what's in a name?

what's in a name? 

a lot. 

...especially when you're deciding another persons name that they're going to have for the rest of their lives.

when DJ and I first started trying to get pregnant one of the first big discussions that started was about names we liked for the baby... first things first, we grew up with VERY different names - his one that was more popular and very well known and me - well let's just say most people cannot pronounce it right on the first try and am always questioned on the ethnicity [Persian], did my parents make it up [no, jackass], what does it mean [ancient goddess of water, among other things], how do you spell that [a-n-n-a...], etc.

well, my dad wanted to name me Pat. I guess I should be glad my mom won that argument [especially considering my unfortunate androgynous short hair cut for a period of time growing up partnered with my hairy arms - It's PAT! not good]. 

anyways, I digress - basically, DJ liked the idea of going with a different sort of name, I wanted something easy to spell. but seriously. something that had personality but not too much personality. also, DJ liked to start name conversations with "wouldn't it be funny to name the baby..." - I mean, REALLY. no. that's not how I'd like to start this conversation, nor would I like to name our baby something that you find amusing after a few beers.

In short, once we found out we were pregnant we got a baby name book - the best one I've come across - Bring Back Beatrice: 1,108 Baby Names with Meaning, Character, and a Little Bit of Attitude and we started flipping through it casually and discussing names for both boys and girls. We pretty much had middle names set for both genders since we wanted to use names of family members as the middle name and then worked from there for find first names that we loved. We kept a running list in my iPhone of names and would add a name when we both agreed to it... then every now and again we would review the list and delete one off due to not loving it anymore. When we decided on a name we had a list of five boys names and five girls names that we both liked.

We decided we wanted something classic and timeless and a name that wasn't extremely popular but that was simple enough [aka easy to spell and pronounce] but that had elegance as well as a fun, sweet nickname.... enough about that, don't want to give too much away.

I don't remember where we were when we thought of "the name" but DJ swears he was the one that suggested it [I hate to admit it, but I think he's right] but since then we knew we had it. DJ actually said he started really thinking it was a girl once we found that name because it was just so right for our little girl. It was our baby's name. 

In fact, when we went to get the ultrasound to find out the gender we were talking to "the baby" and said something along the lines of "Come on little baby, are you a [#1 Boys Name] or a [#1 Girls Name]? we really want to know!" And when the tech finally figured out what she was she said, do you want to know?? [clearly, we said yes - that's why we were paying her] and she said "You're having a [Baby J's name]!" 

Now the question of the month -- what is the name?  Well, we've decided we're not going to share the name before she's born with anyone*... will that actually happen? who knows. The problem is that we both refer to "baby j" by her name when it's just the two of us and we're bound to slip [in fact, DJ already did but luckily his grandmother was enthralled in her bagel and didn't hear him]. So for now, it's our little secret. [...Now, taking bets on how long this will last before one of us slips...]

I will say one thing though, it was nice to be able to say - "It's a GIRL.. we already know the name, no need for suggestions!" Now that might sound like a mean thing to some people but in reality - we wanted this to be ours, we love the name - no one else's opinion really matters... and trust us our family is sure to give us their opinion. In fact, I think for the next baby I'm going to just say we have the name even if we don't!  Don't worry though, plenty of people are still telling us what they think we should name her, I've gotten plenty of suggestions of what we should name her even though I've repeatedly said we already have a name - I'm getting really good and smiling and just ignoring. It's amazing.

One last thing, one of the parts of our baby name book that I loved was in the Introduction when the author talked about the Flaky Test... I loved it these tests to determine if the name will possibly be "flaky"or if it could be outgrown:

• Imagine your child saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to welcome you aboard the aircraft, I'm your captain [name].
• Imagine your doctor tells you that you need to see a specialist about your condition and hands you a business card.  Imagine your child's name on that card with a medical speciality below it.
• Imagine a political advertisement with your child facing the camera saying, "I'm [name] and I endorse this message."
• Imagine a court bailiff announcing a trial and saying, "Court is in session, the honorable judge [name] presiding."

Just thought those were fun little "games" to play with yourself when you choose a name -- sometimes it's easy to forget that your adorable newborn/toddler/five year old [whatever cute young age you picture your child in your head] is going to grow up to be a forty year old professional at some point... for me it was important that she have a name she can grow into and not outgrow.

so yup, that's what's in a name for us. 

what's in it for you?

