The Name Game

This has been an almost impossible task. Almost. Coming up with a girl name we always knew would be a feat. Matthew is more the sensible one and I am the more unique one, and both of us are as opinionated and stubborn on the topic as the other. Our options were to either a) agree on a name, b)one of us go through life hating the other one or c) call our child "Baby Girl Cox" until the end of time..which I can already tell you does NOT look good on a resume.

HOWEVER at 38 weeks and 5 days gestation a miracle occurred. After months of deliberation, testing, negotiating and thinking this would never happen, we actually agreed on a name. And not just any name- a name we BOTH actually like.
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So what is this super-spectacular-took-you-9 months-to-come-up-with name you might ask? Well....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Yeah, like we'd let you have it that easy!

The Game

You may or may not know that if you had to split up my "sports interest" into categories and percentages, 1% of my sports interest would go towards the Superbowl (which is enough to make you want to make a bowl of chili the night of the game), 51% of all sports interest would go to whatever game/team/league Matthew happens to be playing in at the time, but the 48% that is remaining goes to March Madness. For some reason I love filling out a bracket, watching to see what games make it and who gets knocked out (notice I said "watching to see" and not "watching the games"..I really could care less about the actual games...I just like to see how my bracket does).   Whether I win the entire pool..(as I have done TWICE I might add) or lose, I enjoy it just the same.  Since March Madness came to a close this past week, Matthew and I decided to make it last just a tad bit longer with our own Baby Cox Name Madness Bracket style guessing game.

The Set Up

Matthew and I put together a list of actual names that we have considered throughout this pregnancy and/or throughout our child bearing/baby name discussing years as a couple. We divided them up randomly and put together a "Pink Division" and a "Purple Division", each with 16 names, much like the NCAA tournament. We then randomly selected out of the 32 names and placed them through out the brackets. Baby Girl Cox's name is among the 32 names- both a first name and a middle name- but it's your job to figure out what her name is!

The Rules

1. Select a "winner" from each pairing much like you would the NCAA bracket tournament all the way down to a final winner. The final winner is what you believe Baby Cox's first name will be.
2. All brackets must be submitted back to us either in person or via e-mail (matthewandjordancox@yahoo.com) by April 15th OR when I go into labor. The actual "tournament" will begin when I go into labor and the progression of the "rounds" will begin to be released going down from 32 names, to 16, then 8, then 4, then 2 and then the final, actual name!! You will receive points for every winning that you get correct.
3. In the event that there is a tie, the tie breaker will be to guess the baby's weight. Whoever of the two gets closest Tie-ee's gets closest will be named the official winner.
4. I would caution against making fun of any of the names on the list. As you might recall from earlier in my post- all of these names were considered by one or both of us at one time or another and you never know which name(s) might end up being the actual names we have picked.
5. The winner will receive a trophy, a picture with baby girl Cox (who will by then have a name) and a place in Baby Girl Cox's baby book that will forever immortalize this game and your ultimate triumph.
6. We have tried to be as high-tech with this as possible, but try as we might, we cannot find a more high-tech way to submit the brackets than to e-mail them (unless you want to print it off directly from the blog). If you'd like to participate, then please comment below or on Facebook your e-mail address and I'll send you an Excel version of the brackets that you can fill out and then return to me.

And below...the official Brackets that include Baby Girl Cox's name!!! Give it your best shot!!!

Baby Girl Cox's Name Bracket
Administered by: Her Dad, Mom and Big Brother
Elizabeth	1					Pink Division
Sutton	16
		1
Faye	9
Preslee	8
				9
Karsyn	12
Hazel	5
		2
Addison	11
Londyn	6
						13
Claire	7
Paige	10
		3
Natasha	14
Mallory	3
				10
Parker	4
Natalie	13
		4
Channing	2
Marshall
Lucy	7					Purple Division		15
										Champion
Wilma	16
		5
Paisley	9
										Tie Breaker:
McKinley	8
				11
Vivian	12									Lbs
Adley	5
		6								Oz.
Brooke	11
Sage	6
						14
Bridget	7
Peyton	10
		7
Atalie	14
Madalyn	3
				12
Harper	4
Piper	13
		8
Morgan	2
Campbell	15

My New Assistant

Things have gotten a little hectic around the Cox house.  With my due date only 10 days away and a million errands to run, a baby room to finish, a job to leave in working order, a mindset to prepare for labor and a family to get ready for expanding, we find ourselves a little strapped.  So when the going gets tough...the tough get an assistant!

