Fathers Be Good to Your Daughters

I am almost 35 weeks pregnant according to my "dates" but I think the time is sooner than the dates would agree.  I feel like there is SO MUCH TO DO and I feel overwhelmed.  I am excited and nervous all at the same time.  I still have some unanswered questions looming and a few odds and ends to secure.  But really, the truth is that we are never really as ready as we want to be or think we are.  When God is ready for LucyKate to join us on this side of the womb, she will join us, despite our best or worst efforts to plan and prepare for her arrival.

Today I landed on a website that I just love.  Its called "Life to Her Years" and its advice from a dad to other dads of daughters.  I did not know my real dad ever.  My grandpa was an AWESOME father figure for me, and I was blessed with a loving step-dad when I was 11.  Looking at these pics and reading this man's advice makes me teary.  While I will always wish I had experienced this kind of love and attention from an actual father, I am so very thankful that I will get to witness my own daughter experiencing this kind of love and attention from my husband.  Thank you Lord for an amazing husband and daddy to be for my LK.

Check out this link, and have a tissue handy.

Life to Her Years

What Not To Say To a Pregnant Lady

All those who are not with child, or who have not endured the trial of labor, please take note:  Pregnant ladies are sensitive and will probably take something you say the wrong way, and dwell on it, and worry about it over and over again until they see you again and you say something that didn't hurt or in some way offend them. 

I wish I could tell you why this is true, I am assuming its hormones because thats what I blame EVERYTHING on these days. Regardless, the fact of the matter is that there have been some comments come my way that have left me either scratching my head (did she really just say that?) or reaching for tissue (to wipe tears of humiliation). 

One thing that I get ALOT is shock an awe over my due date.  I am 32 weeks pregnant, I am due in mid October.  Baby Center and What to Expect both tell me that my baby is already taking up all the room in my basketball sized uterus, and will just be finalizing development of lungs and gaining fat for the next several weeks.  So based on that info alone, one would expect the size and volume of one's core area to be significantly larger than life.

Enter people who don't know any better.  I get asked all the time, "when are you due?"  And I say mid-October because I am due October 19.  Then I get all manner of what I feel are inappropriate responses.  "Ohhh not until October??"  'That much longer??" "I thought you were due earlier"  "You've still got a long ways to go"  all while staring me up and down with this tone in their voice that says to me "dang you are huge!"

For those of you who are wondering, the CORRECT answer/response would be "That is great! I am sure you are excited" or "Wow, that is just around the corner!" or "It'll be here before you know it!" NOT: "Wow its 100 degrees outside right now and fall is so far away, we will be well into football season before you even feel one contraction."

I also can't handle the inappropriately long staring and unsolicited touching.  I understand that pregnant ladies are a beautiful site to see, but there are some people that I see every day who don't even make eye contact but just STARE at my gut.  This makes me incredibly uncomfortable.  I mean, we already feel like we stick out like a sore thumb, must you add insult to injury with the constant staring??   And being touched without warning really gives me anxiety.  I am not a Buddha, and I promise you that I won't grant any wishes for those who touch without permission!

Am I overreacting?  Maybe.  But I am also pregnant, and hormonal, and very sensitive.  So when I feel like someone is judging my size in a critical tone, I get my feelings hurt.  I don't know of anyone who wouldn't! 

Now that I got that off my chest, I feel alot better.  Thank you anonymous interwebs, for listening and understanding.  A girl just wants to feel pretty and accepted when she is ginormous with child, not looked at up and down by critical eyes!

How To Name A Baby (How We Did At Least)

I wrote a post earlier this year about baby names. At the time, we didn't yet know if we were team PINK or team BLUE. Since then we have learned and confirmed that we are having a precious baby girl due in exactly two months! Of course we were tickled pink (haha) to learn that we have a daughter, but what we were not so tickled by was choosing her name. We had a boys name all picked out and ready to go! But when it came to lady names we were still on Mars and Venus.

