ben and he’s pretty great 🙂 I also have two little nephews named Jude and Jackson. Love the names and the boys!
Best of luck with the rest of your pregnancy! I understand the uneasiness that comes when there is a lost or with infertility. I went through secondary infertility and even though 1 1/2 yrs later we conceived, I was uneasy/ worried about the pregnancy. We also had an early loss as well. Thankful that I wasn’t that far along at least so my heart goes out to you and others that go through it. I have 2 boys and I agree it’s hard to figure out boy names. Their names are Colton and Wyatt. I have 2 nephews named Jaxson and Skylar. Take Care!
Great update Jullie, thanks for sharing.
I’m expecting my first, so I love the updates to somewhat think about what’s to come (I’m still 14 weeks along). I keep coming back to your updates from when you were expecting Chase and Ryder. Keep the updates coming 🙂
I’m very surprised your pre-pregnancy Align Leggings size worked throughout the pregnancy. Working from home during quarantine, I’ve been living in my align leggings and one of mine looks way too old now and I was debating buying a new one in a larger size or my regular size, but I didn’t really feel like spending all that $$ on a larger size if I was only going to wear it for a few months when my belly gets too big. Have you found yours durable? I’ve had mine for just over a year and one has held up very well, while the other one looks BAD now.
I was also very surprised about that. I LIVE in my Align leggings when I’m not pregnant but there is no way they fit me all the way through pregnancy without major stretching/ruining them. They’re also way too expensive to buy a bigger pair to wear for such a short time period regardless of how flattering and awesome they are.
I’ve bought a size up in Aligns for my last 2 pregnancies and I feel like I can still wear that bigger size postpartum/when I get back to a more normal size! I don’t ever wear Aligns to work out anyway (I like something with more compression) so I don’t mind if they’re a little big since I just wear them for school drop off/errands etc.
You guys are so cute! I especially love the picture of Chase touching your belly, he looks so proud.
Happy that you’re feeling more at ease and sending you positive vibes and love as you approach full term. I can’t imagine how much strength it takes to maintain your optimism and grace when you’ve faced the trials you’ve shared with us.
I LOVE the name Liam but I know it’s super popular right now which can turn off some folks. I also love looking back at names that were popular when I was born (80s) because they seem to be so uncommon now! Names that every kid in my class had (Michael, Danny, Chris) are nowhere to be found nowadays!
So true! My husband is Daniel but he’s 42! I only know one child with that name, though we used both Daniel and Michael as middle names for our boys since they are family names. Andrew is a classic name that is still popular!
Chase, Ryder, and Andrew sounds adorable!
I only know of two young girls who have my name! In the 80s, Sara/Sarah, Jessica, Jennifer, Brittany, etc. were SO popular!
We considered Tyler and Liam for our first son (my nephew is now named Liam!) There are so many kids at my son’s school named Liam, Tyler, or Noah!
Julie, I feel like Ryder has become one of my favorite names because of your Ryder! I have said to others during name discussions, “Well my blogger Julie used and name Ryder recently and it’s so cute!” Chase is an adorable name too so you and Ryan clearly have good taste!
I like Andrew Luke Fagan 🙂 and Annabel Reese Fagan! Of course always be sure to check what the initials will be just in case!
Reese was a name I brought up for a girl when I was pregnant with Ryder! Ryan vetoed it but I still love it!
My son’s name is Sawyer and we love it – get compliments on it often! We also liked Logan for a boy.
Love the names Carter, Hayes, Hudson for boys. For girl named there is so many Mackenzie (there’s your Mac), Emerson, Kayleigh.
Good luck picking a name is so hard.
My sons name is Drew we were going to go with Shane but every had a opinion on it 🙁 thanks for the update
Congratulations on your pregnancy! I love the name Jude, and my neighbour’s little guy is named Haines, which has really grown on me – unique but not too out there!
Our boy names were Ivan and Zeke (my vetoed favs were Luka and Everett). We also liked Hugh but felt it was too close to our last name. You should note Jake is also a Paw Patrol character 😉 Our current daughters are Lena and Vera and I also really liked Lydia and Eden.
Love following along on your journey!
I wanted to use the name Luka too! My husband said no!
Sooo true about Jake and the Paw Patrol…Skye may be out for you too, Julie! 😉
Oh my gosh is he really!?! I didn’t realize Jake was on Paw Patrol, too! LOL! Oh man, it might be time to officially say goodbye to that one – haha!
Love the pregnancy update! I’m 20 weeks with a little boy (I have an almost 3 year old daughter named Charlotte) and we are having the hardest time with a name! I think we will have to just wait to meet him to decide. I can not wait to see what you have and what name you choose (partly because I will be almost there too haha)!!
My boys are Tyler and Brady and I love how Chase, Ryder, and Brady sounds!
For girls…Annabel, Grace, Brooklyn, Lily,
I can’t wait to hear the news in September! So excited for you all!
I meant to add Taylor to my girls lust!
Chase, Ryder, and Tyler doesn’t sound right to me but Chase, Ryder, and Taylor is adorable!
