Walt on the Way!

We've decided to name the little guy Walter Philip Ananda.  No, it's not because of Breaking Bad!  Everybody asks, and some people have even decided to call him "Heisenberg," but Walter White is quite a villain in our minds!  No, Kabir and I chose the name Walter because it's both unique and traditional at the same time, and because we like how it sounds.  I wonder if maybe we were influenced by the movie WALL-E or by the psychic little boy named Walt in Lost?  Anyway, we plan to call him Wally or Walt for short.  Walter is a Germanic name meaning "ruler of the army,"  so it is a pretty strong name like his sister Valerie (which means brave).  Philip is my dad's name, and means "lover of horses,"  fitting for the year of the horse (and for the son of such a Bronco fan!) Not to mention we love and admire my dad.  So Walter Philip Ananda it is!

Well, Tuesday was Evie's birthday, but it wasn't as sad as I thought it would be. . .  Saturday morning before her birthday was tough.  But in the afternoon we had a baby shower for Walt.  It was uplifting and healing to spend time with my friends and family.  There was quite a bit of silliness and laughter!  On Tuesday, Kabir took the day off work, and we had a wonderful family day together.  We read Valerie books that we had read to Evie.  We reminisced about her birth- the trauma, and the joy, and the fear, and everything that came that day.  Kabir played much piano- especially the songs he used to record and play for Evie while she fought in the hospital.  Before bed, Valerie talked about visiting Evie.  Valerie said, "I just wish I could hug her one more time!"  Me too, Pookie, me too.

And now, to lighten our moods a little, here are some photos!

35 Weeks Big!  Between now and birth, his brain will grow by another third compared to it's size now.  Trying to be patient. . . I am 1cm dilated already, but it's probably still weeks away.

Valerie plays preggy.  Actually, I showed her a tasteful video online of a live, un-medicated birth.  Now she grunts and pretends she is having a baby in the corner- too funny!