Top Ten Nicknames

I don't know about everyone else, but my family is big on "family nicknames." They just sort of evolve, and are usually pretty random and silly. My siblings have in the past had such nicknames as: Chicagoellen, Hubbard, Jasianticusima (sp?), Ozalozalee, Opinomernously, and Simbob. I still call them such things as Mellon, Wanet, Lucygoosifer, Timmah and Roo. In fact, my blogger name is derived from the nickname my siblings gave me: "Katerina Hershigovina the Ballerina."

In keeping with this heritage, I present to you Rachel's top ten nicknames (only used by me and Dan, for the most part). They are presented in order of usage, from least to greatest.

10) Zubby*
9) Baby
8) Bug
7) Buddha
6) Ooga-Booga-Bugga-Buddha**
5) Ooga-Booga-Bugga-Booga**
4) Buggish-booga
3) Ooga
2) Rachel
1) Buggy

*Zubby, of course, was her "in utero" name...not used much now as she is out of the womb. However, some of our friends still like to call her Zubby.

**To correctly pronounce these, one must envision oneself as participating in some primitive tribal ritual, such as the "Shark Bait" scene in Finding Nemo. (However, I confess I have been getting lazy lately and lapsing into a normal tone of voice).

pics from Thanksgiving/4 month checkup

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Rachel successfully spent Thanksgiving with both of our families, including spending the night at Nana and Papa's house (my parents) and a 2 hour car ride. She loved all the attention, especially from her aunties (all 7 of them!!). She also enjoyed spending time with her cousins, who are all on Dan's side of the family (see the 2 pictures above). Her cousin Megan (age 2) was especially interested in Rachel, since Megan will have a new baby sister in March.

To add to everyone's comic relief, Rachel produced two poops of epic blowout proportions during the two most important events of Thanksgiving-- (1) the famous "fireplace picture" of my family (see above), and (2) the sharing time when everyone says what they're thankful for (Dan's family). Good timing, Rachel!! :)

What I'm thankful for:

1) That I see so much of Dan in spite of his being on the hardest rotation (internal medicine). He does a really good job of balancing work and family.

2) For Rachel...she brings so much joy into our lives. And she's healthy. I don't take that lightly...my good friend from small group had her baby 2 weeks ago and she's still in the NICU after a major heart surgery. Please pray for them: Charity, Robert and baby Anna.

3) That I get to stay home with Rachel. This has been such a huge blessing. I know I would go crazy if I were still teaching high school. I know it's not possible for everyone who wants to stay home to do so (and that not everyone wants to do so)...but I'm thankful that it's working for us somehow. Even with Dan in med school, only bringing in one grad student stipend and some student loans, I've seen God provide for our needs abundantly.

4) That I haven't gotten depressed since Rachel was born. This has been amazing...I was so worried about post-partum depression since I have such a history of depression in general. In fact, I don't think I've ever been more happy in my life...home with my baby and my wonderful hubby :).

5) That I get to do just enough things outside the home for "adult interaction"...including teaching at the homeschool co-op, women's Bible study and worship team, couple's Bible study and Mom's group. (And that most of the above have been on Christmas break since early November! Things get really crazy around Christmas.)
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Rachel had her 4 month checkup today (and is currently in her fast-asleep post-shots state)

She weighs 18 lbs 8 oz, and is 26 inches long (still off the charts!) She can roll over belly-to-back, "sit" in the tripod position unaided (though I don't trust her completely on this one and stay closeby), sleep through the night 7-8 hours, hold a rattle (and shake it, pass it to the other hand, put it in her mouth), coo, "sing" (especially while sucking her thumb and while mommy is singing to her), and blow raspberries (which she loves). She also laughs outloud, squeals in delight, and "turns the pages" when I read to her. What a joy!

Some minor concerns: she has excema, so I slather her in Aquaphor after every bath. The pediatrician says to hold off on solids and then introduce them very slowly since there is a heightend possibility of food allergies. She's actively teething I think, and has been refusing to nurse off and on for the last couple days. I'm a little worried about my supply and have been pumping here and there just in case. She'll nurse happily though when half asleep, so I've been trying to take advantage of those times.

That's all for now!

Rachel pics

As of October 30, Rachel was 18 pounds!!!!! Off the charts! Here are some pics of my cute, chubby baby.