Know Whudda Mean, Vern?

Boy Basham is trucking through Week 20 right now. He is now about 8 inches long and probably weighs about 10 oz. Also, he is likely covered in fine hair (lanugo) and a protective, waxy coating called the vernix caseosa. Humans are the ONLY land mammals that generate the vernix, although a few sea mammals do. This leads some scientists to hypothesize that humans had a semi-aquatic phase somewhere in our past. Pretty wild, eh?

So, I think Vern is a nice, strong name for a boy. Vern Caseosa Basham. Woolly, little Vern will shed his waxy shell late in the pregnancy before he is born. Just another little fun tidbit to know about this whole process.

Laurie is likely past the halfway point of the pregnancy now! She has been feeling Vern move around a LOT more this week. Her belly is growing by the day as well. No one has ever looked better with a belly, although I MAY be slightly biased.

We will see many of you on the long weekend. In the meantime, get out and enjoy the cooler weather!

Outdoor Plumbing

As our doctor was maneuvering the ultrasound paddle over Laurie's belly, he uttered these words: "Well, there is definitely outdoor plumbing." Indeed. It's a BOY! As he was searching for "pipes," we were both giddy with anticipation, and I think we would have been equally excited if we were having a girl.

The best news is that Laurie and the baby are both doing quite well. Laurie's weight gain, blood pressure, big U (inside joke), the environment for Boy Basham, and her general health were all right where they need to be. Baby was VERY active and engaged in leg-kicking, face-rubbing, fluid-breathing (and expulsing), and general bouncing and turning. On the U-sound video, you could see his face, legs, spine, feet, hands, and all appeared normal. The doc noted that his spine, skull, bones, bladder, stomach, and kidneys all appeared healthy. He seems to be fit as a fiddle as we near the end of Week 19. It's hard to believe we are nearly halfway through Laurie's pregnancy!

So, if you remember, the Old Wives Tales were unanimous in their prediction of a girl (4-0). That's why they are called Old Wives "Tales" and not Old Wives "Truths," I guess. Also, here is the bank of boy names we have built up over the last few weeks.

Zuko
Chip
Vidalia
Prince Adam
MacGregor
Fisticuffs
Georgia
Lymon

This is quite an impressive list of names. I am leaning toward Fisticuffs from this list, but Zuko is a close second.

Please continue your prayers and good thoughts of our growing boy. We'll keep you updated.

Those Summer Niiiiii-hiiiiiiiites

"Go greased lightnin' yer burnin' up the quarter mile!" ~The T-Birds, Grease (1978)

'Tis Week 19 and the little Basham has grown to a full six inches in length or about the length of an average zucchini. Coming up with "zucchini names" was not easy. But, Laurie and I have found a couple that are worth thinking about.

For a girl, we settled on Courgette this week. Apparently, it is the more Euro-favored name of what we Americans call zucchini. The name "Courgette" is sort of like a cross between Cortney and Corvette (Bowling Green IS Vette City, you know). Not too bad.

For a boy, we went with a diminuitive form of zucchini and settled on Zuko. Of course, you know by the title of this post and from the quote that this is a reference to John Travolta's character (Danny Zuko) in the 1970's musical, Grease. It is a classic and it is one of Laurie's favorite movies. We also saw Grease on stage at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville a couple of years ago and it was a lot of fun. Grease has a ridiculously high Unintentional Comedy Factor, which is undoubtedly the best kind of comedy. You know, like Larry King's shoulders or President Bush's snicker or the band Nelson.

Do remember that we go for the ultrasound on Friday and will hopefully find out we are having a Courgette or a Zuko. We'll post as soon as we have had a chance to make the calls to the YaYa's, Nana's, PaPa's, Granddaddies, aunts and uncles.

In other news, YaYa had her retirement bash and we have an updated belly picture of Laurie. We have been able to feel the baby move for the first time this week!!! Pics below.



Folks watching Audrey open her retirement gifts. From left: Mamaw Preston, David and Penny Willis, Deanna McCord, Neal (Uncle Dooney), Nikki, Laurie, and Carolyn (sp?).

















Mom cutting her retirement cake with boss and party hostess Suzie Shelley in the background and a very hungry Uncle Dooney waiting for cake.

















Laurie's official 19-week belly picture from this morning.
















That's all for now, beauty school dropouts. Have a good day and remember: you just can't walk out of a drive-in.

Chip off the Ol' Block

Week 18 has arrived and the little one has reached a very appropriate stage in regards to his/her mama: large potato size. Laurie and Cort both thoroughly enjoy baked potatoes whether white or sweet, and potatoes that are mashed, roasted, French fried (although those are currently VERY limited during the pregnancy), or prepared in nearly any way imaginable. But, mom prefers one style of potato over any other by a wide margin: chips.

