Three is a Magic Number

A Poop in the Hand...

2008-04-02T00:34:00.005-04:00

...Is worth a week of TV. We got a lot of mileage out of this one. Our petite princess Piper has one powerful pooper and a penchant for picking particular pants for pooping. Affectionately know as "the rhumba pants," the red ruffled article in question is a favorite for explosive poop. We've tried different size diapers, but every so often the floodgates open, and we get to see what all the baby books identify as the proper color excrement. I was holding Piper when this one appeared in my hand. Thankfully, she's breastfeeding (no nasty smells), and it remained in my hand rather than on the carpet.

After something like that, one needs a brisk walk, so we all headed out to Loantaka for a stroll in the woods. Piper has been all over town, but the miles and miles of Loantaka's paved trails are perfect for strolling with the Orbit and giving Lily a chance to chase squirrels, geese, and deer. There are a couple of streams that Lily frequents, and it has been warm enough for her to take a dip.

Piper continues to delight us with her hilarious noises, bright smiles, and easygoing demeanor. We've been pretty good about keeping the evening routine, so getting her to bed is not a problem. After the bath, it's some food with a story with Kristin, and two or three rounds of the "Lullaby" extended mix from the Cure's Mixed Up CD to put her to sleep.

Just before Easter, we tossed her and Lily in the (Piper) Aztec and went for a short flight over my parents' house. They both earned their wings! Sadly, our photos of the event didn't turn out very well, so you'll have to take my word for it that her first flight was a success. The weather is getting better quickly, so a ride in the sidecar can't be far away....

Poached Breastmilk in a White Wine Sauce

2008-03-10T23:44:00.004-04:00

Piper has been all over town lately as Kristin and Lily take advantage of the spring-like weather we've been having when 70 mph winds aren't ripping telephone poles from the ground.

On Saturday, we celebrated Alison and John's birthdays in Millburn at Cafe Monet. Piper's first visit to a restaurant turned out to be a French bistro rather than Applebees, but she was a doll and turned out to be a hit with the couple at the table next to us. Thankfully, the Orbit stroller is compact. Even though the restaurant is cozy inside, we were able to nestle it between us, and no one tripped over it.

Choosing between carrying on about the restaurant or the stroller is a tough call. Cafe Monet is run by Tracy and Wes whom we first met in Chatham years ago when they owned The Show Bistro in town. Sadly, there were problems with the landlord, and they moved to Millburn, but that's 10 minutes away, so the best French food we've had outside of France is always within reach. Our favorite story is from our anniversary last year. We didn't feel like eating out, so we asked if they could do take out. Wes (the French-trained Egyptian chef) was a gem--he picked the menu for us; plated it on the restaurant's china; and watched in amazement as I pulled away with his best work riding in the sidecar. When I returned the next day, we shared cafe-au-lait outside the restaurant and talked about the motorcycle.

The Orbit stroller is turning out to be quite a conversation piece. We haven't seen anyone else with one around here, and when people did see us with it, we didn't warrant a second look. Then Giada deLaurentis featured it on the Today Show recently, and now we get lots of questions. It really is a treat to use. The thing folds up like landing gear on a fighter jet--and just as quick. Tossing it in the car for a run to the supermarket is no hassle at all, and finding a spot for it in the house was easy: it's about the size of a carry-on bag when folded. I'm a huge fan of it, but I do recognize it's foibles. The wheels were a complaint (the air valves were awkwardly placed), but Orbit changed the design and kindly shipped us a new pair when I asked. The front wheels do need some work. They don't give very well on rough sidewalks, so we'd like to see a springier suspension on those. The handle is a problem for me. I'm definitely in the single-bar stroller handle camp. The "pistol grip" trend is a bit frustrating. I just don't think the control is there with the pistol grips, and even though they are adjustable, there is enough play in them to make me wonder what happened to the guy who did such an amazing job engineering the folding base? Despite those minor complaints, though, I do think it's a great piece of engineering, and I heartily recommend it.

