making decisions

Am I at all wrong to say that when you're having your first baby, you want everything to be perfect?

Because of that, it's hard for me to make decisions. I want to do everything right from the start. Choose the right fabrics for her quilt, choose the right paint color, even down to choosing the right baby book.

I've been on the prowl for the perfect baby book for quite some time. 3 reasons:

1. Because I'm a memory-keeper / scrapbooker at heart and I wanted a book with lots of nice prompts. As a twin, you might think my mom didn't keep up with my baby book, but you'd be wrong. I know what I weighed practically every month of my life up until 1st grade (32 lbs, I was a scrawny thing) and when I cut and lost all my baby teeth, even up to age 16 when I lost my last molar. As a child, I would pour over my baby book and I loved reading about myself. I think it helped me remember and love my childhood because all those memories were constantly fresh to me.
   
2. Because I'm a snob when it comes to the baby book not being cheesy. Sorry, no Winnie-the-Pooh baby book for me. I want artistic merit.
3. Because I know I'll want all my children's baby books to match and I'll be buying this one again.

I chose Sara Midda's Baby Book.

What's pictured here is the outside sleeve.

Inside is a post-bound book, which is filled with page after page of amazing illustrations, nice prompts, and beautiful type.

I love it.

So, it wasn't difficult to grab it up and make my purchase a few months back.

What was difficult was writing inside. It just seemed so permanent. Like I had engraved in stone the rest of my life.

My decision...sorry, OUR decision is now and forever etched and will be the first thing our child sees when she opens her book time and time again.

The next page is dedicated to the reason we chose her name, so here is what I wrote:

For many months, your dad and I were convinced we were having a boy. Your heartbeat was on the low side of normal, which indicated boy, so all the doctors at the fertility clinic and the regular OB thought 'boy'. Dr. Dobson even wrote his "official" guess in my chart as "boy." So, your dad and I had long discussions about boy names. We mainly talked while we drove to and from church or on longer car rides. We'd debate back and forth and nothing seemed to fit. At one point, I exclaimed, "If only it were a girl and we'd have a name for sure: Claire Thomas." And your dad agreed.

At our 20-week appointment, Dr. Beverly surprised us by telling us you were a girl. We sat there shocked for about 45 minutes in disbelief, but we managed to send out a few texts to our friends letting them know the good news. As we waited to see Dr. Dobson for our consult, I looked at your dad and said, "So, I suppose it's 'Claire Thomas', right?"

But, he wasn't convinced.

We knew Claire would be your first name because it's classic, easy to spell, and flows well with your last name. But, your dad didn't want to commit to 'Thomas' as a middle name for fear you wouldn't like it.

Your great-granddaddy's name was Thomas Foster, whom everyone referred to as "Tom" or "Bo." He was the one who taught your dad how to make beautiful furniture. He would spend hours in the shop teaching him how to plane and join. Not only that, but he was a man known for his character. He and your great-grandmomma raised 3 boys. They instilled in them a love for family, a sacrifice of self, and a good work ethic. Because of that, I wanted your dad to be able to pass that wonderful name on to you.

And, it's with Tom's typewriter that your name is written in this book. May you never forget that you are a classy girl with a name to live up to.