Happy Birthday Champ

Today you are 11! Wow, already? It is hard to believe. Just a short while ago I was going into the hospital to induce you (before the Dr. went out of town, you were due on the 8th and he was leaving on the 8th). We walked right in and the nurses did all the hospital stuff.

After everything was done, we just had to wait for your arrival. Dad and I had visitors off and on all morning, but at lunch time - we had several. Papaw came to the hospital during his lunch time, Meme came to the hospital during her lunch time and grandma came early that morning and stayed the whole time. I guess you were really anxious to meet everybody because you decided to come while they were all there. You came so fast that they barely got most of the people out of the room. Grandma and Meme stayed (Meme said that she was supposed to go back to work, but she wouldn't leave with you on the way). You are the only grandchild that grandma was able to watch being born. You are the only child grandma ever saw born (she wasn't even able to witness the birth of her own children b/c things were done so differently back then).

I remember that I wanted to name you Champion from the moment that I found out you were a boy (after my great...great..a few more greats-grandfather). All during my pregnancy everybody tried to convince me to choose another name. Your Uncle Tony said that he was going to call you by your initials (CW), your grandma told me that Nannie told her to tell me not to name you Champion - even though grandma wouldn't admit it I don't think she wanted me to name you that either. Other people would give their opinions (not so favorable). I was so distressed over it that I began to second guess myself.

I asked your dad what he thought about it. (He normally doesn't have an opinion unless he doesn't like something. There were several names that I threw out before we knew you were going to be a boy and he sure did tell me the one's he didn't like.) He said that you were our child and we could name you whatever we wanted. He liked Champion and if that's what I wanted to name you, then that was o.k. with him.

People kept telling me that you would grow up to hate your name, that other kids would make fun of you, there were so many negative opinions that I decided not to name you Champion. I still couldn't find a name that I liked (I really had my heart set on Champion). When people started asking me again what I was going to name you I would tell them I didn't know (and I meant it).

Your grandma got a little perturbed at me b/c she thought I knew what I was going to name you and I just wasn't telling her.

Right after your birth, the nurse looked at me and said, "What name do I put on the birth certificate?" I looked at your dad and said, "I don't know." He just grinned and nodded. I said, "Are you sure?" He asked me if I liked the name. I said, "yes," of course and he said that he did too. We looked at the nurse and said "Champion Wayne."

You have been a Champ ever since and you just wouldn't be the same if we had named you something else.

Thanks for being you!