Everyone seems to ask, "How's Lily doing with the baby?" I'm happy to report that Lily is at once an attentive mother hen and jealous first-born. If Piper cries at night, Lily is up and letting Kristin know. Not that Kristin's Spider Sense isn't tuned to high-sensitivity already, but it's cute that Lily tries. She's also more wary of strangers at the door. Everyone gets a warning "WOOF!" now. Lily has always been a creature of habit, but she gets credit for being flexible as we work Piper into our schedule. The long walks are now during the day with Kristin and Piper, but we still enjoy a stroll together when I get home from work. After a long day of swinging, spitting up, and staring at everything around her, Piper loves to curl up with Lily in her bed. Lily? She still prefers the box the Milk Bones came in.

Say Hello to Piper!

2008-03-04T00:20:00.003-05:00

Yes, it has been a month since we last posted news about Piper, but how many times do you want to read about the eat/poop/sleep routine? Honestly, every two hours with that was a bit monotonous--thank goodness Piper has been a wonderful baby whose cuteness kept any complaints about sleep deprivation to a minimum.

So here she is! She's got her shots and she's been really sociable lately. TONS of smiles for the past couple of weeks, and she began rolling over this weekend. We've been able to take her on walks with Lily regularly now that the weather is a bit warmer. As a matter of fact, Kristin took this photo as they were getting ready for an afternoon constitutional today.

Piper has been cooing and giggling up a storm, and she's such a nosy little girl. She wants to look at everything, and that's been the motivation for some great exercise. Piper had great strength in her neck early on, and now she's holding her head high and taking in every detail around her.

So the ball has started rolling. We'll do our best to keep you posted on all the fun!

Over to you, Piper!

2008-01-24T11:13:00.000-05:00

World News Now aired the spot about our stay at the Parrot Mill Inn this morning at about 4:00 a.m. Any other nursing new moms or dads out there happen to see it? If not, try this video clip of the segment from ABC News.

Ready for Our Closeup!

2008-01-17T19:42:00.000-05:00

I ended the last post with the call from Maria Parlapiano, the owner of the Postpartum Place in Chatham (pospartumplace.com is the website, but it's coming soon, so check it regularly). Last week, Kristin had just missed a call from her to be in a New York Times article about a service they perform at the Parrot Mill Inn bed and breakfast next door to the Postpartum Place. Kristin was crushed because we would have been guests in the Mommy Nest Suite at the inn, and Maria would stay in the adjacent room to help all night with feedings, and she would take Piper when she was cranky so we could both sleep.

I didn't even show Kristin the article when it came out, but we hit the jackpot when ABC News called! We were invited to stay at the inn for the night, and we were going to be interviewed for a spot on ABC News! What a delight the visit was! I slept to my heart's content, and so did Kristin. Maria took excellent care of Kristin and Piper. At every feeding, Maria came into the room and helped Kristin with Piper. She even gave Piper some pumped breast milk at one point, so Kristin could sleep a bit longer.

I had the good fortune to sleep through it all, so I've got enough energy to add to the blog again, and Kristin is feeling so much better with some rest and extra consultation time.

We had a lovely breakfast with Toby, the son of Betsy Kennedy, the owner of the Parrot Mill Inn, and then we headed back to the Mommy Nest for the interview. I know that it can take a long time to shoot just a few moments of film in the movies, but I had no idea the same was true for network news. The spot we'll be in may run between 90 seconds and two minutes. The shooting took four hours.

Of course the excitement of being on national network news helped us get past the hunger (we missed lunch). So would we be on Good Morning America? World News Tonight? 20/20? Uh, no. World News Now. Every morning--just at 2:00 a.m.

Okay, so that's what they make video recorders for. We can set the DVR for that. The reporter must have seen our faces sink a bit because she said this was actually the best place for the spot. WNN has a huge new-parent following since so many parents of newborns are up at that time. We also found out that the irreverent news show has a cult following. Apparently, people record it and watch it in the morning instead of GMA or the Today show.

Hey, we're not complaining--we slept!! So set your VCR, DVR, or TiVo for World News Now every morning next week (she didn't know what day the spot would air). Maybe you'll catch us on TV!

The Rest of the Story

2008-01-17T19:12:00.000-05:00

Whew! Now we know how that cow in the movie "Twister" feels. The past three weeks have been a blur as Kristin and I stumble through life as sleep-deprived zombies, but while I usually forget where my keys are and whether the milk goes in the cupboard or the refrigerator, I never forget how beautiful Piper is and how delightful and peaceful it is to have her sleeping in my arms.

