Houston, we have a name!

Out of all the exciting things I anticipated doing while being pregnant, picking a name was always very high up on the list... that is until I realized just how stressful it is! Months before I ever got pregnant, we started making a list of names for both genders. Our boy-name list was long and plentiful. Our girl-name list... not so much. For some reason, the boy names came easy to us. But we could never seem to find girl names that we absolutely loved -- although I really think it was more of a problem for me than it was for Shawn. When you grow up with the #1 common name of the 70's and early 80's, I guess it predisposes you to be a little more finicky about what you will name your daughter one day. I was always one of two or three Jennifer's in my classes growing up. I wasn't just "Jennifer"... I was "Jennifer M." or "Jennifer Martin". I was always envious of the other girls who had names that set them apart -- uncommon names that didn't even require saying a last name to be identifiable because no one else in the school had it, like Summer or Autumn. On the other hand, there is a fine line between choosing a "weird" uncommon name (like Sunshine or Flowerpot) and just a regular uncommon name. If there was one thing I knew, my daughter would not go through life with an ordinary name. But the task of choosing that name quickly grew to be a daunting one.

Disclaimer: It's not that I dislike my name. So, Mom & Dad, please don't be offended. It was just so popular when I was born that I'm taking the opposite route with my little girl. ;-)

At the top of our boy-name list were Cole and Kase. Some of the other boy names thrown in the mix were Kane, Lane, Knox, Kaycen, Sawyer, Stockton, Westin,  and Nash. On our girl list, we had Mia, Taya, Hollyn, Laney, Bria, Bree, Colette, Cosette, Arden, Corrine, Keller, Sasha, Karis, & Britton. (Note: Bria was at the top of our list at one point, but was quickly removed when I realized it rhymes with diarrhea. You know how mean kids can be. We'd just be setting her up for failure. haha!) Ok I realize that there are quite a few girl names listed, despite what I said about us not having very many. But, once we knew the baby was a girl, the list started getting a lot more lengthy because we knew we had to pick something eventually. Although, none of those girl names really did anything for me. However, the one name that always shined above the rest, for me, was Blake. I love it for a boy's name, but I especially love it for a girl. I can't even tell you what it is I like about the name -- I just do. I have never really liked girly-girl names, like Briana or Katelyn. Not that there is anything wrong with those names -- I guess I'm just not a big girly-girl myself. There is just something about a one-syllable name, regardless of the gender, that seems so strong and individual. For instance, I love our dog's name: Jax. If we hadn't used it for him, I think we would have used it if we ever had a son. To me, it's just so bold and solid -- stands on its own. But, getting back to Blake... Shawn vetoed that name very early on for a girl, as he said it was a "boy name". As much as I tried to convince him otherwise, he wasn't buying it. So I had no other choice than to lay the name to rest (at least for a girl) and moved on.

As the weeks went on, I kept getting more & more stressed about finding the "perfect" name for our little girl. As soon as we announced the gender at 16 weeks, everyone constantly wanted to know "Do you have a name yet??" I did everything I could think of to help me scour the earth for that special name. I solicited suggestions from friends & families on Facebook, constantly searched Google, and even bought a book of 100,001 baby names. Nothing struck a chord with me. Then, one day... I think it was when I was around 19 weeks or so... Shawn came home and said "Hey, what do you think of this name? Blake Alexis Kirby." I glared at him and said "Real funny!", knowing that he had kicked that option to the curb a long time ago. He said "No, I'm serious. I have been asking a lot of women at work what they think of 'Blake' as a girl's name. Most of them said it is quickly becoming as common a girl name as it is a boy name. As long as you agree to 'Alexis' as the middle name, I am happy with 'Blake' as the first name." As I was standing there with my back to him cooking dinner, the tears welled up in my eyes. I couldn't believe what I was hearing! Then, just like that, my heart found peace again. I had been so worried about finding the right name that I was walking around with a constant sense of unease in the weeks prior -- but no longer. I hugged him and said that we would let it "marinate" for a few days to see if it felt right before making our final decision. I guess that was my way of seeing if he would change his mind. Well, he didn't. I texted my mom that night and told her that was the name we were thinking of. At first, she wasn't so sure about it either -- although she was supportive. But, by the next day, she was already referring to the baby as "BAK" (Blake Alexis Kirby) instead of "BGK" (Baby Girl Kirby). By the following week, the name stuck and we revealed it to Eric, Melissa, Ruby, & Mable. Now the girls can even say "Blake"! And, of course, my Dad knew the name right after I told my mom for the first time. Since then, we have been telling our friends and family here and there, but haven't made a huge announcement on Facebook or anything. I'm finding that everyone has big opinions when it comes to names, so I guess I'm just not ready for criticisms. Not that it matters... I think Blake Alexis is a beautiful name and will fit our daughter perfectly! And ours is the only opinion that counts. :-)

♥ Blake Alexis Kirby ♥