Being in the HR field, I know that every employment decision can have its ups and downs.  There is no exception with this new hire.

He doesn't have the best phone etiquette since he only knows how to say "buh bye" into the phone, his typing is atrocious and he occassionally doesn't wear pants to the office.

But who needs efficiency when you have cheeks that cute?  I love a job where you can compensate your employees in kisses and cuddles. Yeah, I think this employee is here to stay.

Unmerited Grace

Being Enough

As any mama can probably attest, being a mom is a job that comes with a lot of ups and downs. Ups sometimes being things that you never thought you would ever rejoice in- like being overwelmed with joy that your constipated baby pooped or feeling pride swell up in your heart because your 17-month-old mimicked a monkey face. But, as with most ups in life, come some of the downiest downs like worrying about things that you never thought you'd worry about or feeling at the end of the day like you could have done better. And as every mommy also knows...there is no guilt like mommy guilt.

This month we sit on the verge of doubling the kid quotient in the Cox house...one will soon become two- which means that we go from playing a two-on-one game to a one-on-one game...and some days, depending on who's at work, a one-on-two game. Those odds are humbling. This month I have struggled with the idea of being enough. A mama's life feels so pulled in 586 directions..and if you're going in one direction that means you're not going in another which means that you're neglecting some other area of life that may or may not be just as important. I used to think that I felt this way just because I am a working mama, but the past few months I have become convinced that even if you don't have a full or part time job, don't volunteer and don't do anything besides the "family and church" type of gig- you will still struggle with this. I've decided it's kind of like the Mother's Game of "If you give a mouse a cookie". It goes a little something like this:

Sometimes I feel like I just need to spend time with Gavin. No distractions, no watching the kitchen countertops as I scrub them with one eye and watching him out of the corner of my other eye, no other planned activity. Just me and him. So we have fun playing...

BUT if I spend quality time with my child, did I get enough done on my house? The dishes piled up, the dust another layer thick, the dust bunnies multiplied once again, the toys one day closer to conquering our home altogether. So I do a little cleaning.

BUT if I do a little cleaning, should I have done a little bit more? How many weeks has it been since I mopped, what is on the back row of my pantry, how long is it normal to go before cleaning your refrigerator shelves? So I clean maybe just a little- not too much, but a little bit more.

BUT if I clean a little bit more, I didn't quite get enough done at work that I wanted to. There was just one more person I could have called, one more interview I could have scheduled, one more e-mail I could have sent..but I didn't...and when I actually do get everything checked off my "list" for the day, I wonder if my "list" was as extensive as it should have been. Did I overlook something? So I send yet another e-mail to get one more check box checked off the list. 

BUT then it's dinner time. Mouths to be fed- something must be eaten..something organic, unprocess, nutritious and delicious, wholesome with no preservatives. What mother can put together such a concoction and have it on the table in time? So I make a meal...I didn't say what kind of meal..but I make a meal.

BUT did I make it healthy enough? When was the last time I ate a vegetable? When was the last time my diet mirrored anything that even resembles the nutrition pyramid? I'm not just eatting for one you know! And Gavin? What about him- am I giving his tastebuds enough stimulation? Am I offering enough to build his palate? Am I giving him enough nutrition that he won't suffer from childhood obesity, ADHD, early onset diabetes, gout?! So I cut up some strawberries to go with dinner...

BUT what about my husband? I'm not just a mommy. I'm also a wife. Did I do enough to invest in him today? Does he think that a clean home is a happy home? If so, then by default is he unhappy?! Did I give him enough attention? Do I act too much like a mommy and not enough like a wife? Is he getting tired of my baby voice or think the snot that Gavin rubbed onto my shoulder this morning that I have been wearing all day is un-sexy? Does he want some strawberries too? So we go on a date.

BUT on the date I feel guilty. Should we really be doing something fun when we have so much other stuff to do? Should we really be spending money to eat, see a movie, walk around the mall when we have kids to send to college?! And now we're out so late...I really need to get to bed on time. I get so tired during the day! So we actually go to bed on time...for once!

BUT then I lay awake thinking, did I clean enough today? 
have my quiet time today? 
show my family love enough today? 
be a good friend enough today?
give back enough today?
be responsible enough today?
make enough memories today?
All that, and I won't even tell you the last time that I flossed my teeth! 

Now some of you might be saying that these are the rantings of a woman that just doesn't have enough discipline...I know that because that is what I tell myself most days. And there may be some of you out there that say that I clearly am just not prioritizing as I had enough time to write this post...why am I not doing something more productive? But maybe, just maybe there's another mama out there that feels the same way, that feels that no matter what you gave, there are a hundred million more things that you could have given that no amount of discipline or prioritizing could have made possible.  