You may find some names that end with “son” or other similar endings don’t sound right with your last name. That’s what happened for us. I love Camden and Grayson (or Gray for short!) but not with my last name!
I also realized after I had a Tyler that we could never have a Skyler lol! I do think it’s an adorable name though. I love the names Brayden, Parker, and Palmer. I could talk names forever!!! Even when I was nine I decided that I wanted triplet girls named Amber, Patrice, and Candy -ha! Patrice is the name of Christina Applegates character in the tv movie Dance til Dawn. If you’ve never watched it, it’s on netflix I think. Alyssa Milano stars too. 🙂
So happy for you! We also love simple names, and our kiddos are Sloane and Gage. You’ll find something that fits perfectly!
Love those names!
Julie I am just so happy for you and your sweet family. I’ve been reading your blog for about 7 years now and I’ve loved being able to see your family grow. ?
I’m also pregnant and about a week behind you (due Sept 13), and I 100% agree about boy names! We have a son who is a few months younger than Ryder whose name is Jackson. We aren’t finding out baby’s sex either and I’m finding it a lot easier to come up with girl name options than boy name options! Although I still like it, our runner-up boy option when I was pregnant with Jackson is off the table for us (feels like it was already claimed, ya know?): Cooper.
Congrats on the pregnancy! I’m 23 weeks pregnant with our second child. We were also in the market to replace our well used rock n’ sleep after all the recalls. Just ordered this one! https://www.target.com/p/fisher-price-rock-with-me-bassinet-green/-/A-50942508?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tgtao&CPNG=PLA_Baby%2BShopping&adgroup=SC_Baby&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9018100&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1248099&ds_rl=1242884&gclid=Cj0KCQjwiYL3BRDVARIsAF9E4GcsPHqt9mAO3wej1AJVqlv9pSLF3r2GJF700xnv3nSJYQnS0D5W6EcaApocEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
Our big purchase for our third babe was the 4moms bassinet! She is 3 weeks old and is currently just sleeping in our dock a tot bc it’s working for us for now, but hope to move her to the bassinet soon!
what a coincidence! I had the same due date as you when you where pregnant with your second, and i am now also pregnant, due in August! All the best! x
We had the exact same issue with our rock and play. It was so convenient to move around our main floor to whichever room we were in. I’d recommend a baby bjorn bouncer this time around, which would allow for the same ease of movement throughout your house. As for names, we have Micah and Tobias. Our daughter, who beat us to Heaven, is Madeline. Our top name for a girl now is Stella. But, I agree – it’s so hard deciding on names!
Congrats! Best wishes for a healthy boy or girl…I love either Jack or Jett for boys name, both are short & sweet.
Julie,
I have loved reading your blog for years and I think I love your pregnancy posts the most! I just gave birth to my firstborn in April during the peak of the pandemic and that was rough, but being quarantined with my husband and baby and being able to enjoy every moment has been a silver lining. We named our baby Desmond and call him Des. It’s short sweet and we love it!
What a fun update! I had my first this past fall and did not know what we were having. We went in with a couple names we liked for each but didn’t commit to one. It helped somehow not feeling like we had to commit before even seeing the baby. We loved Thomas and Caleb for a boy and Thomas felt perfect after a day or so!
I am a few weeks away from my due date with baby #3. We have 2 girls around the same age of your boys. This pregnancy has been SO different. I was SO, SO sick in the beginning which was different than my girls. So naturally, I was super confident that this was a boy. I had even set really talked up a boy to my oldest because she really wanted another baby sister. We found out the sex and wouldn’t you know, another girl!! I was SO surprised, it was so much fun! And after we found out, I thought, of course it’s a girl, just like it should be!! Mama’s intuition was so wrong on this one. 🙂
So happy for you! We just had our third boy 2 weeks ago. Our first 4.5 year old is named Jax and our new baby is Hayes so love your potentials!!
So mom of 3 girls over here: Josephine (Josie) Alexandra and Hope, but I ALWAYS LOVED Ace for a boy. Our hearts are full and we are done having kids so no boys for us but I always loved that name. All the best on the remainder of your pregnancy!
Our boys are Cole Ryder and Caden Thomas 🙂
So excited for you guys! 🙂
I have two boys, Jamie and Will. Other front runners for us were Cole, Tanner, Johnny, and Zack. IF we ever go for #3 and it’s a girl, my favorite name is Lilah <3
Sending you the happiest and healthiest vibes for the rest of this pregnancy!!!
We didn’t find out the gender with either children and my pregnancies were both different so it was fun to compare! With my daughter, my skin broke out like crazy and I had huge cystic pimples all over my jawline. It was awful. With my son, my skin never broke out-that was my biggest clue it would be a boy!
Bell peppers! I couldn’t get enough during my pregnancy. Turns out they are an excellent source of Vitamin C, so maybe that has something to do with it? Who knows. That and PB&J sandwiches were my go-to!