Husband wanted something really feminine, pretty and more on the modern side. I wanted something traditional, southern and more on the classic side. So as we processed through our respective lists we rarely found ourselves in agreement about any of the names. So we decided to stop thinking about it for a while. This was around March/April of this year. We revisited the name game occasionally, we narrowed down the list, and even thought we made a decision once or twice, but in the end we (I) just couldn't commit.

If you read this blog often, you know we are prayin folks, and we prayed NIGHT AND DAY (I am not kidding) about what this child's name should be. We said to God over and over "You know what this child's name is, why don't you tell us what it is!!" I still don't know why he waited, but the good news is that he did finally answer us and we are so excited to know beyond a shadow of doubt that we have chosen the best name for our baby girl.

Last weekend, I read through one of those 1,000,000,000,000,000 name baby name books. Yes, I read ALL of the girl names. I studied that book like I was studying to graduate from college. We made new lists, some new options and the old ones we have liked all along. We discussed the meaning of the names, and if the names carried any significance for us... all names have a meaning but not all names carry some level of significance for you personally. Significance behind the name was probably my number one factor I needed to make a final decision.

I carried this book around with me ALL WEEKEND. I took it on date night, it stayed with me wherever we went. So last Friday we were driving down the road and I found a section in the book about names that were popular in other cultures and countries. One of the names that continued to pop up on other country's top name choices was Lucy. Lucy has ALWAYS been one of my favorite names, but Brian wasn't as crazy as I was about it... that is until I told him about the other versions of Lucy. In Italy, if your name is Lucy it would be Lucia (Lew-SEE-ah, emphasis on the second syllable), as it would also be in the other romance languages.

Well, the name Lucia really did it for Brian. He loved it, and I loved it too since it was a form of Lucy. So as we discussed Lucia, Brian just randomly said out loud "Lucia Kathryn Walters" to which I exclaimed "We could call her LucyKate!!!!" And a name was born, or at least the idea for the name was born. We spent the following week thinking and praying and pondering and asking her if she liked it (kick once for yes and twice for no, however she did not cooperate). Then for a number of random reasons, yesterday we decided to go on and make it official. Here are the reasons:

1. Brian LOVES Lucia and I LOVE Lucy so we get the best of both worlds.

2. Lucia/Lucy means light, and light was MY first word as a baby (after the mama dada stuff). Learning this meant a great deal to me and really hit my need to find significance in the name.

3. Brian loves the name Kate (it had always been on the short list) and I love the name Kathryn. Again, we get the best of both worlds.

4. Kathryn is a family name, Brian's first cousin is named Kathryn and now that there are two Kathryn Walters we hereby declare that Kathryn is a family name!

5. Kathryn and Lucy both carry the old-school classic feel I love while Lucia and Kate both carry the more modern feel Brian loves.

6. Kathryn means Pure. Lucia means Light. So our baby girl's name means Pure Light. I LOVE THIS!

7. LucyKate is the cutest little southern girl name ever. I am very proud to be carrying on the double name tradition with my daughter. And when she gets older if she wants to go by something other than LucyKate, well she has several options to choose from!

8. I googled Lucia Kathryn Walters and according to the interwebs NO ONE ELSE HAS THIS NAME. Again, this carried a TON of significance for me. I am proud of my own random name, and proud to be the only AnnieLaurie Walters I can find online, so I am glad that my girl will also have a unique and distinct name.

9. As I mentioned before, Lucia is the Italian version of Lucy. We went to Italy last fall as our last big vacation on our own before starting a family and we loved it! In fact I loved it so much I continually tell Brian that I want to move there some day! So having an Italian element to her name is special to us because of our time we spent in Italy.

10. The final point on how we chose our baby's name is the most awesome, most beautiful, most significant and meaningful point of all. Yesterday afternoon, after we sealed the deal between the two of us that this was the name and that we would set it in stone, we saw yet another miracle from the Lord.

I have mentioned before here on the blog how God has miraculously used RAINBOWS at critical times of decision in my life, to encourage me and let me know that I am following his path and that he is pleased with me. I am always amazed when he reveals himself to me in rainbows at exactly the right time to put my heart at ease and bring me peace.

