And Babe Foster #4's name will be....

What?  You think I'm just going to share without the story behind the name?  Not a chance.

So we really struggled to come up with a name this time around.  Maybe it means that we're done...or at least done having boys.  I told a friend that IF we have another baby and IF it's another boy, we'll just have to wait for him to get old enough and name himself.  The boy name well is dry.

Right before my trip to Vegas a name came to my mind and I thought, "I really like that."  Then I got to Vegas where my mom got out some family genealogy books and over the phone she said, "What about the name _______ ?"  It was my great-great-grandmother's maiden name (so there's a whole line) AND it was the same name I'd been liking.  One of those chills all over kind of moments.  Confirmation that it's good and right.

I talked to the hubs who also liked the name and I thought we were good to go.  Then Ty got on the baby name website we'd frequented and checked out the name.  People with the name answer questions on the website and one question is names that they might be called (like, not nice names).  And the answer really discouraged me for this particular name.  So much so that I couldn't bring myself to commit to the name anymore.  

Months went by with more baby name lists and there just wasn't anything else I was feeling good about.  It always came back to this name for me. Names I liked?  Sure.  But no names I felt good about. The mean nickname wasn't much of an issue for Ty (he likes the Johnny Cash song A Boy Named Sue :)...if you read the lyrics, it does have a bad word, my apologies), his only hold-up was that the name ends in an -er just like our last name...which isn't an issue at all for me.  Lots of discussions between me and my patient husband who thought I should just commit to the name ensued.  It was a name I liked AND had familial ties/meaning, which has been important to us in naming each of our kids.

Well, guess who really made the decision for me?  Our own Everett Daniel.  The two-year-old.  We'd brought up a few names to the kids when we were in decision mode and he latched on to the name I'd felt good about, the name I hadn't been able to commit to.  Every time we asked what we should name the baby, he would say this particular name in his very adorable 2-year-old voice.  Ty said to me, "How can you NOT name the baby that when you hear Ev say it?"  It really is so cute.

Okay, this is really long and you're probably thinking that I'm an over-thinking crazy pregnant lady (you're totally right).  But there was a turning point I must share.  A few weeks ago I was getting the kids out of the bath and for some reason naming the baby's name was really on my mind at the exact moment that I was getting Everett dressed. I was thinking, "I want to have a name for this baby now.  What should I name him? Maybe I should just commit to that name." and Ev, out of nowhere, matter-of-factly states, "Baby's name Tucker."  Chills from head to toe.  He couldn't have known what I was thinking and we hadn't been talking about the baby or baby's name.  That was pretty much it for me.  I looked at my boy, kind of shocked, and said, "You think we should name our baby Tucker?"  He nodded his head and said, "Yeah."  I was ready to commit.

So, Tucker Elliott Foster will be joining our crew shortly!  (Elliott is Tyler's maternal grandfather's middle name.)  We thought it was going to be last night; I had three hours of strong, very close, consistent contractions that slowed and then stopped at the hospital. :(  It was sad and I felt kind of dumb.  But it makes me hopeful that: 1) He will be born soon. 2) He might come on his own without an induction.  Time will tell.  Either way, brother will be in our arms in the next week or so.  I am so anxious and excited (and itchy)!  Thanks to everyone for the prayers...I really feel them and am so grateful to have so many great people in my life.