It's a....

.

.

.

.

GIRL!!!

I still can't completely believe it. Apparently my mom instincts are totally off. Everyone (and I mean everyone!) was convinced this little bambino was a girl. I was convinced it was, in fact, a bambino. We knew we'd be ecstatic no matter what we were having, but I have to admit, I'm thrilled to have a daughter. Wow...daughter. That sounds so weird. Wasn't I just living in my parents house, begging to stay out past 11?!?


On another note, Hubby and I always knew what our first daughter's name would be (should we be blessed with one). My paternal Grandma was was the sweetest, most baby crazy person in the the world. When I was still pretty young, she was diagnosed with dementia. She was sick for such a long time...and in the end, she wasn't able to walk, talk or even acknowledge I was in the room. Living 1000 miles away made me feel like I missed out on so much with her...both while she was healthy and even after she got sick.


My Grandma was a twin and she and her sister always called each other by their middles names. My Grandma's middle name was Kay. I always thought it was so cool that they had their own "nicknames" for each other...and I thought Kay was a beautiful name. When she got sick, I told myself if I ever had a girl, I would somehow incorporate Kay into her name. Thankfully, Hubby agreed and early on in our relationship, we both agreed that we loved the name Kaylee.


My maternal Grandma (aka Gram) has been a HUGE influence in my life. Not only did my mom and I live with her for several years, but even when we moved out, we lived just a few miles away on good 'ol Burns Ave. As a teenager, I spent MANY weekends at her house...it was my safe haven from those "terrible parents". (ohh jeez.... payback is coming my way, huh??) Gram's middle name (though she never admits it - somehow it didn't make it onto her birth certificate) is Elizabeth. My middle name is Elizabeth as well.


So, ... I introduce you to our daughter (!) - Kaylee Elizabeth