Well, by now you have guessed it. Yesterday afternoon as I was leaving work, a huge thunderstorm passed over the church (where I work). It was pouring buckets and I had no umbrella so there was no way I was making it to my car. I waited for about 45 minutes for the storm to let up. I called my mom and talked to her while I waited and we had a really good talk about all kinds of things. Then the rain appeared to be weakening so I let her go, and called Brian to let him know I hadn't left yet. I was complaining that it was still raining and he told me to go on out and not worry about getting wet that it would probably feel good since it had been so hot. Right about that time, the sun came out, but it did not stop raining. So I got off the phone and headed out the door. The sun in the western sky was SO BRIGHT while the eastern sky was still dark with rain clouds. I got to my car and it was then that I saw it.



Big and bright, this rainbow stretched from horizon to horizon right over top of our church. It was beautiful! As I sat in the car staring, the rainbow got brighter and brighter and then a second band began to appear outside of the bright band. God was creating a double rainbow right before my eyes! I got out of my car, barefoot, while it was still raining and started snapping photos with my iphone, praising and thanking God the entire time. This is the second time he has used rainbows to affirm and encourage me during this pregnancy (I have not told you all about the first one yet, but I will soon.)





After standing in the parking lot in the rain for about 15 minutes taking pictures, I finally decided to go home, and the rainbow followed me home! When I got home the rainbow was still right over me, it was stretching over our condo from one side to the other. We could even see it from our balcony.

I am so thrilled and ecstatic that, in addition to all the reasons we chose this name, we got the official rainbow seal of approval from above. We now know our little girl's name and God was faithful to reveal it to us in his perfect timing.

So thats the story. I know this is long, but I wanted to get it out here on the blog, as a testimony to the Lord and praise to him for answering our prayers and always going above and beyond to let us know that he is here and that he cares.

Thank you Lord!

Gestational Diabetes: How I Stay Within Healthy Levels

I think that staying within your range is not a cookie cutter solution for all moms to be with high blood sugar. Our bodies all handle and process carbs differently, and your level of physical activity plays into your results as well. However, here are some things that are working for me. Posting this to help other moms with gestational diabetes who may be searching for ideas.

DISCLAIMER: I am no doctor, so vet whatever I say with your own health care provider. These are examples of what is and is not working for me, I am not saying you should do things exactly like me, so don't unless your doctor says its ok.

From what I have read on the Baby Center and What to Expect message boards, it seems that depending on what part of the country you live in, the advice and guidelines tend to vary. I have no idea why that is, but for the record, I am in Northern Virginia, so what I am being taught by my health care providers may look different than what you are being taught. In any event, I think that no matter where you live, we can all agree that if you are going to keep your blood sugar at healthy levels, you can't cheat on the diet. This is step one. I say this because IT IS SO EASY TO FUDGE (no pun intended) on diets. A little taste of a cookie someone brought into work or half of your husband's donut could spike your blood sugar in ways that you wouldn't believe. So no cheating!!

At the same time, be sure you are eating some carbs. I learned that if we don't eat our recommended daily carb allotment, our livers will naturally produce more glucose and that is why sometime we see high morning (fasting) numbers. For example, the nights I don't eat my 1 carb "snack" after dinner, my waking/fasting numbers are ALWAYS higher. Luckily for me, they are never over 95 (the limit) but I am talking a 10-15 point difference when I do/don't eat that one last carb serving of the day. This is completely counter-intuitive to me, but I am learning to rethink these things now that I am equipped with more info from my dietician.

When I was first diagnosed, I stuck religiously to my eating plan. After two weeks of excellent numbers -- well below the required limits -- I began to "try out" some carbs I would have otherwise avoided, but still staying within my recommended daily allotment of carb choices. I found that the white flour/refined sugar carbs KILL ME. One Panera Bagel spiked my blood sugar to 148! That was my highest reading ever. I also found out that lemonade is bad for me, luckily I only had a 2 point overage after 2 glasses of lemonade with dinner, but now I know I just cant do fruit juices of any kind or white flour foods.