*This is a lie, I did tell the Starbucks barista the name... but I figure I'll never see him again and sometimes it is fun and exciting to say in public. 

**Also, just in case you were wondering I started typing baby j's "real name" 8 different times during this blog post. Yeah, this secret is real safe with me.

preggo reading....

yup. pregnancy books have taken over my nightstand for the past three months. I can't lie, I got pretty wrapped up in this whole "being pregnant" thing and started reading the Mayo Clinic book when we first started trying to conceive and then bought the other another one the day we found out we were pregnant [is it annoying that I say "we are pregnant" - clearly, I'm pregnant - but I feel like DJ gets to share in this joy by way of putting up with my hormonal mood-swings, just a random side-thought]. 

so here are the books that I've read:

The Pregnancy Countdown - Susan Magee

Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy
What to Expect When You're Expecting - Heidi Murkoff

The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy - Vicki Iovine

[in case you were wondering - the Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy is by far my favorite, 

though The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy is quite amusing]

[also, not pictured because it's in the car is Bring Back Beatrice! our baby name book, we keep it in the car mostly so we can discuss names while we're commuting - lame, I know but you have to admit, it's kinda cute]. I also just borrowed another pregnancy book What to Eat When You're Expecting from another ZTA Advisor [speaking of which, that's how I spent my Saturday morning at EC board transitions and meeting the fabulous ZTA EC member that I'll be advising this year, I'm so excited to be a ZTA advisor and think it's going to be such a great and rewarding experience.  Also, the meeting was at another advisor's house who just had a baby this past spring and she gave me a big tub full of maternity clothes to borrow... AMAZING. Seriously, I just my maternity wardrobe just grew leaps and bounds and it's all such cute stuff!]. anyways, back to the books...  

SO....

any how-the-hell-do-I-take-care-of-a-baby 
book recommendations for me?

[because clearly I'm still not quite sure what to do with it when I get it home....]

all quiet on the western front...

not much going on in my neck of the woods this week. classes started yesterday which means my days are filled with more student interaction [which I love] and more students eating junk outside my office [which I hate] - if you follow me on twitter you get to hear rants about this at least weekly during the school year. It never fails, the day I have a salad to eat there are like 30 kids outside my office eating cheeseburgers and french fries [don't they know I'm trying to eat  healthy?!]. but seriously, I'm psyched school is back in session and am ready to hit the ground running.

I'm a little sad today because DJ is leaving me for a week to attend to some business in NYC [he's fancy]. I want to take a business trip. That's the one thing I miss about my yearlong stint in the corporate world... business trips. I love traveling for work, being out of the office and exploring new places, oh yeah and flying and sleeping in hotels. I even loved filling out my expense report when I got back [I know, I'm a freak]. Oh well, that's about all I liked about that job so clearly I'm back in the right place/field.

But back to DJ, I'm such a baby when it comes to being without him now. It's so foreign to think about spending the next week without him. I also have to drive myself to work for the next three days, the nerve of him.  Luckily, I have Ollie and my MIL to keep me company. I have a feeling a lot of girly movies/TV is going to be watched this week and it makes me very happy!

I also finished two books this week - one that I LOVED and that you should read [Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner] and one that was kinda, eh - that I wouldn't really recommend [Chasing Harry Winston - Lauren Weisberger]. More on those later...

well, this was kinda a pointless post so I'll leave you with this youtube video makes me giggle....

love.

happy tuesday kittens.

The Lying Game

Did anyone else catch The Lying Game on ABC Family?

[yes, I'm a tween]

It's a new series based on The Lying Game book series by Sara Shepard

[the author of the Pretty Little Liars]

I just might have a new guilty pleasure.

I am uber tempted to read the books...

What would you do if you had a long-lost twin? What if she disappeared the day you were supposed to meet? How far would you go to find out what went wrong?  In Sara Shepard's bestselling Lying Game series, Emma Paxton assumes her twin sister Sutton's identity to solve her murder. It's a dangerous game, and Emma is playing with a killer…

The pilot is still on hulu until August 23,

you should definitely check it out if you haven't already!
[that is if you have the taste of a 13 year old girl in TV like I do]

pride and prejudice...

"I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine." - Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

I recently finished re-reading Pride and Prejudice, I haven't read it in over a decade and so easily fell back in love with the characters, story and Austen's style of writing. As someone who often is caught reading chick-lit fluff it was great to read a book of true substance. Many critics say that Pride and Prejudice is the greatest love story ever told, I just might be inclined to agree [clearly, other than mine - hah. kidding]. Seriously though - I caught myself just smiling and sighing as I read the book falling utterly in love with the characters to where I literally couldn't stop smiling when I finished the book. 

