And. . . On to Week 40: Baby Name Revealed!

Are you one of those people that knows the exact meaning or origin of your name? Do you know the story of how your parents came up with it? Is your name super important to you (or one you've tried 10 different nicknames in order to get rid of)? With a name like Breezy, we all know there's got to be a story to that, right? My parents were not hippies and it's not my "real name", but I earned it early and have lived up to it since. It was based on those nights I'd be put to bed in my crib and told to go to sleep only for my parents to find me wide awake chatting to myself a couple hours later. I haven't shut up much since!

The real name? Brienna Rose Marie. We all have two middle names and all the girls have Marie in the pairing. Rose is my maternal grandmother's name and Brienna came from Brian as I was anticipated to arrive a boy. To femenize Brian, we got Brianna, but my parents couldn't just spell it like everyone else so it's Brienna; pronounced like Vienna. It means strong and I hope I continue trying to live up to that.

Michael has even more meaning in his name. He's actually a Gary. Gary Michael Decker. Gary after his father and Michael after a great uncle. As he wasn't intended to be a junior, Gary never stuck and he's gone by his middle name his whole life. Michael means who is like God. Boy, could that go to his head! While I think the hand-me-down name tradition is extremely sweet, it was just a bit too traditional for me. So, we just had to change it up!

So, starting week 40 tomorrow, I thought it a good time to do the name reveal:

What? You can't read that? Try this:

There it is. That's the name of the little guy we're anxiously awaiting. Garrett is close enough to Gary to carry meaning for his dad and grandpa but with a twist I am happy about. Ross is from Rose so there's a little bit of Mama in there too. Considering all of our parents put thought into our names, they're really all represented in his as we derived his names directly from our own. So, grandparents, feel equally loved!

He clearly doesn't recognize his name yet. How do I know? I keep telling him, "Garrett, come on already" and he's still nestled comfortably inside. He's not worried about being early; perhaps not even on time. He is already his father's son! :)