The Gentle Giant: An Explanation.

I have been soooo extremely busy this past week and I don't see it slowing down anytime soon. I'm in the final weeks of school, for both me and Abby, and we are in the process of moving into our new house(!!!). So the blog postings will most likely be a bit spaced out for a while.

I thought I'd take a quick moment today to tell you where I got the name, The Gentle Giant. Giraffes are known for being very quiet animals. They don't make much noise at all despite their large size and looming presence. (Not that I live next door to one or anything. This is what I've read on signs at the zoo and what not.) So their nickname is "Gentle Giant" or "Silent Giant". Either one fits Abby's personality.


One warm morning in July 2005, I woke up suddenly feeling as though I was wetting the bed. OMG! I run to bathroom. Notice that my husband is sleeping on the couch. Maybe it's because in my final month of pregnancy, I was big enough to take up 2/3 of the small, full-sized bed we shared. Though I would find out later, it was because in my big-as-a-house state, I had also started snoring so loudly the windows shook and threatened to shatter with each snore. Anyway, back to bed I went, happy to have the whole bed to myself. Only to wake up 20 minutes later with the same bed wetting sensation. What the heck is going on?! Suddenly I realized... my water was about to break! I was in the early stages of labor!


When we arrived at the hospital and got settled into our room, we switched on the television. It had previously been left on the cable channel, Animal Planet, and we were just in time to witness a mother giraffe give birth to a sweet, little, long-legged baby. I remember thinking, how odd that as I sit here about to give birth to my own sweet, long-legged baby, I turn on the tv only to witness another mammal giving birth. I know it sounds weird, but I felt a connection to that giraffe.

(In this photo, Abby is showing me both her giraffe shirt and her "shovel"

which never leaves her hands these days.
This makes for interesting dinners, let me tell you.)

An hour or so later, I was still in labor (12.5 hours total) and in walks my older brother with a gift for the baby. A stuffed GIRAFFE! He had no idea. It was a total coincidence. But it stuck with me. And it always has. Some cultures believe in a "power animal" and I guess I've always thought that Abby's "power animal" was a giraffe. It's only proven to fit her personality more and more over the years. With her lack of communication reminding me of the quiet giraffe and her loud screams and demanding presence reminiscent of the giraffe's 'giant' stature. It will be interesting to watch over the coming years.

And so... there you have it. Abby the Gentle Giant.