What's in a Name?

A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.

I don't know how Adam in the Garden of Eden came up with all sorts of names for animals because I had a hard enough time coming up with one complete name for my little girl. Good thing we had 9 months to figure it out.

Your dad and I wanted to give you a name that meant something special or that signified something about the woman God wants you to be so it was hard to find the perfect name that just seemed to fit. We poured over baby name books and websites and found a few that we liked but nothing that really stood out to us.

During November (I was about 5 months pregnant at the time) our company hosted a HUGE conference on our new campus. Your dad and I camped out in a tent for a week (which was HARD b/c it was FREEZING cold at night and I would have to wake up to go pee in a porta-potty) on the land while working and attending the conference. It was a hard week but a really, really good week as we essentially can say we named you during that conference.

2 things happened: I was chatting with my friend, Samantha, who was trying to help me brainstorm different names for Baby Lenny (that was your in-utero nickname). She ran through a list of quite a few names and separately suggested Olivia and Brooke. Your dad and I had previously considered Brooke as a first name and many other people (Nana, Auntie Em) had offered up Olivia as a name too. But Samantha put the two together saying Olivia Brooke. I immediately LOVED the combo but wanted to conceal my emotion as dad and I had planned on keeping your name secret until you were born.

Also during that conference was my first exposure to seeing Olivia spelled as Alivia. I thought it was unique without being too weird (and there are A LOT of weird names out there these days). So after a few more days or weeks of discussion, your dad and I finally decided on naming you Alivia Brooke.

We felt like Alivia (spelled with the A) was similar in appearance to the world "Alive" signifying "living." You were to be our little "Living Water." Bubbly, active, joyful, life-giving, etc. And, YOU ARE! The cool thing about your name is that Alivia in Spanish means burden bearer. We believe you are going to have mercy and compassion on those less fortunate and help bear the burdens of other people.

We hope you live out and even surpass the meaning of your name, little one. Let your light shine brightly before men!

Let these verses guide you all the days of your life:

Psalm 1:1-4

Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,

but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.

Love, momma

Birth Story (spoiler alert: she gets born!)

Livy Bean,

One of the most nerve-wracking parts of being pregnant is knowing that at the end, there will mostly likely be a bunch of painful contractions before the little one comes out. Of course everyone says once the baby is out you forget the pain, but still, who wants to look forward of hours of guaranteed pain?? I certainly didn't; it scared the begeebies out of me. I wish I could just close my eyes and viola, you'd just appear. No pain, no work, just miraculous birth. Well, back in the real world, I had to face my fears.

In fact, for 9 months of anxiety about impending labor and delivery, the last week of your womb-life I was pretty ready to go through it all to meet you. I was huge, uncomfortable, anxious and ready to meet you already! In fact, I think its God's grace that women get desperately uncomfortable at the end because they are willing to do anything (including hours of contractions) in order to be un-pregnant again.

So one week before you were born, I went to the doc for a check up, who told me I was almost 3 cm dilated and would most certainly go into labor within the week. Well, I made it that whole week and another visit to the doc who scheduled me for an induction the Monday after the upcoming weekend. I went to the car in tears because I really wanted you to come on your own.

Little did I know that you would start coming mere hours later. Around 4:45pm that Thursday afternoon I started feeling contractions: sharper pains that I never had before. I went to dinner and they didn't go away -- like clockwork I got one every 15ish minutes. I realized, hey, I'm starting labor!!

I called my friend, Cara, who had training in midwifery as she was going to attend your birth and be a labor coach :) She came later in the evening and around 10pm we decided to head to the hospital as contractions (to the best of our timing abilities) were around 5 minutes apart. We called Nana and Papa Struck who were about an hour away to let them know we were on our way -- they came to the hospital around midnight, where I was still in triage, waiting for a room.

---Side story: they asked for a urine sample. In the bathroom, I couldn't find any cups but found a plastic bag (as I later realized was to put the cup in for sanitary reasons) and peed in that. It started leaking all over the floor. Gross. Needless to

say, I finally could a cup and put my specimen in it and had to spend a few mins cleaning my pee off of the hospital bathroom floor. All while having contractions. AWESOME!

Anyways, finally made it into the delivery room but things were progressing very slowly. I think they broke my water around 2:30am on Friday morning because I was only 4ish cm dilated. Slooooow progress! But after they broke my water, oh man, the strength of the contractions increased dramatically as did my back labor. I caved 2 hours later for an epidural, which was the best thing EVER. Drugs = goooooood.

So I was able to rest and relax for the next 4ish hours when I felt the urge to push. Birthing time! I gave a couple practice pushes (which were exhausting alone) and they determined that I was good to keep going. The midwife and nurses got the room ready for "Baby Lenny" to enter the world. I pushed hard for about 45 minutes (about 20 of which I kept asking "am I crowning yet?") and finally, my little Alivia Brooke had entered the world at 10:08am. It was the most surreal moment of my life. I couldn't believe I had actually gone through the labor and delivery and was holding my precious little baby.

Before giving birth I realized that I was willing to go through immense pain to meet my little beloved girl...isn't that the same thing Jesus was willing to do for us? He went through the most incredible pain imaginable (rejection, beatings, unfair trial, torturous death and separation from The Father) to be in relationship with us. That speaks to the unfailing, amazing love of the Lord. Please remember that when you have your own children.

This verse comforted me as your birth approached and speaks about God's faithfulness to me during your birth:

Psalm 34:4
I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

Love, your momma