three jades

the summer i turned 12, i moved in with my sister shawni for a few weeks. shawni was 8 months pregnant and had a just-barely-one-year-old and, since i was wildly obsessed with my nephew, i was happy to come out to washington dc to help her wrangle her toddler and prepare for a new baby girl. one night at about 2am, i woke up to shawni and dave moving through the living room where i slept on the couch. they whispered through the dark that they were going to go have the baby. i surely couldn’t sleep the rest of the night.

to be with my niece on the very day she was born at the hospital (and to get to take care of my nephew at home) was such a special experience for me. shawni and dave decided to name that new gorgeous girl wellesley jade pothier – her middle name matching mine. i was elated to have a tiny namesake, and i’ve loved that girl fiercely ever since.

fourteen and a half years later and six months ago, my closest-in-age brother welcomed his first daughter into the world. i was in utah with my parents when she was born, and i’ll never forget driving in the car with the phone on speaker while eli and julie announced their newborn’s name. zara jade eyre – her middle name matching mine. i was overjoyed to have another tiny namesake, and i’ve loved that girl fiercely ever since.

i think we’re going to have a pretty cool club in the years to come – doesn’t zara already look delighted?? (and yes, elle is 3 inches taller than me!)