Our trip to the hospital was unexpected: Kristin had an ultrasound appointment on Friday afternoon, and the doctor told her to go home, get her bag, and go to the hospital right away because her amniotic fluid was a little low. Even though we didn't rush, we still sat for 45 minutes before being admitted since the hospital was swamped with 15 deliveries in one day and we arrived right before the shift change.

Eventually, Kristin got settled in, and was induced around 3:00 a.m. Saturday, December 29. Her drill sergeant, I mean nurse, stomped in around 7:00 a.m. to begin checking on her--only a little dilation, but by 2:00 p.m., Kristin was ready to push, and push she did--for two hours.

It wasn't looking good. The doctor had that "Hmmm, maybe a c-section is in order" look about her, but when she saw our faces, and Piper's head so close to coming out, she whipped out the vacuum. With some suction and more pushing (not to mention an episiotomy with scissors so big I thought she could sever bridge cables with them), Piper joined the excitement in the delivery room in a flash.

After a few minutes with the pediatricians, she was cleared for takeoff, and we had her in our arms. I was sent off to the nursery with Piper for processing, and Kristin was being sewn back together by the doctor.

Giving birth the weekend right before New Year's Eve isn't optimal. Over-caffeinated baby nurses and missing lactation consultants made the weekend a struggle (apparently babies don't breastfeed on weekends). We were being discharged on Monday at 11:00 a.m., so a lactation consultant was supposed to see us first thing Monday. In hospital-speak, this means 11:30 a.m. To be fair, the woman was lovely, but it was too little too late, so we went promptly from the hospital to the Postpartum Place in Chatham for the first lactation consultation.

Maria, Dawn, and Sharon at the Postpartum Place have been wonderful as they guided Kristin through some tough breastfeeding times the past couple of weeks. Things started out well, but Piper developed some thrush in her mouth, so it was tough going for a few days.

Fortunately, Kristin's mother was visiting, so she took care of cooking, cleaning and laundry, so Kristin could get a little rest, and I wouldn't feel too guilty about going back to work after my "generous" five days of paternity leave. This was very nice since everyone at work felt that since the holidays were over, we could now do five months of work in the next two weeks.

As all of you parents know, the killer has been no sleep. Piper is a lovely baby whose cries we have mostly figured out, and who has a relatively predictable schedule, so we are blessed by not having any true worries.

We didn't even have to worry about how Lily would react. Lily initially seemed to be unaware that Piper was even in the house, but now she's sniffing the bassinet to see what that smell is (diaper #18 no doubt), and wondering which stuffed animals are her toys and which are Piper's.

We're settling into a bit of a routine, and work has calmed down a bit, but we needed some rest somehow. Then, two days ago, we hit the new parent lottery when a call from Maria Parlapiano, the owner of The Postpartum Place, called. See the next entry for more information!

It's a Girl!

2007-12-30T00:29:00.000-05:00

Please join us in welcoming Piper Grace Yates into the world!

Here We Go!

2007-12-28T17:12:00.000-05:00

Just got back from the doctor--sonogram shows slightly low amniotic fluid level (shouldn't there be a light on her belly for that? LOW FLUID), so the doctor wants Kristin in the hospital tonight. We got permission to run home and grab the bags (shhh, don't tell the doctor that I'm doing this!). Induction probably begins Saturday morning!

Maybe This'll Work?

2007-12-22T16:16:00.000-05:00

Bored with waiting for the baby to arrive, Kristin and I took a ride to run some errands, and despite hitting all the potholes I could: no baby; however, Agway has a prime location next to a traffic light, and you'd never guess what they had out front, so here's a photo. You can click it for a larger view.

Kristin gets all the credit for this one. "Look, 50% off!" she exclaimed knowing that I too was eyeing in disbelief the second sidecar product experience in three months as we sat at a red light. Check out the second photo. You surely know the Life Is Good line of clothing, but can you believe that they made a Jake and his dog shirt with Jake driving a green sidecar motorcycle with the dog in the sidecar? One of my students saw it this summer and bought it for me. I sent the company a photo of Lily and me for comparison, and they thought it was a hoot. The design was discontinued last year, but they had five shirts left. You know I had to buy them--hey, the baby is going to need something to wear!

Back to our story: Before the light turned green, we decided it wouldn't hurt to at least see how much it cost. You can see what happened next....