I was pleased to discover that my blood sugar doesn't mind frozen yogurt, and I don't mean TCBY (is that even still around?) but REAL frozen yogurt like Pinkberry and Red Mango. Both are all natural and I found that I could enjoy a small size serving with limited fresh fruit toppings and still remain below my blood sugar limits. This discovery has been so wonderful for me to have a healthy way to satisfy my sweet tooth. And I mean, the whole Pinkberry brand is so fun, visit their website and make sure your sound is on, their little song is the bomb! http://www.pinkberry.com/

The bottom line is, after you stick to plan for a while and if your numbers are staying low, its ok to try other things and see how they work for you as long as you are staying within your daily carb limits. You may find frozen yogurt to be your blood's worst nightmare, but bagels don't bother you at all. You may also find that eating the "white" carbs at certain times of day react differently with your blood sugar. Every body is different, so get to know yours. This is one of the small benefits of taking your blood all day, you really do get a sense for what your body will accept and reject. I told my husband I wish they had a similar personal blood test device for him to check his cholesterol!

Another big tip I got from my dietician was to exercise after eating a big meal. For example, if I were to eat some pasta or chicken pot pie for dinner, that I should walk right after dinner and before testing my blood sugar, the numbers will go down because you will burn up some of the glucose through the exercise. I have been doing this and seen good results from it. I used to be a morning exerciser, but now I am an after dinner exerciser because I need more help with the sugar after dinner. This was a huge discovery I made about how my body works, and I will likely continue this practice beyond pregnancy.

I have also found that eating protein with my carb choices helps level things out. One of the biggest things I am learning through all of this is BALANCE. I used to make dinner for us and skip the salad. Now I strive to never skip the salad because the balance of nutrients in my body impacts how my body processes the carbs/sugars. As I plan out my daily meals and snacks my priority is balance between carbs/protein/greens rather than focusing only on calories.

This is the first time in my life I have been on a "diet" for a reason other than to lose weight. My new approach to eating has nothing to do with weight loss or how I look. It has to do strictly with health benefits, first to my child and second to me. This change of mindset has been revolutionary for me.

I am a classic yo-yo dieter and I have always had a love/hate; up/down relationship with my scale. The clothes in my closet range from size 6 to 16! In the past I have tried everything from the fad "grapefruit diets" and the more established Weight Watchers and South Beach diets. Even though the WW and SB diets do encourage you to eat a balanced meal, I always ignored all that. I focused on points only or limiting carbs only, I didn't try to eat balanced meals at all. But now, I am starting to see proof of how important balance in my food choices can be to how my body processes the foods I consume. Maybe because now I can actually test and see my blood sugar real time and have a better understanding of how out of balance my eating had become.

"Calories in Calories out" was a motto of mine, so I foolishly went about my days thinking "Well, I burned 600 calories on the elliptical today at the gym, so that should cancel out the 600 calories I will eat in pizza." My body just doesn't operate on that math. To maintain healthy weight and blood sugar I need balance between all of these things: nutrients, physical activity, rest... all of it.

So when I talk about Gestational Diabetes, I strive to think and talk holistically and long-term, continuing to choose to look at this as a blessing in disguise, and taking advantage of these new resources I wouldn't have otherwise had access to, and learn more about how my body works and reacts to the types and amounts of food I eat.

Even though it sucks to have to go through this, I am glad I am learning these new things now (before life gets really crazy) so that I can teach my daughter healthy habits and hopefully she wont have to re-learn how to eat later in life because she watched me follow unhealthy patterns. I am doing this for both of us, for a healthy pregnancy and a healthy life.

Diabetes and Pregnancy: What I Have Learned

My name is AnnieLaurie and I have Gestational Diabetes.

Before you say I am making a big deal out of something a lot of people get (18% of pregnant women), let me just say that it *IS* a big deal and can cause serious complications for mom and baby. What isn't a big deal, honestly, is WHY I, or any of my fellow moms to be, got this diagnosis.

