We have a name!

So, it’s official – Sticky has a name. Only a first name at this point but I guess that’s the most important one.

It was a strange turn of events that led to this confirmation so I’ll start at the beginning.

I was sitting on my chair and suddenly felt Sticky hiccupping. She seemed to be really throwing herself into it because I could feel my entire belly ripple. I lifted up my shirt to see if I could see my belly moving and sure enough, I could see a wave go across it with each hiccup. I was totally transfixed by it and realised that breathing detracted from it. I tried to hold my breath for as long as I could to see it but it didn’t really work. After a minute or two, she was done.

I went and told my husband and explained to him how my stomach was moving. He was upset he didn’t get to see it and told me to call him next time. I feel like a bit of a sideshow sometimes where we just watch my belly waiting to see Sticky to a trick. Mind you, I’m partly to blame for this. After reading yesterday that she should now respond to light, I got my husband to shine a torch on the left and right side of my belly to see if she would roll over. She didn’t so I’m assuming she was sitting in there, arms crossed, just shaking her head at my patheticness.

When I got into bed, I could feel the hiccups start again. So I pushed back the sheets for my husband to see the movement. We were both in total shock to see a round bump protruding from my lower belly. It was either her head or her butt because it felt so hard. Sure enough, the hiccups started and my husband could see the wave. They finished quickly so he started to poke my belly to see if he could get her to do it again. She responded with a massive kick which we assumed was her way of saying “Bugger off and leave me alone.”

We both laid there in total amazement of what was happening to my body and the following conversation unfolded:

Me - “That’s our daughter.”

Husband - “That’s <name>.”

Me - “Are we sure we want to go with that name because we should stop her calling her that if we’re not?”

Husband - “I’m happy with it.”

Me - “Well, it’s the only one we could agree on.”

Husband - “No, we both liked <name2>.”

Me - “I didn’t know you liked that other name too.”

Husband – “Well I do.”

Me – “I think I prefer name1.”

Husband – “Me too.”

Me – “Does that mean we lock it in?”

Husband – “Yes, I think we do.”

The deal has been done – signed and sealed. The conversation then turned to middle names and we still have about 4 or 5 options for that. I had always told my husband that I would like my surname to be the baby’s middle name. In our first discussion about it, he said if I got that as a middle name he got to choose the first name so I relented. I figured the first name was more important and I didn’t bother thinking of it again. But last night he bought it back up as a suggestion. I was touched to know he had remembered.

In all reality, your middle name really isn’t that important. The only times you need your full name is when you get in trouble by your parents and they call you it, or you need to fill out official paperwork. Otherwise, it never comes up. But now we have the first and last names, we need to think about the middle name. If we go with a name beginning with a vowel, her initials could spell out 3 letter words. Depending on which word it spells, it could be cool or cruel. Or, we go for the option of my surname in which case it spells nothing.

I’m not really that perturbed by the middle name. As I said, the first name was the most important to get sorted out. And, we were very smart and went for one that can just as easily be used for a boy in case all the scans were wrong and a boy pops out! I am very glad to have her name and know what it’s going to be. And yes, we are keeping it to ourselves so my husband, daughter and I are the only ones who will know what it is until the day she arrives. Afterall, you need to keep some element of mystery about such a big occasion!