How do you know it's a Blakely?

My maiden name is Peck.

For people who have known you your whole life, it can be difficult for them to make the switch to a new last name when you get married. I was known as "Stef Peck" for 28 years and people still refer to me that way, a year and a half after our wedding. Rob even uses it as a nickname for me sometimes.

The night I told my dad I was pregnant, my parents immediately called one of their friends who lives down the street and asked her to come over. Judye has known me since I was 15 years old, when my family first moved to South Carolina. (She has a daughter who is a year older than me and we used to carpool to school.) She's always been so sweet to keep up with me through my parents and she even came to our wedding.

When Judye arrived, my parents told her about the baby the same way I told them. They showed her the book. She flipped through each page, looking at wedding photos, commenting on them until she got to the page with the ultrasound pics that said "Baby Blakely" across the top. She stopped and said, "Now, what is this?" My mom said, "What do you think it is?" and Judye started smiling.

She then paused, looked a little confused and said, "How do you know it's a Blakely?"

After an awkward silence, my dad looked at me and said, "It sure as hell better be a Blakely!!"

We all looked at each other and burst out laughing. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life.

Judye forgot that my new last name is Blakely and when she saw "Baby Blakely" she thought that we had already named the baby-- she was confused and wondered how we already knew the sex at only 8 weeks. The way that it came out, though, was hilarious.

Never fear, Judye.
This baby, I know with 100% certainty, is a Blakely.