Everyone Needs a Little Sunshine…

                      

I thought it was about time to write my own blog post.  While I have been the editor in chief for Kristy’s blogs I have pretty much stayed in the background.  I have really enjoyed the entire process of getting ready for the baby.  Especially with the winter setting in here in Chicago, it’s nice to have a bright spot to look forward to.

One of the biggest challenges but greatest joys has been trying to pick a name for our daughter.  When we first started trying out names I kept going back to one name that Kristy just wasn’t sold on.  So I asked her if we could just try it out for a few weeks and see if it grew on us.  At first it was hard, when friends would ask us about a baby name – we would throw in the preferred name along with some others.  Most would not pick the name we were leaning towards.  Figures.  Trust me, the blind name testing doesn’t work. Everyone has an opinion on baby names.   If people don’t tell you their opinion openly I can assure you that their facial expression won’t lie.

While waiting for my bright spot in this particular winter I started to think back on the last several years I have endured the long and dreary Chicago winters.  It can get depressing sometimes, especially when it doesn’t seem like there is any sunshine at all. It gets dark at 4 in the afternoon and is 20 degrees out with slush everywhere.  With all this complaining you probably wouldn’t guess that I am used to the cold having come to Chicago from the mountains of Arizona via Colorado.  Believe it or not Arizona had tons of snow!  

I used to be a fanatic about the Weather Channel, waiting for the first big snow storm of the ski season.  My life revolved around skiing.  I would spend the summer biding my time just waiting for that first big snow.  I would look forward to all that mother nature could throw at me and the pure enjoyment I got out of spending my days on the ski hill.  I spent most of my life before Chicago skiing every single day.  So to say the least, I miss the mountains.

What was so great about those snowy days was that I always knew that there would be a long string of sunny days behind it.  I guess it wasn’t the actual snowstorm I looked forward to but really what came after.  Looking back I know this is what helped me form the positive attitude I have for life .  No matter what was happening in my life, there was nothing like the Sunshine after a storm.  I have yet to see a sunny day that didn’t come.  It may be cloudy and dreary for a long time, but I’m always able to keep a smile on my face knowing that a sunny day could be just around the corner.

Living in Chicago has been a bit of an adjustment.   I’m no longer looking forward to a peaceful day on the mountain but a busy day in the city.  Instead of weathering the storm for a few days it has been more like a few months.  Chicago winters are brutal but the summers are something to look forward to.  While that is a change, the one thing that hasn’t changed is my attitude towards life.  My spirits are nothing but bright because sunny days are always imminent.

So, what does this have to do with our child’s name?  When it came to names there were so many choices.  We had so much to consider – family names, whether it rhymes with the wrong thing, personal preference and so on.  All we did agree on at first was that we definitely wanted to name our daughter something unique.  Growing up with a unique name didn’t bother me too much. 

Really, The First Noel stuff doesn’t bother me, so stop…

After testing baby names out with friends and family with no luck we started putting a name out there that meant the most to us.  While some people just don’t get it, I have noticed, that hands down the people who truly know me totally get it.  They know that any child of mine will always have bright and optimistic (sunny) days ahead which is why we decided the perfect name for our little girl is, Sunshine.

Sunshine Noelle Christopher will be here before we know it.  And of course, everyone could always use a little Sunshine.

Happy Holidays.

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