Naming children has never been an easy task for Ryan and me. I come up with a list and Ryan vetos. He can't commit until we have the baby. And then once I have gone through labor, I tell Ryan what I want to name the baby and he gladly agrees as a courtesy since I've done all the work.
Unlike when I was pregnant with David, we decided to find out the sex of this last baby. Because I'm old, insurance covered the Harmony test and we found out at 12 weeks that this baby is a girl. We were in the parking lot of Ainsley's school when we opened that envelop and saw the words "Female Fetus". With that, I looked at Ryan and said...I get my Genevieve Jane! He said he wasn't so sure. And I said, I was and that he would get used to it.
Ever since I started seriously looking at baby names 7 years ago, I have loved the name Genevieve. But when we were pregnant with Ainsley, I was determined that her middle name would be Elizabeth. It's my mom's name. It's my middle name. And it would be my 1st daughter's middle name. Pairing that with Genevieve would just be mean. So I passed and waited. And then David was boy. So I waited some more. I kind of figured I would end up having a dog named Genevieve. But at 12 weeks, I was given the gift of the name I've always wanted.
Growing up, I didn't have a lot of grandparent interaction. My maternal grandfather died before I was born. My maternal grandmother died when I was 3. And my paternal grandfather died when I was in 3rd grade. That leaves my paternal Grandmother, GiGi. She was a huge part of my childhood and early adulthood. Her name was Janet, a name I didn't love. But her mother's name was Genevieve. She died a month after I was born. I just know that my GiGi would be so thrilled to know that her great granddaughter carried her mom's name.
Genevieve Crooks - 10/5/1882 - 12/5/1977
The perfect pairing with the long name Genevieve is Jane. Ryan grew up with some fantastic grandparents. His maternal grandmother, Jane, just died a few years ago. Ryan has so many great stories from her and his grandpa. They were truly fantastic grandparents. And when I came into the picture, Grams welcomed me with open arms and treated me as her own. On her death bed, I was pregnant with David. I got to tell her that if he was a girl, the middle name would be Jane. David ended up being David and so we waited. But God blessed us with another girl. And I got to fulfill my promise to Grams. Her name would be passed.
Jane Taylor - 10/17/1919 - 08/21/2011
After everything we have been through, I was starting to give up on the dream of a 3rd child and my Genevieve Jane. But now we have our own Genevieve Jane. I plan on framing these 3 pictures together in her room. What a legacy.
"For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition that I made to him. Therefore I have lent him to the LORD. As long as he lives, he is lent to the LORD.” - 1 Samuel 1:27-28
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