Today was our big mid-pregnancy ultrasound and we were on pins and needles to find out just who has been rubbing elbows with my innards. However, as much as I've been looking forward to meeting this little one, a large part of me has been pretty nervous about today. Clif's pregnancy was surprisingly worry-free, even though it came on the heels of the trauma surrounding Ryann. I'm not sure why, perhaps due to the simple fact that this little one was not planned for, but I've been fighting recurring bad feelings about this little one. Every time I go in for a checkup, I strain to hear the heartbeat, half thinking it won't be there. I regularly have bad dreams that usually feature Clif in some horrible way. Today I was bracing myself for the ultrasound tech to uncover a heart defect, misshapen spine, or other abnormality. But instead she found a perfectly calm, perfectly formed little man in there.
Walden Elder Hiscock will be joining the family early to mid-May.
Unlike both Ryann and Clifton, who were literally ricocheting around their new digs from our very first peeks around 8 weeks, little Walden has been a calm passenger. At 8 weeks he waved a leg. By this point, the sibs were already treating me as a punching bag and had been for weeks. Walden graces me with a few kicks a day. In Ryann's big ultrasound we chased her around for nearly an hour in order to catch measurements between contortions. Clifton buried his head and followed the probe with his rump the entire visit. We were in and out within 20 minutes with Walden. He wiggled around placidly and only showed a bit of displeasure at having his feet tickled.
Which brings us to his name. Walden literally means 'wooded valley' and is of course made most famous by Thoreau's On Walden Pond. It brings to mind peace and strength, traits we hope little Wally will possess in spades.
The middle name of Elder follows the pattern of Clifton's name, Clifton Sumner. Sumner was a surname on Jared's side of the family a few generations back, as well as being his father's middle name. My father was the only son born in his family and he himself had two girls. Both my sister and I planned on retaining Elder in some form in our married names, however my sis married a Canadian and due to the complications of the paperwork thrown at them, decided to simply take the traditional married name (we love you David!). As a result, I am the last Elder on our branch of the tree. Passing on our surname as a middle name sends it on for at least one more generation.
So there you have it. A calm, healthy little boy. In the last few years our lives have been upended in so many ways, one of which was going from being parents to a girl to now planning for a home full of boys. Some day we hope to again welcome a little girl into our home, but right now we're absolutely delighted to be anticipating Walden's soon arrival.
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