Today is the day

If my daughter had come on her due date, today would be her birthday. Instead, she decided to grow to gigantic newborn proportions and come fashionably late. Very fashionably late.

Like mother, like daughter. She will spend the rest of her life trying to get places on time. (Although I did my mother the favor of staying normal newborn proportions and arriving late. Then again, I came into the world ass first. That couldn't have been fun my mother).

It wasn't actually Laney's fault she came so late. I'll explain, but I need to back up for a second.

When I was still pregnant with Nicky, I went overdue. We hadn't decided a name for him. We were torn between three combinations. I went in to work the first Monday after my due date had passed and someone I worked with asked me what we were going to call the baby. I said I didn't know yet.

He said, "That's why that baby hasn't come yet! He can't come into this world without a name. You need to give that child a name."

I told this to my husband, and we picked our son's name and had a little "naming" ceremony. There was some flashcard waving and chanting involved. Sure enough, I went in to labor that night.

Fast forward two years -- we were torn between two first names for Laney. When I went past my due date again, and she showed no signs of coming, I told Seven that we should have another naming ceremony. This time we weren't as serious. Just silly. Days passed, she didn't come. I was huge and heavy and was tired of carrying her around on the inside. I told Seven we are going to do the naming ceremony again. We discussed changing her name to Laney, but I said we could stick with the 'other.' She still didn't come. The next day I wrote my parents that if she didn't come that day, then I would change her name to Laney. I went into labor shortly after midnight.

She just didn't want to be Helena. She's always known what she wanted. If I had known she'd be so determined and stubborn, I'd have given her name weeks earlier!! Her birthday would have already passed in that case.