When I first found out, I cried. Living in a country where Type 2 diabetes is on the rise, I felt like this diagnosis was MY fault and evidence of something I did wrong. I felt like I was already a terrible mother for putting my baby at risk. Then I went to school and learned the truth.

Facts I learned about Gestational Diabetes
I went to a 4 hour session at the hospital where I will deliver to learn what all of this new information means for me. I learned that it is not my fault that I got this diagnosis, that women's hormones and bodies during pregnancy can get out of wack and that wonderfully complex and mysterious (temporary) organ (the placenta) has a HUGE implications on how our bodies process all kinds of hormones, including insulin. The placenta produces more glucose during pregnancy so no matter what you eat, your blood sugar can be elevated just because of how your body is producing and handling naturally occurring glucose and insulin. Additionally, 96% of women diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes see it go away after the baby is delivered.

I also learned that, because of this diagnosis, I am at a higher risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. When I pressed for more info I found out that that risk is based on statistics gathered from women who had GD and later developed Type 2; however these statistics are not based on factors outside of the women's control (like a placenta jacking up your hormones) and don't take into account how well the women surveyed took care of themselves after pregnancy. Bottom line: if you have GD and don't continue eating healthy and exercising after your pregnancy, you may get Type 2. I submit that you may get Type 2 no matter if you had GD or not -- its primarily the lifestyle choices that determine that, its not always due to an internal body response that you can't control.

That said, while it is relieving to know that I did not CAUSE my Gestational Diabetes, it is at the same time a WAKE UP CALL to maintain a healthy lifestyle for my own health, and my family's health, post-pregnancy.

How has gestational diabetes impacted my day-to-day life?
The biggest impact is the added chore of taking blood and testing it 4 times a day. Remembering to do it is a challenge, as is fitting it into an already packed schedule. I have not enjoyed stepping out of meetings to check my blood, thankfully my colleagues have been understanding, but its still uncomfortable and kind of embarrassing. Its also a challenge to eat 6 small meals a day - as recommended by my dietitian. Meal planning takes more time, because I need new recipes and have to do more prep-work to ensure my food is ready to "grab and go" during the busy work week. Not to mention the added expense of test strips that go for $1 and strip (remember I have to use 4 a day!). Thank God for good insurance coverage!

In some ways, Gestational Diabetes has also *improved* my life
Now that I am serious about eating healthy for life, I have discovered many new foods and recipes I enjoy that are good for me! I am establishing healthy habits now that will help me tremendously post pregnancy. From testing my blood sugar daily, I now know which foods really spike my glucose and ones that don't (no more Panera bagels for me!). I am also VERY happy to report that I am successfully controlling my blood sugar levels with diet and exercise. I have only been above my required limits twice in two weeks -- which is not bad when you consider I test 4 times a day every day. That is great and exciting news to me!! And my doctor!! In fact the large majority of my numbers are BELOW 100!! The waking/fasting limit is 95 and the other 3 tests during the day limits at 120. So I feel really good about how things are going.

Dispelling the Myths about Pregnancy Diabetes
The other good news is that many of the assumptions, dare I say rumors, about gestational diabetes are not all true. Just because you have gestational diabetes DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY MEAN you will have a big baby, not be able to deliver naturally, that your baby will have diabetes, and more. If you can't get your blood sugar under control, those things CAN happen, but just because you have GD doesn't necessarily mean that any of those things will happen to you. I have heard some stories of women who are automatically scheduled for a C section JUST BECAUSE they were diagnosed with GD. I am here to tell you it doesn't have to be that way and I am thankful I have a doctor who is encouraging and supporting me as I strive to do all within my power to keep this diagnosis under control.

So while my reality is having to deal with this unexpected and unwanted curve the road, I am feeling blessed and empowered knowing that I can control it with my food choices and exercising. I also know that this is not my fault and that I am in very good company with other moms who have successfully navigated this challenge.

I have noticed a lack of resources online, especially real life stories and blogs from other women who have dealt with this. So I am going to post a few more blogs about what I am learning, how I am dealing, and most importantly food ideas and menus that work for me. I am all about sharing the love and helping other pregnant women get through this because we are ALL in it together!