“Pepperoni” makes me think of that friends episode “It’s none of my business, but please don’t name your baby Phoe-bo” 😛
So excited for you newest one to arrive!! I’ve got 2 little boys, Miles (3.5) and Wesley (Wes 17 mo.) and we have baby girl due to arrive just a week before your number 3! We think we will name her Hazel Rose (Rose is my middle name ☺️).
Picking names is HARD!!!!!!!
We got a Fisher Price Stow and Go when we had to retire the rock n play. We love it, the price point is great ($80), it vibrates, and the baby lays down low in the bassinet so they are more sheltered from older sibling shenanigans lol.
I love the name Cade! or spelled Kade. Love reading your pregnancy recaps too!
Cade was actually ALMOST Ryder’s name! When he didn’t have a name for 48 hours it’s because we were torn between Ryder and Cade!
Boy names are sooo hard! We just had our boy in May and have a 2-1/2 yr old daughter. I am excited to see their relationship grow!
We got the free Fischer price bouncer after the recall for the rock n play and our boy does not like it. It’s crazy how different every baby is though. So excited for you and I enjoy reading your updates!
My sons name is Jackson. It’s a strong name and although I thought we would call him Jax, we still call hm Jackson 16 years later?. We also considered the name Lawson. I have to agree that girl names are so much easier to come up with. I loved picking out names for my daughter.
I think Dylan or Evan would flow nicely with Ryan, Chase and Ryder!
Please share your rock n play replacement recommendations! What I liked about ours was the ability to rock the baby in there to help settle them down. So I’m not sure a snuggle me or another lounger will do the trick.
Thanks for sharing your journey! For a boy name idea, my husband’s name is Hazen, and many people call him “Haze.” Perhaps that spelling variation from Hayes will make a slight bit of difference. 🙂
My two little girls have “double” first names, which is a bit unusual and doesn’t fit your criteria, but we have a Tessa Rae and a Rory Jo.
Blessings and prayers for you and your family!
Those are beautiful girl names! One of my best friends just named her baby girl Mary Kate and I love that as well!
I am one week ahead of you in gestation and it’s so fun to read about your pregnancy progress! We are having a boy, and I agree it felt about 1000x easier to think of girl names we liked, versus a boy’s name. We have chosen one (and really, just one, because none of the others felt right at all, and we looked at HUNDREDS). Our friends had a boy yesterday and actually chose the same name, but luckily they’re just enough degrees of separation away for it to not be weird, and we let them know about our name choice and they don’t mind at all/think it’s funny. This is my first but my birth plan is similar to yours – wait it out, head to the hospital, and get that epidural! 🙂
How funny! You both must have amazing taste! My friend named her son Samuel Reign then a family member had a son shortly after and decided they loved the name so much that they had to use the EXACT same name. My friend wasn’t happy! My best friend and I had the same girl name but different middle names (Mae and Grace). We both ended up having two boys! She was going to have a Brayden Carter but switched it to Brayden Christopher. I ended up with a Brady Carter Daniel. She and I just had such similar tastes! Her second is Cameron Jude (love!). So she has Brayden and Cameron and I have Tyler and Brady!
Julie, I love the suggestions of Dylan, Camden, Easton (SO cute!) and Brooks!
For some reason as I read your post, I kept thinking “Jack!” Jack Fagan sounds so cute. 🙂 Girl names are SO much easier!
I love the name Jack!!
Hi Julie!
Thanks so much for sharing your pregnancy journey. I’m so happy for you and your family!
My son is the same age as Chase. His name is Bryce, so that’s my vote for a boy name 🙂 Bryce LOVED the mamaRoo when he was a baby, so I’d recommend that.
Sending lots of positive thoughts your way that your pregnancy continues to go well!
My son’s name is Brody – I love it and we’ve gotten lots of compliments on it. Sounds like it might go along with your other two1
You look amazing!! I am so happy for your growing family 🙂 I cannot wait to see what you are having….I have a feeling it is a girl, too. My kiddos names are Paige (5) and Easton (3), if you need any ideas. I also love Presley, Riley, Charlotte, Bailey, Brooke, and Brooklynn for girls names, and Jude (my Easton was almost a Jude), Blayne, Reese, Riley, Hunter, and Rogan for boys names.
We loved the rock n play with my first and was constantly looking for something else when we had number 2. We love the baby bjorn bouncer that we love and use all the time. It definitely helps if you have a baby who spits a lot with its 3 different positions, some more upright. It’s a little pricey, but it folds flat so easy to take places, hide under the couch, and move from room to room.
Congratulations!! Our baby loved the doc a tot for lounging. What about Cole, Graham, or Crew 🙂
Hi Julie, congratulations on your growing and adorable family. I have two boys around your boys’ ages and have enjoyed your sharing your lives! We went with the same naming thought on being a little different, easy to say and spell, our boys are Nash and Brooks. Wishing you a healthy rest of your pregnancy and enjoying this precious time!
Those names were on our list when I was pregnant with Ryder! I almost forgot about them — they’re great!!
I’m about 2 weeks ahead of you – we found out the gender since it was our first. Her name is going to be Kora Dillon. If we ever have a boy, he’ll be Maxwell Garrett (my maiden name is Garretson).