 Then... I watched the movie again. Now, I know the book is always better than the movie but still, I have to admit I really, really like the 2006 movie version of Pride and Prejudice. Yes, they clearly changed the ending [originally just in the US because we like things "sugary sweet" - funny, but true], but I loved every minute of it. If you haven't read it in awhile or ever, I recommend you pick it up soon. The great news is if you have an ereader or iPad you can download it for free! Let's be real, I love free. I'm currently reading Emma and am again being reminded why Jane Austen is such an esteemed author and said to be ahead of her time - for lack of a more eloquent way of saying it - she's really good.

Just to make my heart happy and to hopefully give you a taste [or reminder] of the amazingness that is Pride and Prejudice here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book...

"Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. If the dispositions of the parties are ever so well known to each other or ever so similar beforehand, it does not advance their felicity in the least. They always continue to grow sufficiently unlike afterwards to have their share of vexation; and it is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your life."

"A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony, in a moment."

"Stupid men are the only ones worth knowing after all."

"They were within twenty yards of each other, and so abrupt was his appearance, that it was impossible to avoid his sight.  Their eyes instantly met, and the cheeks of both were overspread with the deepest blush" 

Source: pillageplunderpilfer.tumblr.com via annahita on Pinterest

Source: designismine.blogspot.com via annahita on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via annahita on Pinterest

in closing, if you haven't already...

Source: adorablelife.tumblr.com via annahita on Pinterest

with all that being said, run out and read the book. not feeling too literate? watch the movie. either way, you'll be left with your feeling a little lighter and more filled with love.

oh yeah, one last thing about Pride and Prejudice... Lydia is a whore. 

The End.

the best book I've read in awhile and a giveaway winner...

seriously. Bossypants by Tina Fey is the funniest book I've read in a long, long time [and I read a lot]. I devoured it and read it every chance I got over a two day period and then laughed like an idiot so much that DJ kept giving me deathstares [it's not my fault that the NYTimes articles he was reading weren't as amusing as my book].  Here are five excerpts that illustrate the wide breadth of topics covered and  of course I'd be remiss if I didn't share one of my personal favorites... 

"THE MOTHER'S PRAYER FOR ITS DAUGHTER"

First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches. 

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the the Beauty. 

When the Crystal Meth is offered, 

May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half 

And stick with Beer. 

Guide her, protect her 

When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the nearby subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock N’ Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age. 

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. 

Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes

And not have to wear high heels. 

What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit. 

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers. 

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen. 

Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, 

For Childhood is short -- a Tiger Flower blooming 

Magenta for one day -- 

And Adulthood is long and Dry-Humping in Cars will wait. 

O Lord, break the Internet forever, 

That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers 

And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed. 

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, 

Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, 

For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it. 

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, 

That I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 a.m., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back. 

“My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. 

“My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental note to call me. And she will forget. 

But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes. 

Amen.

oh Tina Fey, I love you.

Honestly, I will say though this is one of those cases where I want the actual book [ahem, DJ, feel free to run out and get that for me anytime now] as I think this is going to be a classic that I'll want on my bookshelf and that I'll want to underline and dogear and just pick up and flip through.

...in completely unrelated news...

Congrats to Tara for winning the UPrinting Giveaway I hosted last week! Tara, I'll be in touch with UPrinting and give them your info, thanks to everyone who entered.

The First Husband - Laura Dave

I mentioned on Wednesday having just finished The First Husband, now that I've had a little bit of time to process it I just wanted to mention it again... seriously - this is one of the best books I've read in a long time. This novel by Laura Dave is definitely worth picking up. It tells the tale of Annie Adams and her relationships over the span of a year or so and her highs and lows and throughout it all her love for Roman Holiday...


The Huffington Post writes --


"Her protagonist, Annie Adams, has followed love around the world, and when we meet her, she is about to be left by her boyfriend of over five years. Almost immediately after, Annie enters into her first marriage to Griffin, her rebound boyfriend of three months. The novel tackles Annie's misunderstandings of marriage and her own role in a relationship. Annie yearns for her ex-boyfriend (in Los Angeles), but is faced with a new reality (in Massachusetts) that she has lost herself in. Eventually, Annie is forced to make a choice between men. Annie's sympathetic "thought parade" as Dave says, gives the reader insight into how she is able to become proactive in her own happiness."

