Keylon Says....

Aunt Pat: Keylon, I'm going to buy you McDonald's. What do you want?

Keylon: Nuggets, fries and orange juice!

Aunt Pat: Is Lauryn hungry? What does she eat?

Keylon! TABON! (Siobhan)

What's In a Name?

I have always been intrigued by the meaning of names. My  first name, Siobhan (pronounced Shavon),  is the Irish version of Joan and means , "God  is gracious"! My mother didn't know it's meaning at the time but knew she loved Ryan's Hope. I was named after a Soap Opera character. Could that be why I am so dramatic at times, you think?

In the beginning  of our relationship, Reggie told me he had always wanted to name his daughter Imani which is Swahili for "faith". I responded, "You should do Imani  Danielle. Danielle means God is my judge." Neither one of us  had any idea that we would share a child together.

Fast forward  to July 2011. "It's a girl!" Great, we have a name already, right? Nope! Although, Imani Danielle was pretty, it just wasn't right for our baby girl. We played with  a few names over the next couple of days. Kaitlyn , Alyssa, Sydney, Kennedy......none were it! I was determined to give  my daughter a name that meant something. What would it be??????

We started  looking  at family names . Surely, we could find something brilliant between our two families. Surely was RIGHT! Reggie's maternal grandmother , Laura, passed away before he was born. Despite never knowing her,  she still holds a special place in his heart. My  maternal grandmother, Elvera Louise, who we affectionately called ,Mema, passed away  from cancer when I was 20 years old.  She taught me how to cook eggs on a gas stove at the tender age  7,  thread a needle,  sweep leaves off the porch, make sweet tea and most importantly, gave me the nickname, Bunnie!  The  seeds she planted within me are countless. There isn't a day that goes by that she doesn't cross my mind.  Whether it's her voice in my head  telling me to put a pinch of salt in my food as I cook or thinking of one of her crazy  phrases when I see something stupid, she is there! 

Reggie already has a cousin named Laura and  Elvera as at first name wasn't an option.  Let's play with this for a minute. While driving  home from work, Reggie asked, "What  about Lauryn?" Lauryn? hmmm....But what about the middle name? 

Lauryn Elvera? No!

 Lauryn Louise? Nope! 

So, I decided to take the first two letters from Elvera and combine them with the last three of Louise. ....ELISE! THAT'S IT, LAURYN  ELISE!

Our daughter's name isn't defined by some variant or origin.   No baby name search engine  can come up with any meaning that compares to what Lauryn Elise means to us. It means two great women, two loved women , two admired women, two unforgettable women,  and two very missed women live on with every breath our daughter takes.

Laura May Phillips

Elvera Louise Hill

Lauryn Elise Howard

Introducing the Children

Keylon has been with us for a year now and we love him as if he were our biological child. He is smart, funny, very attentive and the best big brother Lauryn could ever have.......

The little diva, Lauryn is just as much as a handful as she is cute. My mini me looks, acts, sleeps, smiles and has an attitude just like ME. LORD HELP US!

Two to Four......

June 17, 2008, I met Reginald Howard and as they say, the rest is history. We went about our lives without children, coming and going as we pleased, staying up late,etc. November 2010, my PCOS started flaring up and after careful consideration, we decided to have a baby. The journey began with some ups and many downs  but nonetheless we kept trying.

Then: July 10, 2008

Now: March 17, 2011

March 2011, in the midst of our baby journey, a dear friend called explaining a horrible situation surrounding her children. Somebody needed to take her son, Keylon. Sure, no problem, it's just temporary! Keylon arrived at our place March 10, 2011.

April 2, 2011, I received a phone call from my doctor's office. Fearing that it was bad news, I ran to the restroom away from Reggie to take the call. "Congratulations, Siobhan! You're pregnant!" I remember holding my belly and jumping up and down. Reggie looked at me confused. I mouthed to him, "I'm pregnant" The look on his face was priceless, he was grinning from ear to ear. The nurse went on to inform me that my progesterone level was low so I was put on Endometrin inserts for 14 weeks!

July 26,2011, we found out the little bundle of joy I was carrying was a GIRL! I screamed with excitement! Up until this point, I was convinced it was a boy despite EVERYONE telling me it wasn't. I never knew I wanted it to be a girl until that very moment.

December 11, 2011 at 4am, I lost my mucous plug. I knew then that it wouldn't be long. My due date was two days away! I woke Reggie up around 9 and informed him of the activities for the day: Outback Steakhouse for lunch, Hulen Mall so I could walk around and look at Christmas trees at the Chesapeake Building Downtown.

We stopped for ice cream at Sonic on the way home. Around 8pm, I felt a little weird so I decided to go to bed. 10 pm......WTH is going on?! I woke up with contractions around 10 minutes apart. After sitting in the water for 45 minutes, we decided it was time to head to the hospital. We dropped Keylon at Reggie's sister's house, Gina around midnight thinking we were about to have a baby. We got to the hospital around 12:30. They monitored me for about 2 hrs. "You're just dehydrated! We're sending you home!" I was convinced I was in LABOR.....

We returned home around 3am. I took some Tylenol and laid in the bed on a heating pad. Reggie ate a bowl of cereal. FOUR AM, I felt a pop! I thought I had to go to the bathroom but when I got up.........WATER WENT EVERYWHERE! Now, these contractions were beyond painful. The first time we went to the hospital, I walked in. This time, I was rolled in! LOL

I went in thinking I was going with a natural birth but that ended at 8:30 am with a good ole' epidural. A Foley Bulb was inserted and an hour later, pitocin was started. After being in labor for 14 hrs, I had only dilated to 3.5.  At 12:30, Dr. Watson suggested a C-Section!

December 12, 2011 at 1:26 pm, Lauryn Elise Howard came into this world weighing 7lbs 1oz! She was 19inches long. After 3 months of treatments to get pregnant, blood work and ultrasounds for the first 14 weeks of pregnancy, 35 lbs of baby weight and NINE MONTHS of  throwing up, my baby girl was here! SHE WAS PERFECT!!!!!!