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Aleysha's Birth Story

This is a letter I wrote to some friends online about how I came up with my daughters name....... Just thought I would share :) Not really a birth story, but I thought maybe someone would enjoy it.

As I was sitting at work this evening, feeling this child inside of me swinging from my ribcage, I thought to myself, "Okay Miss Aleysha Mayhaley, you just wit till you are born, and I WILL get you back for this......." Yeah Right. :\ At any rate that got me to thinking about her name and I though I would share with y'all the story of how I chose her name, and see what stories y'all could share for choosing names for your rib-swingers too!! :) ( grab a box of Kleenex, this is a tear jerker!!)

I have worked for Heard County 911 for nearly 2 years, and my mother has worked for them for nearly 7 years. I have grown up with deputies as my other "family." There is one man in particular who is very dear to me...An elderly man named John, or "Big John" as we affectionately call him. ( he is about 6 ft 6 in tall, thin as a rail, grey hair and blue eyes. Could put the fear of God into you without saying a word, but never will you meet a man with a kinder soul.)

There was a woman who lived in our county several years ago, a woman named Ms A. Mayhayley Lancaster. She was rumoured to be a psychic, and , if any of you has seen the movie "Murder in Coweta County" with Andy Griffith ( it's an ooooooold movie) you will have heard of Ms. Mayhayley. Coweta County borders Heard county on it's east side, and some years ago there was a murder where the Sheriff couldn't find the body. Well, Ms. Mayhayley told Coweta County Sheriffs Dept. exactly where the body was, and kind of made a name for herself in this area. People would bring her money to "find" things for them. When she died, she was buried at a church called Caney Head in the north end of our county. To this day people take quarters and put them on her head stone to get her to "tell" them where missing items are. Big John swears she has "told" him where things were, and has helped him solve cases on several different occasions. He even spends the night watching her headstone and protecting it from vandals on Halloween night. Big John takes the money people put on her headstone and collects it till he has a good chunk then takes all of it to the preacher for the upkeep of the cemetery.

At any rate, some of you may know that I lost a baby in December of 1995. My daughter Kristyn Gayle died from SIDS on December 22, 1995. That morning we woke up and found her, and followed along behind the ambulance, only to be told when we got to the hospital that "I'm sorry but there is nothing we could do." I spent most of the day at my in-laws house in an drug induced sleep, and returned home later that evening. The funeral home was there, and they asked where were we going to bury her? I had no clue and said "we will tell you in the morning." I left and went for a walk outside to think and pray. Big John pulled up into my driveway just as I came back up my driveway, and barely taking time to put his patrol car in park he jumped out and hugged me and held me as I cried. I knew then that I wanted to bury Kristyn somewhere where Big John would keep an eye on her too. What better place than Caney Head with Ms Mayhaley?

When Kristyn first died, we didn't have the money for a head stone. But I went and visited at least once a week. On Valentines day, I left a carnation for Kristyn, and one for Ms. Mayhaley. On St. Patricks Day, a green candle in an decorated tin for each of them, on Easter a wreath for Kristyn and flowers for Ms. Mayhayley. I never went up to visit without leaving all my pocket change on Ms.Mayhaley's headstone for Big John to pick up to give to the preacher. One night I was working night shift, and Big John came in to our office for his morning cup of coffee. He stood at the door for a minute and handed me a folded dollar bill. He said Ms.Mayhayley told me I should give this to you, so Kristyn can have a marker, and he walked out. I was stunned, thinking, Big John just gave me money for a head stone. I unfolded the "dollar" think it would be a ten or a twenty. I was a little off, and more than a little suprised to find my self holding a one-hundred dollar bill. I started crying and the girl that was working with me started bawling too. We sat there for an hour grinning at each other and SOBBING. Good thing 911 didn't ring!! :)

When I first found out I was pregnant this time around, I was terrified. What if this baby died too? Wouldn't it be better to have an abortion and not take the chance? Didn't Kristyn dying prove I couldn't take care of a baby? If I did keep it, wouldn't I feel like it was just a replacement for the child I lost? I went for a long drive and ended up sitting beside Kristyn's grave and thinking. Her brand new heart shaped head stone didn't tell me much, so I went, as usual, and emptied my pockets of lose change at Ms.Mayhayley's grave and thought, please Ms.Mayhayley....God.....somebody...... tell me what to do!! I knew immediately then that I had to keep this baby, that already I loved this baby, and that nothing would ever replace Kristyn in my heart. That this was a unique little person, for me to love. I also decided then and there that if this baby were a girl she would be named for Ms. Mayhayley. ( Cliff, my fiance, picked the Aleysha part) and if it were a boy, he would be Jonathan after Big John.

Well, there is my story. Hope it wasn't too long and too boring :) I know someone somewhere is sitting there thinking, why is she telling us this? To be honest I don't know, but I hope that some of you found it interesting. :) I would love to hear the stories of how your youngun's got their names!!!!

Hugs to All!!!
Tanya

PS. Alayna, my three you was much simpler. Alayna after my mom's middle name of Alain, and Jessamyn after My dad, Jesse. I like the unique, can you tell? :) Kristyn was again for my mom Christine, and Gayle for my aunt's middle name of Gail. I also have a thing for "y"'s......... :)