I'm not going to lie - this book hit some personal notes with me as there are a lot of parallels between the novel and my life [having eloping with my husband after dating for less than two months within a few months of ending a previous relationship... and then moving to nowhere other than - Western Massachusetts...?!], it was uncanny how many times I nodded my head or laughed along with the book as she paints an accurate portrayal of the adjustments to marriage/moving/trying to find a job all at one time as well as the mess of figuring out who you are and what you want.  I don't want to divulge too much of the plot-line because I feel that it's a journey you have to follow along for yourself. I will say this book is an incredibly quick read and Dave writes extremely likable and relatable characters. I can't wait to reread this book in a year or so and experience it all over again [I love when it's been awhile since I've read a favorite and I forget the little details and it feels new to me again].  I definitely recommend picking it up! 


Head over to Undercover Blonde's Book Club Friday for more Summer Reading Recommendations! 

go the f--k to sleep...

one of my friends needs to get knocked up so I can buy them Go the F--k to Sleep by Adam Mansbach...

seriously. amazing and genius.

even if you're without child and still want a laugh? 

download the audible copy of this book for free 

[it's narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, get ready].

hysterical.

warning, not for those that dislike profanity.

Dear Book Lover...

Read a great Wall Street Journal article today entitled "Dear Book Lover: Where to Find Book Recommendations" - the article makes a great starting point which I agree with - the best place to find a book recommendation: people. I find my friends are the best place to find books that I'll love because they truly know my taste and usually share it. The article did also have some links that looked  helpful, my favorite whatshouldIreadnext.com

you enter in one of your favorite books/authors and it spits out a list of books that "the database" thinks you'll like - complete with links to amazon.com so that you can read descriptions, reviews, and even buy it!  


I'm still reading my MIL's books on her kindle and then have  a few "waiting in the wings" on my kindle but when those run out, I'll definitely be using this site! 

give it a try and let me know what you think!

The Guardian - Nicholas Sparks

This week I read The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks... man, this book was a whirlwind and a quick read [like most Nicholas Sparks novels].  The book takes place in a small town in NC [again, with references to Wilmington, which I love] and is the story of a woman Julie and her life after her husband passes... it starts with a great dane puppy that is delivered to her door on Christmas Eve [arranged by her husband before he passed].  The story then continues a few years later with a love triangle of sorts. This book is a nice mix of romance and thriller mixed into one and if you're a romantic dog lover [not like that, separately - I'm a romantic AND I love dogs... I don't love dogs romantically, you know what I mean] then this book will tug at your heartstrings. Another quick read by Nicholas Sparks that will have you laughing and crying [and if you're a baby like me clutching to your husbands arm while you read it and nervous to turn the pages].

I'm onto The Choice by Nicholas Sparks next... 

What are some good books you've read lately?

The Last Song

here's a double whammy - book and movie review... so I saw the movie The Last Song earlier this year via netflix instant que... amaaazing. You absolutely fall in love with the cast [cute boy] and the story [cute boy] and get all sorts of wrapped up in everything [cute boy] - did I  mention there is a cute boy in it? 

Yeah, hello Liam Hemsworth.... [fun fact: he is cast in Gale in The Hunger Games movie!] - anyways, back to the movie... I thoroughly enjoyed it - I laughed, cried and here's the jist of it Ronnie (played by (s)miley cyrus) a "rebellious former piano prodigy" is sent off to Georgia to spend the summer with her dad, she's a complete asshat to her dad [and everyone around her] until she meets Will [insert dreamy sigh].. I don't want to get into to much more without giving away major plot points, but its a great flick and touches on life, love and family. 

So then, my MIL and I traded Kindles so she could read Something Borrowed and The Help [soo good] and she had the Nicholas Sparks novel "The Last Song" that the movie was based off of -- I loved it. I don't know if I enjoyed both so much because I saw the film before I read the book but I thought the movie was a great interpretation of the story.  The book was a little different on a few smaller plot lines... the one major thing that I loved about the book was that it was set in Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach [where I lived for almost four years]... such a beautiful part of the country and I could just picture every place they talked about. The book is a quick read and definitely great travel/pool material! I recommend both wholeheartedly, just get ready to shed some tears and let out a few laughs.

The Help

The Help

If you haven't already read this book, please do - now. I can't even begin to do the book justice but I will tell you that you were laugh, cry and just feel for all of the women in this book [you'll even hate a few, I know I did]. 