God, take my moments and my days. Fill them with productivity and diligence and kindness, but most of all, love...and then remind me that love can cover a multitude of sins..love can make up for unmade vegetables and snotty clothes and dusty countertops and unreturned phone calls. When this day is done, help me know that what I gave was just what I was supposed to give.

No Girls Allowed

No this is not a picture of the "he man woman haters club (reference to The Little Rascals)...or an advertisement for the new movie "Where's Baby Waldo?"- this is a picture of Gavin and his super cute cousins.  Gavin is lucky to be the third of four boys on my side of the family, which is a little crazy since I come from a family of 6 girls!  Apparently my family is very gender committed...which really works quite nicely for hand-me-downs.   

 

Gavin was born into the world with two automatic friends- his cousins Bennett and Paxen. 

They weren't super happy about having their picture taken, but they were completely stoked about having a new cousin.  (BTW-this picture totally cracks me up because when we were setting up for it I said "Oh, we can just prop Gavin up again the couch cushions."  Gavin was about 16 hours old in this picture and we were still in the hospital- I bet I sounded like such a good mom.  My brother-in-law just said "hmmm...how about someone holds him."  I'm sure as soon as he left the room he made a bee-line to the nurses' station to tell them not to let me take a baby home!)  Any hoo.

Gavin was on the welcoming committee the day that Tate was born too!

Cousins are fun for dressing alike

(if you can't tell, they're wearing a Charlie Brown and Linus shirt..and Pax was trying to hold Gavin's hand. SO cute!!)

making the color blue look REALLY good

stretching slinkies really far...

 and having a companion to cheese for pictures with.

It's so fun to watch these little boysies together...and it will be even funner watching Wilma (also known as Baby Girl Cox) crash the party here in about a month and a half. 

Thank you, God for cousins...both boy cousins and girl cousins...but for tonight, especially those stinky old boy cousins.

Baby, baby, baby, Oohhh

But Mama- I don't want to have Beiber Fever!!!

Believe it or not- this is what happens when DAD gets put in charge of hair duty.

 

I have to say my baby Bieber is still way cuter than the original. 

 

I think knowing that made him feel a little better.

 



Two blue lines

This weekend in February is my Thanksgiving of weekends!  I get to celebrate two of the main men in my life and the beginning of my life with both of them. 
We can start with the more obvious- February 5th is mine and Matthew's wedding anniversary! 

This year we celebrate 7 years of wedded bliss...although the last seven years have been a lot of things besides bliss too.  Looking back at pictures, I sometimes wonder if those two kids had any clue what kind of commitment they were making, if they had any idea what "worse" could really be or if they could feel the weight of what love, honor and cherish really meant.  Not that our lives have been some kind of great tragedy or anything, but many of the things we've been through in the last 7 years probably weren't quite what we envisioned on that day. 

But you know what?  The most important day in a marriage isn't "that day" at the alter.  The most important day isn't the one day that you share together where everything seems right with the world, where everyone is there for you and where all the well wishes that can be wished are wished for you.  The most important day in a marriage is every single day after that.  It's every day that the two of you decide to choose each other all over again and realize that you committed to the "worse, sicker, poorer" parts as well as the "better, health and richer" parts. 

For this day in 2012, Matthew and I celebrate the day seven years ago when two kids innocently decided to take on the world!  But we also celebrate the past 2,555 days that again and again we have chosen each other- no matter how "in love" we felt or what circumstances were presented.  I'm happy that I chose Matthew on that first day and I'm happy that I've chosen him each day since. 

Here's hoping for 23,725 more!

And that's just the one man in my life!! 

The second part of my Thanksgiving weekend goes to my littler man!  One Saturday morning, the first weekend in February 2 years ago, I woke up as a married lady with no children.  Who knew that my life was about to change within moments!  That morning I saw the two blue lines that told this girl she was nine months away from being a mama, the two blue lines that represent one of the two biggest gifts that God ever entrusted me with, the two blue lines that took our family of two to a family of three! 

Today those two blue lines are a rascaly 15-month old with more personality and boyness than this mama knows what to do with.  

 

 

So happy anniversary to my husband and happy two-blue-lines day to my Gavin!  I am so thankful that God chose to bless me with both of you and gave me the responsibility of being your helpmate and your mother, respectively. 

It's a hard job, but somebody has to do it.