Hey, at twice the price it would be worth the smiles on our faces and the looks we got from passers-by when we put the motorcycle on the lawn next to the balloon. Keep on laughing with us--we'll need reminders of this kind of stuff when the baby is crying up a storm! Okay, I'm off to give Kristin a ride in the sidecar to bounce that baby out!

Zippo.

2007-12-21T21:03:00.000-05:00

That's right, folks. You haven't seen anything interesting in the past nine days because there's been nothing interesting to report. Last Friday's doctor visit? "See you next year!" He says. Ha! Well, the baby was at "minus 3" (apparently the Johnson Space Center worked with obstetricians to determine launch of the infant) last week, and now it's at "minus 2" and counting.

I guess we shouldn't be too disappointed. After all, the due date isn't until Monday, so there's still time for jumping jacks, rides in the sidecar, climbing the stairs at the Empire State Building.... A little girl at one of the schools said her mom tried cod liver oil and vodka. "It didn't work, and she said it was a waste of vodka."

Since the "GO!" bags are packed for Kristin, Lily, and me, let's turn our attention to that enormous throbbing-red Hazmat can we bought for the diapers.

It has "Danger, Will Robinson!" written all over it, and it holds way too much to be safe for indoor air quality no matter how well it seals, but since the diaper battle goes to the disposables, we needed someplace upstairs to hold the toxins until we're nearly asphyxiated.

Maybe I should show you the before photo of the baby's dresser, but I'm too lazy to go take a picture of it now. I saw some interesting painted furniture in a store up the Hudson, and thought I'd emulate it for the baby's room. I bought an unpainted piece, and it's about to go under the brush. Keep your fingers crossed that it gets done before the child is picking out his or her own clothes.

Until we have some serious effacing, dilation, or contractions less than five minutes apart, have a Merry Christmas and (just in case) a Happy New Year!

Pat This!

2007-12-11T00:14:00.000-05:00

The bunny you sickos. I still remember that book from my childhood, so it was sweet that Pat the Bunny was one of the sweet gifts the teachers at Lafayette gave us on Friday. We ate that huge cake all weekend even after we left some at school and gave some to the neighbors. I think the amniotic fluid has turned to corn syrup.

We had a little preview of coming attractions last night: BIG Braxton-Hicks contraction. Kristin needed to take a warm shower to get comfortable. That was the motivation she needed to kick into high gear and finish straightening up the nursery, packing her bag for the hospital, taking stock of the diaper inventory, counting the onesies, folding the blankets, and eating more ice cream (well, I did enable that last one--Ben & Jerry's Mint Chocolate Chunk).

By the way, we cannot endorse the B&J Mint Chocolate Chunk ice cream. Ardent fans of the organic B&J vanilla (YES, it DOES taste different than the regular vanilla), we stared in disbelief at the lone container of Mint Chocolate Chunk in the freezer at Stop & Shop (at 10:55 p. freakin' m. Do you think I'm kidding? Look at the time I posted this!). Could it be that B&J FINALLY made their version of mint chocolate chip?? Skeptical, we tossed it into the basket with a pint of vanilla as Plan B. Did the sandpaper aftertaste really color our opinions, or did it have something to do with the fact that we nearly polished off the pint while watching the exciting PowerPoint scroll on the town's TV public access page? Hey, we're preparing ourselves for the thrilling social life we're in for.

If the Shoe Fits...

2007-12-08T14:27:00.000-05:00

...or doesn't as the case may be. You're looking at the most elegant footwear that my dear wife can put on these days. After trying on a pair of heels the other day, I heard something like, "I look like an old lady!" Of course she only meant her puffy feet bulging out of the shoes. She's a ravishing beauty in every other respect.

A visit to the doctor on Friday was pleasantly uneventful, so we continue to bore you happily with nothing other than good news. The baby's head is down, and the baby is facing the correct way. Cervix is thinning as expected, so Kristin's on target for a delivery in the next week or two!

The biggest problems? Deliveries. The salespeople for the baby's dresser and rug were optimistic when they said those items would be here by now. "Maybe before Christmas?" they mused. "Sure, whatever, I'll just tell my wife to keep her legs crossed."

Lily should be back to herself by then. Just when we thought she was okay, she treated Kristin to a round of bodily fluids from both ends. Fortunately, that happened at the vet's office as well, so the doctor got to see the problem and hear the gurgling belly: "I couldn't beleive I could hear that from across the room!" the doc told me today when she called to check in on the patient.

