"It's All in Her Name"

Hagie and I are thrilled that in about 11 weeks our little girl will make her debut. We are so eager to meet her, see what she looks like and incorporate her right into our madness.

We have spend a lot of time pondering the perfect name. We have had her first name picked out since, oh, about 2004. The middle name has been the challenge. As Hagie and I dated and talked about marriage and kids, it became even more evident to me that I wanted to give all of my children middle names, after someone who is special, irreplaceable and someone that my children could be proud to be named after.

For baby girl Cook, I am so excited to give her a middle name that is as beautiful as the person she will be named after. Baby girl's middle name is Caelyn. Caelyn is my first cousin.

It's difficult to even know where to begin in my story about why Caelyn is so special to me, Hagie and Connor. Caelyn and I's story begins when she was just a wee little tot and I had the pleasure of babysitting her and eventually spending several days at a time with her when her parents were out of town. She was such a beautiful little girl; full of joy and excitment to play and try new things, easy-going, and just plain loveable. She hasn't changed. I remember Caelyn and I getting stuck at her house when the big snow/ice storm of the early 90s hit the Atlanta area. It was just me and Caelyn and a house full of movies, toys, and food. She loved the television show "Saved By the Bell" and had every Disney movie ever recorded. That kept us busy. I kept a fire in the fireplace for us and we sat on a cozy couch right in front of it. That seems like ages ago.

I continued to babysit Caelyn regularly and even as she got older, I'd spent the night with her to keep her company if her parents were going to be out of town. As Caelyn got older, our outings consisted of a meal at a good restaurant, mall trips, and visits to see our Memaw. Memaw would be so proud of Caelyn. It seems like time flew and before I knew it, Caelyn was in high school, playing sports and making plans for college. I still cannot look at Caelyn and not see an image of that little girl that used to let me help her get dressed (always best dressed) and put her hair in a ponytail. She didn't always like her hair being brushed and pulled up, but we managed.

I'll never forget the day Caelyn, my aunt, and my other cousin came to visit me and Connor a couple of days after Connor was born. It was March of 2006. Upon them leaving, my aunt told me that Caelyn had been having some severe back pain that wouldn't let up and that after tests, the doctors had found a cyst type mass and she had been scheduled for back surgery. Not "my little Caelyn," was my first thought. Long story short, after the doctor's removed the mass, Caelyn was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma cancer. At the young age of 17 and on March 17, 2006. A rare form of cancer that only 150-200 people are diagnosed with every year. What lied ahead of Caelyn would test my own faith and the faith of all those who love her. Caelyn endured both chemotherapy and radiation, lost her hair, pushed through the horrific side effects of chemotherapy and still managed to graduate from the Marist School on time. If you know Caelyn, you'd know to expect nothing less! Caelyn's senior year at Marist she was nominated and won Homecoming Queen, bald head and all! Caelyn is an amazing person in so many ways but how she dealt with losing her hair at age 17 is worth writing about. Caelyn and her mom had gone to the best wig shop in town, bought a wig made of real hair and one that would resemble her real hair as close as possible. What I love is that Caelyn decided she didn't want to be bothered with the wig and she shaved what was left of her hair and sported the bald look. She pulled it off beautifully!

Caelyn will reach her five year cancer free anniversary, post chemo, on January 8, 2012. Thank you God for doing what you say you do and healing Caelyn's body!On behalf of Hagie and me, there's another reason why Caelyn is so special to us. When I first started dating Hagie, I didn't tell my family. I feared their reaction and judgement. However, I did tell Caelyn about Hagie. Looking back, this wasn't fair of me to do to Caelyn (be the only family member to know besides my sister)but I had to tell her...she was my sidekick. Caelyn's initial reaction was different than other family members. She passed no judgement and accepted Hagie from the first time she met him. Their first meeting...a meal at Loco's in Buckhead, where he met us for dinner. Caelyn you will never know how much your support and love has meant to us over the years.
I can't write this post without writing about Connor and Caelyn's relationship. Caelyn, despite being busy at UGA, has always made time to get to know Connor and build a special relationship with him. In all honesty, Connor melts when Caelyn is around. His initial name for her was "Cay Cay." As he has gotten older he refers to her as Caelyn. He's even requested that "baby sister's first name should be Caelyn because I love her." Simply precious. Caelyn has found her place in Connor's heart and it's always such a joy to watch the two of them together.


So, why is Caelyn so special to us? She lives her life and stands for all that we want our own little girl to believe in and demonstrate in her own life. Caelyn's faith, even when dealing with cancer, is strong and unwavering. She takes life in stride and recognizes that there is someone greater than herself at work. She's as beautiful on the inside as she is the outside. Caelyn's love and dedication for her family takes precedence over all things. She maintains her priorities and lives her life nonjudgemental of others. Caelyn is a girl's girl when the situation calls for it and she can hang with the guys like the best of them. Sincere, beautiful, athletic, fun, easy-going, and lives life to the fullest.

Caelyn, as you read this, know that it is with purpose and love that Baby Girl Cook will have your name. We love you and are so excited that Baby Cook will have you in her life. You are a blessing to us all and we thank God for you every day.