It's a Girl!!

Like so many other things, it began in November 1998 when I read Pride and Prejudice for the first time. My love for Jane Austen, which began the previous year after reading Sense and Sensibility, was confirmed. I fell for Mr. Darcy, his breeches, his beautiful estate and his broodingly delicious combination of arrogance and gentleness. And I fell in love with Elizabeth Bennet. She is my favorite of the Austen heroines. She is funny and smart, a winning combination that no other Austen heroine repeats. And at some point in all this falling in love, I knew when I had a daughter of my own, she would be Elizabeth.

Maybe it's because I'm such a girlie girl. Maybe it's because I've had my daughter named for over a decade and things seem so much more real once they're named. But I hoped that this baby would be a girl and I am so excited that she is. As I often reminded Lee, you can still have Nerf fights and throw footballs with Elizabeth, but I can't paint our son's toenails or put him in dresses. Well, at least I probably shouldn't. ;)

So after years of thinking about her and planning for her and hoping for her, in July I'll get to hold my Elizabeth. In the meantime, I felt the need to compile a brief list of some of the main reasons I love the name Elizabeth.