For the next five days, Lily is enjoying poulet et rice avec le Pepcid AC, and I get dooty examination duty. Other than sleeping a bit more, she seems fine, so tell your furry friends to keep their paws crossed.

Christmas Baby Marketing 101

2007-12-06T21:29:00.001-05:00

When considering the design of newborn clothing to be sold during the Christmas season, the savvy seamstress will take into account the nearly unlimited power of the "Oh, that's sooooo cute!" reflex common in the pregnant woman and the husband she has dragged into the store with her after he has been exposed to far too many hours of Oprah and Martha Stewart. Snowsuits, onesies, and socks with seasonal appeal such as embroidered Santas and reindeer, embroidered "Elf in training" or "Santa's little helper" simply cannot be resisted by the nesting mother.

Okay, so while Kristin saw it first, I admit to saying, "Well, we don't really have an outfit for the baby to come home in yet." Hey, if the due date is right, what else would you expect? If we hadn't seen this Santa suit, then you would have seen pictures of the baby coming home in a Christmas stocking for sure.

Honestly, it's been cold here, and the fleece is as soft as--you know I'm going to say it--a baby's bottom. Besides, realizing the possibility of a delivery after Christmas is a distinct possibility, we put back the "Elf in training" onesie.

Newborn Experts

2007-12-05T00:02:00.000-05:00

Yep, that's right. We're certified experts now. Kristin and I sat through five grueling hours of a newborn care class at the hospital on Sunday. We learned critical facts such as: Don't shake the baby (does that mean rides in the sidecar are out?); fold the top of the diaper down to make room for the umbilical stump; the swaddle wrap; make sure the car seat is in tight; and don't mess with Ricky and Jen.

Holy cow did they make everyone uncomfortable. The nurse began explaining vaccines, and they got on their high horse about how the safety of the public health is B.S. and we don't want that done, blah, blah, blah. Kristin was a Papmpers Pro, and the guy next to her kept trying to cheat by looking at her technique. Either that or he's really hoping that the guys at the office don't see this photo. By the way, we were randomly assigned a boy doll, and the clothes had cars on them....

Today, we began decorating the tree a little late, so I was a bit shaky on the ladder. Too much egg nog I guess.... The tree got its trimmings, and we had our Christmas brownie (no cookie baking yet) while we kept an eye on the sleeping Lily. Kristin had a preview of coming sleepless nights today when Lily woke her up around 3:00 a.m. with a gurgling belly. Up and down, outside and in. The poor puppy had a belly ache and couldn't settle down. Kristin tried to keep her in good spirits--she even made Lily some rice, but just as I was about to leave the house, the rice reversed course and I got my preview of coming attractions as I mopped up the barely digested grains and a bunch of grass she had eaten earlier.

Again, we're happy to report that everything is boring. We love that and hope to continue boring you with, "Everything's going well!" For at least the next 65 years.

Green Lights

2007-12-01T10:36:00.000-05:00

Holly, mistletoe, garland, the Ural, Al Gore (so he thinks), and Kristin are all in the green! A short visit to the doctor yesterday included a precautionary ultrasound because the nurse practitioner thought Kristin was measuring large, but all is well.

The baby is in the proper position, and the doctor had nothing to say other than, "Looks good, see you next week!" Okay, so he probably said more than that, but you get the idea. The ultrasound image given to Kristin is here, but we don't know what the heck it is. If you have any ideas what we're looking at, feel free to comment.

With three weeks to go, the weekly visits begin, including normal internal exams, which Kristin is not especially excited about. The hospital has been notified, we think we have our pediatrician picked out, and the car seat fits in the car.

The nursery is almost there. Our crib was kindly donated by the family of a student I tutor, but a couple of parts had been missing until yesterday. A rug is on order, and Kristin's mother is making drapes and a slipcover for the cusions on a glider that has made the rounds of a few new parents now.

We're still weeding out the closets and basement to make room for miscellaneous baby gear. Books are the biggest stumbling block. We're finding it tough to let many of them go.

Thanks to Steve, I finally got up in a plane. We had a great flight on Thursday just tooling around. I hereby charge the two of you with keeping me flying at least once a month in the next six months!