The Nine-Month Myth

Before I was pregnant, I thought that a woman carried her baby in her womb for 9 months. When I saw pregnant ladies I knew I would ask them how many "months" they were. Since I have become "great with child" this year I have realized that 9 months is a big fat lie.

Women carry their babies for basically a year. The average human gestation time is 40 weeks and the majority of first time pregnancies do not deliver until 41 and 1/2 weeks. That's essentially 10 weeks shy of a year (52 weeks). I've also learned some theories about the "4th Trimester" that the first 3 months of a newborn's life can be viewed as an extension of the gestation process based largely on brain development and the degree to which human newborns depend on the mother to survive as compared to other warm-blooded mammals.

I am 24 weeks pregnant right now. I am in my 6th month. I became pregnant in January 2011 and will (Lord Willing) deliver my baby in October 2011. Feels like a year to me, so I am rounding up.

I have had a relatively easy pregnancy. I didn't get very sick, I just had massive food aversions - especially to chicken. My only complaint is not sleeping well, which I am often told "get used to it" which doesn't really make me feel better, only points out the harsh realities of the inevitable.

All in all, I have had a good experience being pregnant. I am not one of those who LOVES being pregnant, but I have also not had my head in a toilet for the last 24 weeks so I am counting my blessings. I also enjoy feeling the kid move around. Its really amazing and fun, until she starts having a dance party on my bladder in the middle of the night.

My only regret is that I didn't try to lose more weight before getting pregnant. Another myth I believed, that since I was "trying" to get pregnant, it didn't really matter what I ate and if I was over-weight before getting pregnant because I was just going to get fat with the baby. What I didn't realize then was how important nutrition is to the baby's development, that pregnancy isn't a license to eat whatever you want with abandon without significant consequence now and after birth, and that I would look like I was giving birth to triplets at the half way mark.

We have been busy getting ready to bring baby home to our 760 square foot one bedroom apartment. This has taken some creativity and strategic thinking on our part. But it has been so much fun to do together. Before I was pregnant, a part of me was sad that I would not get to decorate a nursery. I know how superficial that sounds, I am just being honest. I obviously got over it. But what I didn't know then was how much FUN it would be to redecorate our entire apartment! We have spent the last year cleaning out, downsizing furniture, selling things on Craigslist, and buying new, smaller furniture to make room for things like cribs, high chairs and play-pens. Once we have the entire re-do of the place complete, I will do a blog just on the transformation of our apartment. We have enjoyed doing all these little projects together and have spaced them out over the course of the year so we are not stressed out about getting things ready at the last minute.

The other myth I told myself was that I would still be able to do all the same things that I normally do. It has been challenging to keep up my normal pace of activities with a baby on board. I was tasked with a project at work that has had me working alot more hours this month and this has exhausted me to a degree I didn't think was possible. Again, the moms of the world laugh at my exhaustion and say "wait for it... wait for it... you know nothing of exhaustion grasshopper!" I am not complaining about the being tired all. the. time. part, I am just saying I was/am really surprised at just how tired I am. So tired that its been nearly two months since my last blog :)

There is much more I would like to write about concerning the last several months, but I will save those thoughts for another post. I just wanted to get some of these myths off my chest and confess my own ignorance regarding the miracle of gestation. I am learning so much, and I am SO thankful for the 41 and 1/2 weeks the good Lord has given me to get my own heart and mind ready for what is coming.

The Truth About Baby Names

Unsurprisingly, I've been doing alot of thinking about baby names lately. We find out the sex of our baby on Thursday this week. We have talked a little about names, but we decided to hold off on it until we knew if the baby was a boy or a girl, largely because we couldn't agree on anything. I prefer traditional old-school names, husband prefers modern "short" names. I personally like long names, names with lots of syllables that roll off the tongue in perfect poetry. Husband wants one syllable or the potential for a one syllable nickname. So rather than exhausting ourselves over this, we thought we could cut the debate in half if we knew we only had to choose a boy or a girl name, not both. Sometimes I think we will not have a girl ever because we are so at odds with each other on girl names.

