~Brantley Reese AKA "Baby C"~

Brandon and I struggled so much to find three perfect names for our miracles.  We decided upon Nolan David and Amelia Grace, but were really struggling with a name for "baby c".  Sometime between Nov. 14th and November 21st, a friend of ours text me and reminded me of a name that Brandon and I had talked about months before. 

Brandon and I went to a Cleveland Indians game with some friends two summers prior.  While at the game, I told Brandon and my friend that I really liked the name Brantley, after Michael Brantley a Cleveland Indian's player.  Brandon agreed that he liked that name also and, if we ever had a boy, we would name him Brantley.  Fast forward, here we were searching for another boy's name until my friends sends me a text reminding me of our conversation.  I am so thankful for the timing of the text message from my friend.  We had no idea that within a week of us finalizing our triplets names, they would be born.  I don't know how I would have ever lived with myself if we had to just give "baby c" a name on spur of the moment when he passed.  His name means so much more to me and I wish we could tell him the story of how he got his name.  Even if it was months after his siblings received their names, his name was decided upon many months before he was even conceived.

We thought so long and hard about the babies names.  Thought about what their initials might spell.  Thought about what nicknames they may have in school by their friends.  At one point, I liked the name Max.  I was afraid, after much consideration, that in middle school he may be called Maxi Pad.  I also really liked the name Harrison, but was afraid of the nickname Harry.  We didn't want to used anything that started with a K because of Kappler being the baby's last name.  Oh, the things I came up with for every single name I liked that then put them on the "No List". 

Nolan, being the first born, received Brandon's middle name David.  We knew he would be first born because he was always the lowest.  So, with the name David as Nolan's middle name, we had to go back to the drawing board for Brantley's middle name.  We considered also giving him Brandon's middle name, but then he would have the same initials as Brandon (BDK).  We didn't want either boy to feel that their name was more important than the other.  Finally, we decided on Reese.  Now the first born would have Brandon's middle name and the second boy would have Brandon's initials (BK), sort of. 

We considered so many things when choosing names.  It's crazy how much time we spent thinking about the babies names only to find out that they would not be used on any documents other than birth and death certificates and their grave stone.  No report cards, no graduation invitations, no marriage license, and the list goes on.  The names we picked have so many meanings and each was carefully considered for many, many hours. 

But Brantley, was thought about months before is name was official.  I wish he knew that.