To be honest, Sarah told me to read it MONTHS ago and I picked it up one day at the store but just didn't feel connected... I should have known to listen to Sarah - clearly, she hasn't led me astray [other than all that zombie crap].

In other news, I can't wait to see the movie and see what they do with the characters and how they change the plot... I have some ideas. The only thing that makes me sad is that I want to know more... this is one of those books that you finish and are begging for a sequel/series... oh well, on to the next book!


Here's the preview for the movie to give you an idea of the plot...

sweet valley confidential... what? what???

did anyone else obsess over read the sweet valley high series?

seriously. I owned all of them. every. single. book. 

I changed my mind daily over if I wanted to be Elizabeth or Jessica... seriously. I almost want to reread that series [remember, I'm a tween].

and then there was the tv show...

which I also loved.

and now -- there's a NEW Sweet Valley book! Sweet Valley Confidential...

 "Now with this striking new adult novel from author and creator Francine Pascal, millions of devoted fans can finally return to the idyllic Sweet Valley, home of the phenomenally successful book series and franchise. Iconic and beloved identical twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are back and all grown up, dealing with the complicated adult world of love, careers, betrayal, and sisterhood.  WANT MORE SWEET VALLEY RIGHT NOW??  Become a fan of Sweet Valley Confidential on Facebook or Twitter." [Amazon] 

what's that you say? the sweet valley twins? all grown up?

I can still pretend to be them?

the book hit shelves [and kindles] today. 

run, don't walk to buy [download] it now, you know I am!

what I'm loving wednesday...

happy wednesday! hope you're having a fabulous week and that it's flying by... mine is - I thought for a moment it was tuesday this morning only to smile and realize it's WEDNESDAY - which means my work week is halfway over! 

here's what I'm loving on this beautiful spring day...

I'm loving.... that last night DJ and I spent like thirty minutes laughing hysterically and "fighting" aka roughhousing... it's so much fun being married to your best friend [even if he does steal my iPhone and put up random facebook statuses... watch out buddy, I'm coming for you] - here's the picture I took of the little devil when he was harassing me...

I'm loving.... that I went wedding dress shopping with this sweet girl this weekend, she's going to be a BEAUTIFUL bride and I can't wait to watch her go down the aisle in November!

I'm loving.... that we're going to Medieval Times to celebrate DJ's birthday this weekend, I haven't been in forever - it's going to be hilarious and messy so much fun!

I'm loving.... my sweet pup and his snuggles

I'm loving.... being a tween and watching Make it or Break it on ABC family, I didn't realize how much I missed it until it came back on... I don't know that I'll ever "mature" to finding that stuff silly... it's just who I am.

I'm loving... The Hunger Games series, I finished the first book and am halfway through the second book, seriously, I don't want to put it down, EVER. I know, I know, I really am a tween.

I'm loving....  even though he's a colossal pain in my ass - I am so thankful that I have such a loyal and caring partner... My Danny J truly makes me so happy and really is my soulmate. I'm so thankful that he's mine and I'm his...

happy wednesday!

"Heart of the Matter" - Book Giveaway

Happy Friday! my kindle comes today and to celebrate - I'm doing a giveaway. I originally bought Heart of the Matter to read over the weekend, but as I want to break in my new toy I'm going to download it and give the book I bought away to one lucky blog reader.

One lucky winner will receive a brand-spankin'-new paperback copy of Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin!

Mandatory Entry:

1.  Leave me a comment telling me the title of a GREAT book that you've recently read [I need ideas of what to download and read next!]

Extra entries:

1. Follow "forever88" [this blog, duh] via GFC

2. Blog about the giveaway

Make sure to leave a comment for each entry!

Entries accepted until Wednesday, March 30th at 12am.  

Winner announced Thursday, March 31st!

exciting addition to the family!

I have the world's BEST husband who agreed that I needed one of these....

 that is correct, as of friday, I'll be the owner of a Amazon Kindle! 


I got a pretty red leather case with a light to keep my new baby safe and stylish!

so. freaking. excited.

thanks danny J for supporting my book/reading addiction... hey, it's better than crack, right?! 

AND now we don't need to invest in more bookcases AND I'm saving trees.
I know, I'm a great person. so selfless.

thanks ALSO to one of my bestest favorite friends sarah for answering all my kindle questions last night! she's also a new blogger, check out her blog, it's hilarious and awesome! [just like sarah!]