Petit's Place in the Family

Take two... Blogger just ate my post.

It occurred to me as I was writing back and forth via e-mail to Vee this weekend that I haven't spoken much about Petit's extended family or Petit's place within that family. So let me fill you in a bit.

On hubby's side, he is the eldest of four children. Hubby and his siblings have a combined six children between them.
Hubby: two children (one girl, one boy)
Hubby's younger brother: three children (all girls, the eldest is 16)
Hubby's younger sister: no children
Hubby's younger sister: one baby boy, born December 2008

Thus on hubby's side of the family, Petit will be grandchild number 7 and there are already cousins and a large extended family, with Hubby's aunts and uncles and all their children and grandchildren.

On my side of the family though, things are very, very different.

I am the eldest of two girls and as of yet, my sister doesn't have children. So Petit is the first grandchild for my parents. My parents are in their late 60s and have watched their friends welcome a virtual baseball team of grandchildren into their lives. Case in point: one of my girlfriends back at home just had her fourth baby a month ago! But as of yet, my folks haven't been able to join the game; they've just been watching it from the sidelines, quietly hoping that one day, they might be able to show off photos of their own grandchild. Petit will be their opportunity to get in the game.

But not only is Petit going to be the first grandchild for my parents, indeed, Petit will be the first child on my side of the family in at least 27 years! So it's a big deal! Can you say "spoiled?" I knew you could!
Let me explain the logistics...

Dad: an only child, thus no nephews, nieces or other family besides me and my sis to carry on the surname.
Mom: one of five siblings, she has me and my sis and I'm working on giving them their first grandchild.
Aunt B: mom's older sister, widowed, no children
Aunt L: mom's younger sister, recently married but no children
Aunt L: mom's other younger sister, who has one son (my cousin) and he is 30 years old. He isn't married and doesn't have any children.
Uncle M: mom's older brother, who has three children (my cousins) ranging in age from mid 40s to mid-50s. Between these three cousins of mine, there is one son who is now at least 27 years old. He isn't married and has no children.

Although my family lives 3-4 hours by plane from me on the extreme east coast, I am very tight with them all. I call Mom and Dad at least once per week, and during the pregnancy, the phone calls have become more frequent. (I suspect they're checking on Petit rather than me though!) I expect that when Petit comes into their lives, the frequency of contact will be increased yet again; they'll want to keep in close touch, I know.

Additionally, my sister and I are extremely close to our aunts. I consider them to be surrogate moms in a way. They lived close to us as we were growing up and we saw them many times per week, just like with my mom's parents before they passed away. In fact, it's my eldest aunt (mid 70s) who is coming next week with Mom to stay with us for a month or so until we get ourselves organized and into some sort of routine with Petit. The other two sisters will be coming to visit in September to meet Petit and honestly, I have a confession:
I cannot wait to get a picture of Mom, her three sisters and Petit together. That is a photo I will cherish forevermore. And I know so will they.

As for Petit's name, hubby and I thought long and hard about what to do. But here's what we've decided:

Petit will take my last name (Wood) rather than hubby's (a French last name). Why you ask? Well, here's our reasoning. Hubby's two children carry his last name already. So his family line is already ensured. However, with just me and my sister, the Wood surname is about to come to an end. My sis and I both kept the Wood name when we got married but that, dear reader, is the end of the line. Without children to carry it on in some form, it's done. Fini. So hubby was quite amenable to giving Petit my surname. If Petit is a girl of course, there's no guarantees that she would keep that name if/when she got married or makes the choices that I've made in order to carry on the name but at least for the next little while, the name will continue.

However, I was not willing to leave Hubby out entirely! Petit will still carry hubby's last name, but in the form of a middle name. Whether Petit is a boy or a girl, here's what we have:
-- a unique first name
-- a family middle name (taken from my side of the family)
-- Hubby's surname as a middle name
-- my surname as a last name (Wood)

In the coming weeks, we'll reveal the names. Promise. So for all those who have been bugging me and waiting, you don't have much longer to wait! Hang in there!

We're down to single digits on the pregnancy ticker! I can't believe it. I am excited, nervous, eager and anxious, all rolled into one. We're marking off the days, knowing that Petit can make his or her entrance at any time now. And we're ready and waiting to welcome this little one into our family, surrounded by so much love and anticipation.