“What’s In a Name?”

Almost a month ago, Clifton and I finally decided on our daughter’s name. We’ll be naming her Ava Gail Cotten!

The weekend we told my parents, my Mom started tossing names around. She played a big role in naming all three of her grandkids, so I was interested in what her thoughts were for the fourth. After maybe ten minutes or so of names that were just not interesting to us, she says “What about Ava?”. Hmmm …. Ava?  It definitely tickled my eardrums in a nice way – it wasn’t too long, too hard to pronounce or spell, and when I tried to imagine someone named Ava, I envisioned a lady who had just enough girly-ness, yet polished and poised …. Add this name to the top of the list!

I researched other names for girls, assuming that we’d go the route of making a list and narrowing the names down.  Well, no other girl name stood out to me as clear as Ava, and Clifton agreed.

I really wanted a family name to be incorporated and fortunately we only had two options to choose from. Knowing how close my husband is to his mother, how supportive she is of him and us, and not to mention how much she will love on our little one, we decided to give Ava her middle name, Gail. 😀 My  Mother-in-Law’s birthday was approaching around the time we decided on the name, so we waited to share the news with her on that day.

It’s a great relief to have this major to-do taken care of so the monogramming can officially begin! Even more importantly, we’re so grateful that our baby girl will forever carry pieces of our mothers with her every day.

Over the Past 19 Weeks ….

The past 19 weeks have been quite the adventure. I wouldn’t use the term ‘action-packed’, though … mesmerizing and full of anticipation seem more fitting (especially as we prepare to find the gender out and to feel the baby move!!).

To back up a wee bit, thankfully morning sickness did not visit me during the first trimester. I did have ‘growing pains’ (as I’ve cheerfully labeled them) at the beginning of almost every week during the first trimester, but nothing too intolerable. The most consistent discomfort I’ve experienced has been having to wake up, multiple times, during the night to potty. I’m a lover of sleep, so the breaks from it have surely been a lesson. I can’t recall the last time I saw 2 am and 4:20 am so consistently. :S Fortunately, over the past three weeks, getting in just the right position and falling back asleep has been easier. I plan to basque in these weeks – as I see/hear, bladders get even smaller as the baby gets even bigger.

As for belly growth, it seems like once we announced to our parents, siblings, nieces and nephews the weekend before and of Easter, the little one started to grow like a weed! No kidding – within two weeks I went from appearing bloated, still able to wear regular clothes, to a baby bulge that no longer fits in my pants comfortably. It’s amazing how the Lord set that timing up … We’ve taken a couple of pictures over the last 8 weeks and are due for one within the next week to mark week 20. Belly bump pictures are gonna be posted soon so all our far-away friends and family can see!

Cravings are another hot topic when people greet me. I describe a craving as a need or desire for something so badly that nothing will satisfy you until you can get what your mind is set on. I can’t say I’ve had one of those moments; but, I do have a short list of foods that make this pregnant lady muy contento: Sonic slushes make my day any.day.period (especially when the staff makes them right); eggs and turkey bacon have become my go-to breakfast; and few things feel more awesome than drinking cold-cold water (ahhh, SmartWater). Ironically enough, I have cut back on my coffee consumption and don’t miss it all. For those who know, I could easily sip on two+ cups of coffee a day, any time of day. During the pregnancy, I surprise myself if I drink more than two cups a week …

This weekend we’ll welcome our first long road trip during the pregnancy. We’re driving to Atlanta for Clifton’s family reunion, which is at least a 6-hour trek. I’m excited to see how different travel will be, as we have a couple trips planned throughout the summer. I’ll have to keep y’all posted on how it goes!