Fetus Name

Before we knew that the baby is a girl, Husband and I had a "fetus name" that we called her.

We called the baby "Speck."

I liked it because it sounded kind of Mark Twain-y and not overly cutesy or sentimental. I called her "my little speck of baby" when I first found out that I was pregnant and that word just stuck in my mind. Speck.

I thought that I might be superstitious and call the baby Speck throughout the whole pregnancy, only giving her a formal name once she was born. But as soon as I knew I was having a girl, I wanted to call her by the name that Husband and I had picked for her. My reasoning being that I'm helping her learn her name. Really, I just like saying, "Good morning, Elise" when I feel the first movements after I wake up. Or, "That's edamame, Elise," when I eat something that she hasn't tasted yet. Or, "Please move your foot out of my hernia, Elise, before you make Mommy cry."

Also, Husband and I like referring to my tummy as my "Ellie belly"-- because we're definitely willing to be all cutesy and sentimental at this stage in the game.