My friend Ashley told me about this new show on Bravo called Pregnant in Heels. I talk to Ashley just about every day so she patiently listens to alot of my baby talk, and recommended I check it out. So today I Hulu'ed the show, sadly there was only one episode on Hulu to enjoy, but the one was pretty interesting. The show featured two couples, both who brought in Rosie Pope, a "pregnancy concierge," to help them with a pregnancy dilemma. One of the couples wanted Rosie's help selecting a name for their baby. This is a New York City "power couple" who valued selecting a name that would help their son start off on the right foot in their power world.

Rosie first brought in a think-tank of experts including a linguistic expert, a baby name blogger, a poet, an editor for A Small World (the elite social network -- have you ever heard of that??) and I think one other person I cant remember. Anyway, this couple presented their ideas to the group, then the group presented some ideas to the couple and they talked through pros and cons of the various names. Then they took the list of names to a true focus group of professional New Yorkers who then gave their opinions. Finally the list of names was presented to this couple's group of socialite friends at a dinner party. There was so much pressure to find a name that would define the child's future. Is this a name that you would date, or marry, or that could be a CEO or even the President of the United States?

It was then that I thought to myself:

The name doesn't define the person, the person defines the name!

I can appreciate how difficult it is to name something. My first "baby" was this blog and it took me forever to name it. In fact, as I have lately considered re-naming it, I have decided to keep the name Living Canvas because this blog will always be a vibrant portrait of how I am processing what I observe about life. But the process of landing on ONE name that would forever represent what I was trying to accomplish with this blog was exhausting. And after nearly 4 years of blogging I am not sure that the name of the blog has helped in anyway to determine the outcome or the success of this blog. Its the SUBSTANCE that makes the blog what it is. I say the same is true for naming people.

I have a unique name, a name that I have had to convince people to say correctly my entire life. Its not spelled weird or difficult to pronounce. Its simply two names joined together as one. It baffles me that AnnieLaurie is so difficult for people to catch on to, especially here in DC. I have had any number of reactions to my name over the years. I have folks who love it, who have even chosen to name their own children double names and told me it was because they liked my double name (I say that humbly, it is true though). I also have folks who are confused by it, call me Laurie Ann, Anna Laura, Anne Laur-ee (3 syllables), Amy Laurie, Amy, Annie, Laurie, Amy Ray, Annie Ray and more. And, I kid you not, I have had folks here in DC tell me it was pretentious of me to expect to be called by two names. After I graduated from college and I started my career as a television news reporter, the news director called me into her office to tell me that the owners of the company wanted me to stop calling myself AnnieLaurie that I should choose one or the other -- and this was in GEORGIA (double-names are much more accepted in the south, no Bobby Ray or Billie Sue jokes please)! Needless to say my career in TV news was short lived. I went on to become a press secretary and used my name as a way to screen calls, if the reporter calling got my name right I took the call, if not they went to voicemail.

ALL THAT TO SAY, having this double name has not defined me or made me who I am today. I could have just stopped correcting people somewhere along the way. I could have just let folks call me one of the list of incorrect names above but I didnt. And it wasnt having the name AnnieLaurie that made me have the self-assurance to correct folks and stand my ground after several attempts in various ways to persuade me to change it. Its who we are inside, the mix of genetics, upbringing, culture, life experiences and God's design that make us who we are, not our names. I am not a better or worse person in any way because of my name. NO one is! The person makes the name! Its not the other way around.

I was very pleased to see that, at the end of the Pregnancy in Heels, the couple needing help with the baby name decided on the name that ultimately THEY liked best. In fact, it was the name least liked by the think-tank, focus group and friend group. But all that mattered is that THE PARENTS liked it and I am confident this "power couple" will raise their child to be confident and self assured and he will make his destiny -- and his name -- great.

So now that I've named my blog, and fought my entire life to be correctly called by my given name, lets see if husband and I can successfully name our off-spring and raise the child to be who God created him or her to be and not let the baby's destiny rest on whether its called Aiden or Sophia.