We Have a Name.

Tessa approves of sister's name.

We've decided on a name for the baby in my belly! Her name was harder to arrive at than Tessa's, which I was immediately obsessed with. First, we had to toss out our favorite name for this baby because it got crapped on so prolifically by so many people. That name was "Bardot." If you, too, think it's a sucky name, couldya keep it to yourself? We'll save it for naming a puppy or a hamster or something some day. But it's a mean thing to tell someone you don't like what they want to name their child because that obviously means they like the name a lot. Anyway, in the end, we chose something more tame, but still sweet and unique. It's not that we care what other people think about our name choices, but we do care about what perceptions people will have of our daughter when they hear her name.

Several months ago when I was doing some music writing I came across the name Livvi Franc; she's a British singer-songwriter, and even though I still haven't heard her music, I loved her name, which I'd never heard before. So after much adieu we decided on naming our gal ...

I like that Livvy can go by "Liv" later on if she's concerned about the name being too precious in a workplace setting. Plus, I just like it. A girlfriend of mine named her daughter "Vivi," and I always thought that was just the best name. This is a knock-off of that. (Hope you don't mind, Lash!)

Tessa's middle name is "Jean," which is the middle name of Nekos's mom, who passed away very suddenly of cancer when I was five months pregnant with Tessa. Livvy's middle name, Lara, will be a tribute to my mom, Laura. There are so many reasons why we're giving a shout-out to my mom with this baby: First and foremost, she deserves it, and she is my best friend. I often tell my mom that all the help she gives me with Tessa is a big part of why I am (usually) so content with motherhood. Get a 24-hour break from your kid once a week, and you appreciate her in a whole new way. After Tessa comes home from YaYa's house, it's as though I've never seen her before--or never noticed just how especially bright and hilarious and exquisitely beautiful she is. It's a gift. Also, my mom was the second of two girls, as Livvy will be. And my mom has been nothing but extraordinarily supportive and complimentary of my mothering skills. To hear your own really great mom say she thinks you yourself are a really great mom--it's a meaningful affirmation.

We are getting more excited every day to welcome Livvy into our lives. I can't believe she'll be in my arms in just four months. Expect lots of posts about nurseries and little girl rooms because that's all that's on my mind creatively right now (other than pregnancy-friendly Halloween costumes; I'm thinking kangaroo). I've been busy on my Pinterest, yo.