And the Baby's Name Will Be...

... a secret.

Except that we've discovered we're pretty bad at keeping secrets. Maybe keeping the pregnancy secret until January was all the secret-keeping we could handle. People keep asking us what names we're thinking of, and we keep accidentally telling them. If you're one of those people, please keep it quiet! Since we already found out the gender, we wanted there to be some surprise left when the baby comes...

So far, we are leaning very strongly toward the first name we ever discussed, which kind of bores me, but there hasn't been another name we like as much. After thinking about the names we both like, I realize there are a few key criteria:
*Three syllables or more
*Nickname friendly (nicknames that come from the second or third syllable are a bonus)
*Not too common, not too strange
*A name that reminds us of important people in our lives, without necessarily being exactly the same

Have any ideas? Share them with us!!!

Winter Olympics

Jenn and I are at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. It is quite an experience. Everything is well organized and my hometown has never been so lively. Ostensibly winter, the weather is a sunny 50 degrees which is great for everyone except the skiers.

Event tickets were very difficult to get, but we have managed to see a few things. While we were not at the nail-biter between Canada and Switzerland, we did see an incredible hockey game between Russia and Slovakia later that night. Slovakia, huge underdogs, tied it in the third and won in penalty shots, as Slovakia's goalie held off Russian stars Ovechkin and Malkin.

The atmosphere was like an international soccer match, with the small number of Slovaks making a tremendous amount of noise.

This clip shows a Slovak shootout goal, and the next one shows the lively crowd.

Overtime shot:

Cheering crowd (not sure what the Swedish guy is doing):

Clearing the Camera -- October

October was a bit calmer, although we did have some guests, including April, my high school friend. Unfortunately, her visit was one of the many times we should have taken pictures, but forgot. Other than that, I worked a lot and we hung out at home a lot, too.

Here are two of my favorite living things, chillin' at home. I think Lucky had just licked Scott when I took this picture.




In October we found out that we'd become parents this summer. We had hoped for this and soon learned that few things are as surprising as wishes becoming reality.



Here we are on the day we found out that we are expecting. Can you see the excitement (and fear) on our faces?

Clearing the Camera -- September

September was another great month; in addition to starting off my school's second year, we managed to do a lot of fun things. One of our favorite things to do together is to go to the US Open every Labor Day weekend, thanks to our friend Bianca who got us into it four or five years ago. We're such dorks here, but at least we're protected from the sun!
















I have a special fondness for certain tennis players and silly photos. Here I am with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who is so fun to watch.

















Scott and I have similar tastes in many things, but not tennis players. Here he is with one of his favorites, Roger Federer.

















The following weekend we went to Maine for my college friend and former roommate Astrid's wedding. While the traffic-filled road trip to and from Maine was a bit agonizing, it was great to see Astrid and Will tie the knot!

Here is the road trip crew.

My self-portrait with Anne.


Lots of college girlfriends (you get a lot of female friends when you go to a women's college!)



They had a band at their wedding and Scott and I danced for hours -- definitely out of character for us, but so fun.

The following weekend was fabulous, too. Scott and I agreed we should do something fun since together since the beginning of the school year is always so demanding. We decided to go to Fire Island. The weather was stunning, and it wasn't too crowded because it was off season.


Our friend Alexis was visiting that weekend. I asked Scott if she could come with us, but he said something like, "You've been so busy, I just want to hang out with you." He usually has a "more the merrier" attitude so I should have known he had something up his sleeve, but he seemed so relaxed.



We wandered around the pathways and the beach for hours. The day was perfect. It became even more so when we were walking through the Sunken Forest and Scott suddenly wanted to sit on a bench and talk. He then reached into his bag, took out a ring, and proposed! After 10+ years, I was sure I wanted to keep him around, so I said yes.


Scott's long arms make the self-portraits a bit easier.



The next night we went out to dinner to celebrate at a restaurant called Blue Hill. The meal was delicious -- one of the best of my life. While we were eating, Meryl Streep walked in and sat at a table near us.

That night, Scott seemed awfully proud of himself for pulling it off. In his words, "It couldn't have been more perfect -- even Meryl Streep showed up when I wanted!"

I never thought I cared about the ring, but I love the ring Scott picked out. (It has since been resized and no longer has the bandaid attached.)

Clearing the Camera -- August

We're not great about taking photos -- I hate having my picture taken, Scott's not a big fan either, and we often forget our camera. However, I cleared the camera and realized we do have some pictures from the last several months...






In August we went to Guatemala. It was a fascinating place and we had a fabulous time. Here's the view from our hotel of the lake where we stayed for a few days.


We went on a crazy hike up a steep volcano. It was like walking up stairs for several hours. While it wiped us out, it seemed like no big deal to the people who lived there -- they even grew corn on the mountain.






Here I am on the hike. I am drenched in sweat in this picture, but the view was gorgeous.





We thought the textiles were so interesting -- apparently, the different designs indicate different regions and villages. There are different types of weaving -- some done by men, some by women.





The role of Christianity was interesting, too, since it seems to co-exist with the Mayan religious beliefs.

Most of Guatemala's terrain is comprised of volcanic mountains, so there is a lot of geothermal activity. We went to some super-hot hot springs, which were beautiful, but we could only handle the water for a few minutes at a time.

We loved the city of Xela, where we found a bit of Brooklyn.

We went on a bike ride to a smaller village. Nothing makes you feel spoiled like riding by a man carrying a bunch of stuff on his back! The woman on the left was talking on her cell phone when I took this picture.

Our trip ended in Antigua, which was beautiful but very different from the rest of what we saw in Guatemala. Here's a little Scott with some big ruins.

In August I also went to Alaska, which was also beautiful and fascinating. Those pictures weren't on this memory stick -- I'll have to post them when I find them.

Things Not to Say to A Pregnant Lady

True comments made to me this week at work:

You're really getting big! Wow, you blew up!

You didn't look pregnant for a long time, but now I can even see it in your face, even your face is bigger!

L: Do you want to know if you're having a boy or girl?
Me: I already know.
L: Oh, what did the doctor say?
Me: It's a girl.
L: I thought so, because your hips are so wide. I told D that, but he said, "no, her hips were always big," so we really weren't sure.

We Hope You Care

This year we have lots going on in our lives -- trips to Vancouver and Spain, a wedding, and most importantly, a baby girl due to arrive in June. We hope you care, so we've created this blog to keep friends and family in the loop.