Two Point Oh has a new name and a new blog! Check out Carver Anne Mason's new blog at carveranne.posterous.com.

and time for the whole family to take a nap

Vital statistics:
6:42 pm.
6 lbs. 13 oz.
20 inches.
100% amazing.

We have a name! Today is T+6, and yes, we have a name! It wasn't on any of the original lists, so it's good that we have a few hours (days?) to mull it over a bit before it becomes official. But we are feeling confident enough that we've registered the Gmail account. Though we're not publicly sharing the name until it's officially on a birth certificate, I think it's a relatively good clue to know that the Gmail username (FirstNameLastName) was still available. Oh, and as soon as Two Point Oh's name changes, she'll have a new blog all her own. :)

Other updates from today... The ultrasound showed a healthy baby girl (SHE is still a SHE), and the non-stress test showed a healthy heartbeat. So, we're good to wait her out for at least a few more days before any kind of intervention. The ultrasound also gave us our first indication of size... uhh... 9.2 pounds (+/- 1 pound). We may have lots of leftover newborn size diapers. That's all I'm going to say about that.

We thought we had plenty of time. We did have plenty of time. So, we went about our days, weeks, and months without much fanfare regarding the name. From the beginning, we agreed on a few basic principles: nothing too formal, exotic, or difficult to spell (including nickname possibilities); nothing too popular or common (including any of Julie's present or previous students); and no sharing any of our name ideas until we are holding (or have officially applied for) a birth certificate (including the boy's name that we easily, breezily agreed upon before the 20 week ultrasound). We also agreed to full veto power by either parent.

The first names we brainstormed (via super secret email) were spunky, to be sure. They were somewhat random, short, and lively. They were only first names, with little consideration given to middle names. The second round of names we selected more for family meaning. Both of Julie's brothers have first and middle names from other family members. Jeremy and his father and grandfather (and maybe even further back than that?) have the same initials and share first or middle names.

Those two lists (random names and family names) grew mutually exclusively over the days, weeks, and months. At 39 weeks, 6 days, we had a doctor's appointment that jolted us into awareness that this whole birth thing really could happen any time. That evening, we went through all of our name choices and eliminated them all. Out of necessity, we have re-instated the original lists, and in the 4 days since, we've also added a few new names. It also seems important to mention that the very few full names (first, middle, and last) that have graced either list have been quickly vetoed by one or the other of us. So, what remains appears even more fragmented.

At 40 weeks, 3 days, here's what we have:

We've got a family-related first name from Julie's side but no matching middle name from Jeremy's side.

We've got a family-related middle name from Jeremy's side but no matching first name from Julie's side.

We've got a family-related first name that honors both sides of the family but does not go well with the last name Mason.

We've got a handful of non-family-related names that we like but no accompanying middle names and no known way of narrowing it down to just one of those names.

I don't buy the whole "we'll know her name when we see her" bit. But, maybe that's just the story parents tell when they are like us... in overtime without a name. If we don't have a name chosen very soon, it's likely the story we'll be telling, too.

We're at 40 weeks 1 day today. Still feeling great, so we kept to our normal Saturday routine... mostly Two Point Oh related tasks and brunch at Martha's (where we are Saturday regulars... they secretly substituted spicy tomatoes in my omelet and recommended walking up Willow Hill, which just happens to be one street over from where we live... we did, in fact, go for a neighborhood walk this evening, including the hill). We also took a beautiful autumn drive out to Wight's Apple Orchard and got two bags of macs and one bag of northern spies... snacks for home and to bring to the hospital.

The only big thing left on the to-do list is to come up with a name. Please feel free to leave any and all suggestions in the comments. After an exciting visit to the doctor on Thursday, we went through our entire list of names and managed to narrow it down... to zero.