Otherwise, we're happy to report that there is nothing to report. We love boring, and we're hoping that there are more uneventful posts after this one. Of course, I'll have to start pontificating or endorsing products as some unnamed residents of Virginia who read this blog demand more frequent updates. For now, it's out to get a Christmas tree before the rain and snow.

Have Stroller will Roll

2007-11-18T00:10:00.000-05:00

Exhaustive research (way too much research), endless nights in front of http://www.daddytypes.com/, pushing, pulling, folding, stowing, hefting. If we ever have to buy a car, I doubt I'll do as much reading as I did before buying baby's first set of wheels.

Like any high-strung parent-to-be, we were dutifully looking at the Bugaboo line (I almost sent a resume to them for a job in Scotland, but Kristin's reply was cooler than the icy wind billowing Sean Connery's kilt on the Grampians) when a woman at Babies 'R' Us saw us staring at her infant transportation system (no kidding, some of these are really called that). While not a salesperson (so she said), she did wax evangelical about the stroller and proceeded to pop off the car-seat and with a one-hand grab, folded that thing flat. Slack-jawed, Kristin and I stared at each other with that "oh, there be more hours on the computer to check this out" look.

My father will appreciate the fact that Orbit is an American company, those with a mechanical mind will appreciate the elegance of the engineering that makes this thing so simple yet so strong, and the rest of us say, "Gee, the Bug comes in so many cool colors...."

We were nearly swayed by the mesmerizing colors of the Bugaboo line, but working them in the store was all it took to see how much simpler life would be with the Orbit (random thought: why don't they throw in a free pack of Orbit gum with this thing?). We haven't seen many around, so we don't know if we're on the edge or being left in the dust, but we'll keep you posted.

Big Baby?

2007-11-14T22:28:00.000-05:00

Kristin's latest visit with the doctor today was actually with the nurse practitioner. Everything is generally good. Those swollen ankles are normal, but she needs to watch the salt intake a little more just in case (I guess she won't be eating anything Alison prepares).

The big surprise is that the nurse continues to think that this is going to be a big baby. When the doctor sees Kristin, he doesn't have any feeling either way, but this nurse is sure Kristin is giving birth to Kong. To that end, she's got to have an ultrasound done in the next two weeks so the doctor can have a look to see whether there's just a lot of amniotic fluid or Paul Bunyan growing inside. Let us know how big you were. Family history might come into play here, so 'fess up, folks. How much did you weigh at birth? How long were you? Kristin wondered if the doctor got her due date wrong--will the baby be coming earlier than we thought?

Paul, Kong, Leif? The name thing is still posing problems. Boy names seem to be more of a challenge. Luke was actually a possibility, but we figured too many people would blame me and my Star Wars habit for that one. Since we've both been teaching for thirteen years, we've got a combined lot of nearly 800 student names between us. It seems that nearly every name has some baggage. Something will click, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen as we flip through "60,000 of Last Year's Top Baby Names!"

Suggestions are welcome here in the comments section. If you're going to go through the trouble of giving suggestions, remember to include a middle name. Your thought process would be appreciated as well, so if you suggest George Alexander Yates we don't have to guess, "Did he want our kid to get beat up on the playground because his initials spell 'gay'?"

Comments for All

2007-11-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

Care to comment? If you were previously blocked from commenting, you should be able to add comments now. If this changes in the future, we'll let you know.

See the Amazing Expanding Belly!

2007-11-12T23:24:00.000-05:00

What dad-to-be can resist the need to purchase electronic devices in preparation for the new baby? The baby belly is revealed:

So this is what happens when you only spend five minutes clipping and editing an impromptu video. Don't worry, the editing should get even better as we get less sleep.... Trust me, Kristin was smiling at the end of the shot!

The First Post

2007-11-12T15:37:00.000-05:00

Kristin is 33 weeks pregnant, she's past the first baby shower, and we're wondering if we'll ever get the nursery ready in time, but before I clean out the basement to make room for all the incoming baby gear, I wanted to make sure we had a way to keep all of you up-to-date with Womb Central.

We're about 41 days away from her due date (December 24), so take this opportunity to put your psychic abilities to the test by voting for whether or not we're having a boy or girl. You can vote in the box in the lower-right of this screen (you might have to scroll down a bit). No, we do not know ourselves--we asked the doctor to keep that secret. We'll probably be able to figure it out once the baby is born.