So, this week, the little one shall be called Chip for a boy or Pringle for a girl. Pringle slightly edged out Ruffles this week in the female department. Chip seemed like a no-brainer for a boy. There are very few chips that Laurie will turn down, but she is especially partial to Sweet Heat BBQ, Cheddar and Sour Cream, and occasionally she gets a hankerin' for dill pickle-flavored ones. Outside of Spud-dom, she crushes corn-based nacho cheese Doritos with reckless abandon. Cort is more of a cheddar Sun Chips fan, but secretly pines for obscure flavors like cracked pepper-and-lime Lay's and Guacomole Doritos.

Lately, there have been some products that are trying to horn in on classic chip territory. Cheezit Air Crisps, Wheat Thins Crisps, and the like, market healthier alternatives to classic potato and corn chips. Can these even be included in the "chip" conversation?

Furthermore, chips-and-salsa present a particularly difficult conundrum. They are purposefully left out of the conversation because plain tortilla chips have a hard time standing alone. They are more like edible scoops. In fact, chips and salsa can serve as a small meal in a pinch. Eating regular potato chips as a meal just seems wrong.

So, where does one draw the line on what is a "chip" and what is not? When does it cease to be a chip and fall into the more pedestrian and dreaded "cracker" category? Where is Hoffa? Did we really land on the moon? Predestination or Free Will? These are burning questions that need answers.

FYI, only one more week of boy/girl names remain. If Chip/Pringle cooperates, we should find out the sex of the baby in 11 days on Fri, Aug 25. Please keep us and the baby in your prayers as we approach the upcoming ultrasound visit.

This One Will Make You Cry

"This tastes like the cow got into an onion patch." ~Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

The Basham Pregnancy is in Week 17 this week and that means that the little one has reached Large Onion status. Oh, how we have dreamed of this day, when our unborn progeny would be compared to a large, smelly bulb that makes people cry. What more could parents-to-be ask for!


Believe it or not, the onion has quite a storied history. Ramesses IV, Egyptian pharoah, had onions placed in his eye sockets during the preparation of his body after his death. The Egyptians worshipped the onion, believing that its endless layers of flesh symbolized eternal life. They believed that its pungent odor would bring breath back into the dead (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onion). It's quite a veggie.

So, the name this week has to be Vidalia. Boy or girl, it does not matter. The name is Vidalia.

Apart from onions, we also celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary this past weekend. We took a trip to Lewisport, KY, on the Ohio River to the River House Bed and Breakfast. This was our first excursion to a "B and B," so we were not sure what to expect. Turns out that there was a bed and some excellent breakfasts. Who knew. Bernard and Cheryl (the owners) were warm and welcoming; they even prepared a little anniversary cake for us upon our arrival. Two other couples were there as well and we enjoyed the food and conversations with all of them.

Most of our time was spent around the pool. We did take time to make an afternoon trip to nearby Owensboro to see Will Ferrell's new movie, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. For Ferrell fans, I would say it's better than Elf, but it's no Anchorman. It does have some funny moments, though. We had a very relaxing couple of days and were able to visit both the Basham family in Hudson and the Vance's in Glasgow on our return trip home on Sunday.


Cort in the pool with the Ohio River in the background.
















Laurie nearly in heaven: on vacation, by the pool, eating Rold Gold Cheddar pretzels.















View of the river from the balcony of the pool.















Our B and B crew: Bernard (the photog, not pictured), and from left: Laurie, Susan, Keith, Chris, Cheryl (owner of River House along with Bernard), Bruce and Cort. Susan and Keith are from Carbondale, IL, (Go Salukis!), and Chris and Bruce hail from Louisville. Nice folks.

Master of the Universe

Another week has passed and Little Basham is now in Week 16. In a little over three weeks, we should have a video of the ultrasound and know whether the little one is a boy or a girl.

A new week also means a name change. The fetus is now about 4 1/2 inches long--or about the height of a He-Man doll, er, I mean, action figure. So, this week we shall go with Prince Adam (He-Man's real name) for a boy or Princess Adora (She-Ra's real name) for a girl. Click on links to He-Man and She-Ra to refresh your memory on what those mid-1980's characters looked like.

A couple more Old Wives Tales Prediction updates.

1. I asked Laurie to look at her hands and she looked at them with her palms up. That means...GIRL. Thanks to Grandaddy Donnie for this one.

2. The Chinese birth calendar based on Laurie's age and the month of conception says...GIRL.

That's 4-0 for a girl in the Official Old Wives Tale Prediction Championship.

By the power of Grayskull, I hope everyone has a great day.