Family life 4: lux's life.

Chapter 24: Baby Name Planning

As the weeks passed and Jenna's pregnancy progressed, excitement filled the air in their home. Ethan and Jenna had decided early on that they wanted to keep the baby's gender a surprise until the birth, adding an extra layer of anticipation to the upcoming arrival.

One evening, after putting Lux to bed, Ethan and Jenna sat down on the couch, ready to begin the long-awaited discussion: baby names.

"I still can't believe we're keeping the gender a surprise," Jenna said, smiling as she rested her hand on her growing belly. "But it's making everything more exciting, don't you think?"

Ethan nodded, his hand gently resting on Jenna's. "Definitely. It's like we're preparing for two different futures at once."

They each had a notebook, ready to jot down ideas for both boy and girl names. Jenna opened hers first, flipping through pages of notes she'd already made. "I've been thinking about names for a while now. For a girl, how about 'Isla'? It's sweet and simple."

Ethan smiled. "I like Isla. What about for a boy?"

Jenna glanced down at her list. "I was thinking something strong but classic. Maybe 'Oliver'?"

"Oliver is great," Ethan agreed, writing it down in his own notebook. "And we could call him 'Ollie' for short."

They continued throwing ideas back and forth, laughing as they vetoed some names and seriously considered others. Jenna brought up "Sophia" for a girl, while Ethan suggested "Holden" for a boy, a name they had briefly mentioned before. Both agreed they still loved the name "Holden."

"Okay, so for a girl, we have Isla, Sophia, and... maybe 'Lila'?" Jenna said thoughtfully. "And for a boy, Oliver and Holden?"

Ethan nodded, adding the names to their short list. "Yeah, and let's not forget the middle names. Any ideas?"

Jenna smiled. "For a girl, maybe something meaningful, like 'Rose,' after my grandma. And for a boy... how about 'James'? It has a nice ring to it with both Holden and Oliver."

"Rose and James. I love that," Ethan said, writing it all down. "We're really getting somewhere with these names."

As they continued to brainstorm, Lux wandered sleepily into the living room, her eyes half-closed. "What are you talking about?" she mumbled, climbing onto Jenna's lap.

"We're trying to think of names for your baby brother or sister," Jenna said, stroking Lux's hair.

Lux smiled, still half-asleep. "I like 'Isla' and 'Ollie.' They sound fun."

Ethan and Jenna laughed softly, exchanging a glance. "Well, it looks like we have a little helper," Ethan said.

With Lux's unexpected input, they finally had a short list of names that felt perfect. As the weeks would continue to pass, they'd return to the list and refine it, but for now, they were content with the choices.

"Whatever name we choose," Jenna said, rubbing her belly, "I just know it's going to fit our little one perfectly."

Ethan leaned over and kissed Jenna's forehead. "I couldn't agree more. Whether it's Isla or Holden—or any of the names we love—it's going to be special."