How Lydia Got Her Name

Since I had posted about the name Sophia and why we were going to name the baby that, I thought I should add an entry about how and why we changed it.

Believe it or not, it all started AT HomeGoods the night we thought we got our sign to name her Sophia. I loved the name Sophia but was a little concerned about the popularity. Obviously, I don't have a problem with popular names...all of my kids have names that were in the top 25 or so when they were born, but I tend to avoid names that are top 5 in popularity and Sophia was right up there. Having been one of many Melissas in every class growing up and ALWAYS being Melissa R., I think I'm more sensitive to that than others might be. Tyler, at age 14, has also mentioned recently that he doesn't like that there are more Tylers in his grade than any other boys name. So, I considered popularity more than I ever did in the past. This is something Aaron and I had discussed about Sophia, but when we stumbled across that sign, I tried to push it aside and get excited about choosing a name. What I didn't mention in the earlier post is that when we went to check out, the cashier said "Wow, Sophia's a popular name...I've had 3 little Sophias come through my line today and I'm guessing that's what you're naming your baby." I know Aaron wanted to gag her to keep her quiet! :)

As time went on, I started to hear it more and more and more and more. I kept telling myself it was popular because it's beautiful (and I really do believe that), but it was starting to bother me. I knew my chances of getting Aaron to renegotiate were slim, so I felt like I needed to find the PERFECT name and present it to him. I started thinking and praying about it a lot (to me choosing a name for someone is such an important responsibility). Then one day, out of the blue, it came to me....Lydia! It had never been on my name list before and wasn't really a name I'd ever really thought about. But it absolutely felt right and had the beautiful, classic girly qualities I like in a girl's name.

I wanted to research it a little before presenting it to Aaron. I found that the name means noble kind; of the noble sort. Both Grace and Noah have strong Biblical ties in their names and it was a bonus to be able to continue that trend. I have to admit, I wasn't completely familiar with Biblical Lydia, but in my research I read about her in Acts 16 and that sealed the deal. A successful businesswoman, she is thought to be the first European convert to Christianity. She believed wholeheartedly and became a servant to the missionaries, inviting Paul and his companions to stay in her home. Later in Paul’s mission, he returned to Lydia’s home where he met with believers. Yes, Lydia was an admirable namesake for my daughter.

When I mentioned it to Aaron, he agreed to it almost immediately and honestly, neither of us wavered from that point on. And when she was born, it just fit. We both really liked the middle name we had originally chosen, Maren, and decided to keep it because the flow was also good with Lydia.

She is almost 3 weeks old now and I must say, her name is a perfect fit!

Introducing...

Lydia Maren Richardson
Born on September 30, 2009 at 9:08 am
8 lbs, 5 ounces
21.25 inches long
Healthy, beautiful and loved tremendously!

Nearing the finish line...

Today marks 38 weeeks, 4 days. One week from today is my scheduled c-section! My thoughts are going in so many different directions at the moment, I don't feel like I can even write a blog entry that anyone could follow! I'm excited to meet this little girl, a little bit nervous about the surgery and sort of on the edge of my seat wondering if I might possibly go into labor before the scheduled date. My gut feeling is that I'll make it to the end. I'm a bit of a procrastinator and just can't see myself going early. :) I've been having sporadic contractions over the past several days and each time I have one I start to wonder..."will they continue?...will my water break? but then they peter out and I go back to cleaning the refrigerator, bathrooms, reorganizing the pantry, doing laundry or whatever nesting task has moved to the top of my list in urgency.

I know it's probably weird, but I'm actually thankful to get to experience some of the things that come with the last few weeks of pregnancy. I'm in quite a bit of pain because of some of the natural changes of pregnancy, but I told Aaron last night that I'd gladly accept the pain over the boredom I endured being in the hospital for 7-10 days prior to delivery in my last two pregnancies. Yes, at this point I'm kind of "hobbling" around, but that beats being confined to the bed away from my family by a LONG shot. And it's kind of exciting being at that "you could have the baby any day now" stage. I've never been here before and it's not as bad as I anticipated it might be.

So here's to my last 7 (or less) days of being pregnant!

The "Almost 37 Weeks" Update...

I'm back from my 36 week, 6 day appointment and feeling a little less positive about making it to the scheduled c-section. Oh, the doctors still say it's the plan, but I know that elevated blood pressure today and a 3-lb weight gain the past week are not good signs. Usually on Fridays, I have the NST and go home (I only see a doctor on my Tuesday visits), but today I had to get 2 blood pressure checks and approval from the doctor to go home. Of course, today could be a fluke, but you can bet my hospital bag will be packed before my next appointment. Can't hurt to be ready early, huh?

This will probably sound weird, but getting past today is a big deal to me. 1) 37 weeks (which I'll be tomorrow) is technically considered full term and 2) This whole pregnancy, I've not wanted the baby to have a 9/11 birthday. The fact is, anytime anyone says that date, it stirs up all kinds of negative emotions and feelings.

So, while I still hold out hope for my scheduled c-section (because if I make it to then, it will be mean I'm healthy when I deliver), I won't be extremely disappointed if I have to deliver a week or two before that. As always, we really appreciate your thoughts and prayers.

Now, that's what I call toxic gas!

Background: Noah, sweet Noah...such a lovable, snuggly little man with a smile that lights up the room (and mommy's heart). But sweet Noah is not at all interested in potty training.

The other day we were at my parent's house watching football, when all of the sudden their natural gas alarm went off...loudly. After a minute or so, it stopped leaving us wondering what in the world caused it. Noah had been playing in that corner (it's up on a shelf) and at first we thought maybe he had done something to the cord, but we realized it has battery back-up and that shouldn't cause it.

In further checking out the situation, we noticed that not only had Noah been playing in the corner, he had been creating QUITE the masterpiece in his diaper. We all began to wonder...could his stinky diaper have actually caused the gas alarm to go off? I perused the owner's manual and sure enough, there was an instruction NOT to install above a diaper pail because the methane gas could cause the alarm to go off. With Noah out of the area (and diaper changed) no more alarm.

All I can say is that sweet Noah better be nice to mommy when he starts dating or she'll have a REALLY good story to tell! :)

FREEDOM!!!!

No, I'm not really posting about the movie Braveheart...and I'm not trying to recruit you to sell Amway either :). I'm just posting because I had my 35 week, 6 day appointment today and was released into the free world again. Woohoo! During this week, I've made a special effort to really appreciate the fact that I was able to do my normal activities and not cooped up in the hospital. Long walks with the family in the evenings (the weather has been FABULOUS - like low 70's in the evenings), snuggling up with the children, getting a hair cut, doing little tasks that need to be done and most importantly...being thankful have occupied my days. I really feel like we're in the homestretch now and ladies and gentlemen...I...think...she...could....go...all...the...way!!!

Aaron and I discussed it and...

We're going to change the baby's name. I know I committed to Sophia and I believe it's a beautiful name, but as I go about trying to think of the baby as Sophia, it just doesn't seem to fit. We're working on a new one and I think we've got it, but given my tendency to be "wishy washy" when it comes to naming children, we'll keep it under wraps until she's born. It's lovely though and Biblical and most importantly, it just seems to fit! :)