Double Name Baby

Ever since meeting the new second grade teacher from Georgia named Mary Beth last fall, I've said this...

Everyone needs a southern friend.  

Ever since going on a business trip with Mary Beth last winter to San Diego, I've called her Shelby and she has called me Weezer and I can fake a southern accent with a fair result.

Ever since I heard Shelby's momma and sister on the phone for the first time, I knew it was important that I meet them both in person at some point.

And I did.  I met both while visiting Shelby, her husband, and their new bundle of little girl.  As the two of them came walking into the hospital room, I said, "Heyyy Momma."  That was yelled in the very best southern accent I could muster.  Shelby's momma replied with, "Not bad girl.  You got it!"  Then she laughed a kind of laugh I swear only comes out of southern women.    

Reading words is so not the same as hearing those awesome southern drawls.  Not the same at all.  In order to read this and have it resonate, you need to pretend you are in the movie Steel Magnolias.  Just do it.  Pretend.

After my fake southern-ness was accepted by the trio of real Georgia girls, the laughter continued on.  At one point, I actually felt like I was in a movie.  The hilarity of the conversation was that good.  I mean really, what kind of just had a newborn baby by c-section mom is literally running round the room belly laughing?  Turns out, Shelby.  Which really should have been no surprise to me.  She's that kind of crazy.

She's also the kind of crazy that holds up the granny panties the hospital gives you and yells, "Giiirrrrl, you gotta check these out.  Mmmmhhhmm, look at 'em.  Just you wait.  Just you wait."

Now this new bundle of little girl does not have a double name like her momma does.  Because Shelby told me last fall, "Up here, they just don't do that double name business and I am not having my girl run around and be the nerdy one."  So she dropped the second part of their first daughter's name; she still has a double name, but they only call her by the first part.  Northern.  They are becoming northern.  The second daughter has one pretty name.  And a middle name.  Because that's how we do it up here.  First name.  Middle name.  No mixing of the two.

This new sweet baby is just that...sweet.  Such a pretty thing and a honey.  She just rolled with her mom flopping her around so I could get the best light.  Rolled with it.

Of course, in all fine southern-ness, Shelby had to put on a bigger than her head bow.  It's like the double name.  They just do that kind of thing down there.

I've decided that one of my other dream fake made up in my mind perfect jobs, besides going to birthday parties, would be to visit new babies at the hospital.  There's something about seeing and holding those tiny beings that are extensions of the people I so dearly love.  Plus, it's my goal to be the first exposure to a slice of ridiculous to the babies of my family and friends. 

It's best to set the bar right away.  Life is fun.  It really is.  And I hope I will always be the friend of the parents that is slightly quirky and more than slightly fun.  I hope the children of my family members and friends always know that they can come running and I will gladly dance around with them and yell to the sky and then chase them in the green grass.     

 
When it is that sweet baby girl up there running, I will also be talking in my best fake southern accent.  Because that's just how I roll when I'm with Shelby and her crew.  It's necessary.  I become Weezer.     

I'm thankful to the people who let me be a part of their lives.  Thankful to the people who let me share their big moments with them.  Like dancing around with their baby in the hospital room.  It always feels good to be enveloped in to being a vital member of others' lives.  We are not meant to be without real get your soul friends.  That much I know for sure.

And everyone needs a southern friend.  That I also know.