What's In A Name?

On the eve of what I truly cannot believe is Beatrice's first birthday, I realized that I never gave her naming justice. In fact, in the last few weeks I have gotten asked a handful of time how Beatrice got her name.

So the story behind Beatrice Lea.....

No, there are no Bea's in our past. It isn't a family name. 

The story actually begins in the middle. Because what is a family name is Bea's middle name: Lea.

My Grandma Sherry and sister both have the middle name "mae" (hence Matilda Mae), and my  Mom and I both share the middle name "lea". I knew early on in the second pregnancy that if this baby was a girl, it would have lea as the middle name.

But, a lot of the first names that we really liked did not go with lea--because made the name end up sounding like a adverb (like Pear-ly).

We went back and forth and round and round. We just could not decide. Then, one night, about 3 weeks before I was due, we were hanging out in the basement (something I don't think we have done since the day Beatrice was born) and Nate looked at me and said: "I think it is Beatrice". And I rolled it around in my mouth and head again. And then my heart said yes. She was a Beatrice.

And oh how our little Baby Bea has fit the bill of her name. Her name means "bringer of joy and love". While I wouldn't have picked a name solely for its meaning, I took that meaning to be a sign of things going differently this time around. I was SO scared of the baby stage again. The colic. The crying. The fussing. The hormones. But from the day Bea came out, she let us know that we were in for a different ride with her.

Not one that was necessarily better or worse, just different. And there were some welcome changes (like nursing going well, sleeping going well, and no colic!). But then there was her incessant desire to move, to sleep on her tummy, and her 'bird-like' eating.  She has taught me to embrace the joy she brings every day, and definitely fills our hearts up with more love than we thought possible.

Beatrice.

Bea.

Baby Bea.

Beezy.

Beezus.

Beezy Leezy. (for when she is about to get in trouble)

Beaslin Weaslin. (for when she is on the move)

I'm not sure if kids 'grow into their name' or 'their name helps them grow into the kid they are', but either way, this kid is a perfect match for hers.