Interesting name, interesting story...

Wren-Lee

A name most people have never heard of let alone consider bestowing upon their child. 

People are still a little confused or taken aback when we tell them it's the baby's name and that reaction is usually followed by, "Where'd you get that name from?" 

Trevor and I were a bit hesitant to choose names before confirming the baby's gender. He suggested numerous names but part of the problem was that we thought we were having a boy, and yet, not a single name resonated with me. We tried for weeks to find a name and we were obviously caught off-guard when were told at 13 weeks that there was a 70% chance the baby was a girl. The plan for a boy's name was put aside and we decided to start looking at girl's names. 

We spent hours on the internet searching every website imaginable and none of the names felt right. Eventually, Trevor got the brilliant idea of looking through our book collection for a name. It seemed fitting that we'd give our baby a name with a literary reference and researching literary characters was far more enjoyable than long lists of names online. 

At the same time, I'd heard of a new TV series that was getting a lot of positive attention in the USA. The series was based on a book and I started researching the book in hopes of getting some new literature for the summer. The book was called Game of Thrones and it is the first book in series called "A Song of Ice and Fire". Trevor loves epic fantasy sagas and has collected quite a few series in recent years which he usually reads during summer holiday time. He was obviously keen to acquire a new one and asked me to look into the story. 

I discovered that Renly is the name of one of the main characters in the series and something about the name struck a chord with me. I suggested the name to Trevor but we both agreed it was better suited to a female rather than a male. We didn't discuss it again until two days later. By that time, I had decided to put the name Wren up for consideration as well. Trevor still liked the sound of the name but not the spelling. He quickly devised a new spelling and so we got Wren-Lee. 

Wren: A small, inconspicuous bird except for their loud and often complex songs

Lee: A place name meaning "wood, clearing", "meadow" or "sheltered from the storm" in Old English

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how we named our little girl! 

Two fairy-wrens, a male on the left and female on the right

What a week!

We skipped our update last week so please prepare yourself for a loooooooong post.

I can sum up the last seven days like this: Birthday. Braai. Bizarre. Bummed. Baby.

Birthday - I turned 28 on Tuesday. We kept it low-key this year and just the immediate family came over for some cake and conversation. My family got me a gorgeous dress and a spa treatment voucher but my friends also gave me very thoughtful gifts. Marika replaced the wallet she gave me as a 21st gift with a new one. Quite sad to see the old one go because I'd been using it every day for the last 7 years. Natalie got me a Mexican bola which is a long necklace with a chime in the pendant that soothes the baby in utero. How cool is that?! The highlight of this year's birthday was my Irish surprise. Our friends, Darren and Carlyn, live in Dublin and did a little scheming with Trevor. On Tuesday morning, I was greeted by Carlyn's brother, Dale, who was armed with a massive bunch of flowers and a gorgeous chocolate cake - my gift from the Pedro family. It's one thing to be spoilt like that by a family member or even a spouse but it's quite special when you realise how blessed you are to have people in your life who would orchestrate a birthday surprise from a different continent. So, once again, a massive thank you to Doc, Carlyn and the adorable Gabriella for making the 28th birthday one to remember!

Flowers, cake and a happy face :-) 

Braai - We had a little braai on Friday night and the last guests left at 2:30am!!! There was boisterous conversation, plenty of raucous laughter from me and a sing-along to an ancient Tevin Campbell CD. It was just a little crazy but loads of fun! 

Bizarre - On Saturday afternoon, I had a small pregnancy breakdown moment. One second I was preparing to go to a product launch and the next instant I was sobbing. I stood in our bathroom bawling my eyes out and the sobbing got worse the more I realised that I didn't know why I was crying. I wasn't angry or sad or anything. I just cried for no reason. Trevor was in the shower at the time so, he had the fun task of simultaneously washing his hair and telling me how I was like an emotional champagne bottle with too many bubbles which resulted in the tears. I cried for a few minutes, stopped and proceeded to do my hair and make-up. I felt much better afterward and Trevor got another 4000 brownie points added to his score sheet for handling my emotional overflow so well.

Bummed - The Springboks lost their quarter-final match in the Rugby World Cup and Blackberry bombed out yesterday so no BBM or WhatsApp, which rendered my phone nearly useless. Enough said. 

Baby - Yesterday we had a check-up with Dr White. Baby is growing beautifully, everything is normal and it's still extremely active. Dr White says our little Nano's bones are wonderfully strong and dense and we got some good photos. Sadly, Dr White will be leaving her practice early next year. Trevor and I were disappointed to hear she won't be delivering our baby but she's leaving us in the capable hands of Dr van Waart who has over 20 years experience. We'll still see Dr White until January and our last 3 check-ups before Nano's arrival will be with Dr van Waart so we'll get to know her before delivery day.

The big news is that Nano is a girl! We were told at 13 weeks it was highly likely to be a girl but we decided to keep mum until we got confirmation. So, we have a daughter on the way and her name will be Wren-Lee (pronounced "ren-ly"). Yes, it's an unusual name and we've considered that the spelling, pronunciation and possibility of being teased about it may cause problems down the line but that risk exists with any name. As parents we hope to raise her to be confident and thus comfortable with having a unique moniker. Because her name is quicker to say than it is to type out on the blog, I'll refer to her as Wren for now :-)

It's quite remarkable that Wren can hear, the grey matter of her brain is busy forming, the soft tissues of her body has already been formed and all her organs are functioning except her lungs. She's a teensy weensy human who weighs approximately 200g - the weight of a slab of chocolate as Dr White very cleverly pointed out. I'm quite excited for our 22 week scan which is in real time 4D and we'll be able to see her face clearly for the first time as well as watch her move. As Wren grows, I'm appreciating being able to feel her move and she's showing signs of responding to external stimuli like my voice and music. Soon enough, she'll give us proper kicks and she'll also respond to Trevor's voice which he encourages by speaking to her as often as he can.

We're truly thankful that Wren-Lee's doing so well and it only amplifies the gratitude in our hearts for all our blessings. On this very happy note, we leave you with some photos :-)

Side view

High five! Clearly visible open hand in the middle of the pic

Little feet...