What 's in a Name?

My wonderful grandfather, Kenneth Daniel Bourgeois, died April, 2010. I was about 2 months pregnant. It wasn't a big surprise when he passed away because he had been in the ICU 3 weeks prior but it still broke my heart. All I could think about was how my grandfather wasn't going to meet his 1st great grandson.
My grandfather and I shared a birthday and I always loved it. I was born on his birthday and named his favorite name which happened to be his grandmother's name, Abigail. We always had a great bond.
While we were in Slidell LA for the funeral, I pulled out Mimi and Papa's picture albums from her guest room closet. I loved looking through them. All the pictures of my sister, brother and I growing up and hanging out at their house in Slidell, our old house in Houston and our house on Allston. It is so weird looking at old pictures. They bring back memories or just remind you that you used to be younger. I also pulled down an album of Papa's family, you know where the pictures look sterile, black and white and they don't smile. They showed a family tree going way back and I saw the last name Keaton and thought it was a good strong name. This was also the lineage of my great great grandmother Abigail who I was named after.
Before I even got pregnant, I had always liked Mimi's maiden name Turner. It would be unique as a first name. My thoughts were that it could honor Mimi as well as her brother, my great uncle Johnny.
On our long drive back to Austin from Slidell, names were running through my head, girl and boy. I combined the names Turner Keaton. I kept thinking we could officially name him that then nickname him something like TK or Teke. Well, once we got home, I sad down and wrote out some names that I thought about including the above and left it alone.
Then the fateful day came and went when we found out about our baby boy's Spina Bifida and we decided that we needed to go ahead and name him. So I pulled out the list (it was on my computer and I had been adding to it) and started reading off the names I had. There were all kinds on there. I come to the name Teke and read it out. Chad stops and smiles and says he likes that. You can tell he is thinking about it. I rush to explain that it came out of the full name Turner Keaton and was intended to be a nickname.
After trying to persuade him towards my family names, we come to a decision. He isn't a fan of Keaton and we realize that Turner Head doesn't sound the best so we settle on Teak and decide to spell it like the wood. We look up the meaning of Teak and read about the tree that Teak wood comes from and are truly convinced this is our son's name.
The trees that Teak wood comes from grow very tall and are very strong durable trees similar to the wood. They make sap that helps fight off diseases. Teak wood is used to make outdoor furniture as well as fancy boats. It seems to be able to withstand all weather. What a great name to use for a strong boy. His middle name Joseph is Chad's middle name which came from his biological grandfather's name. Joseph in the book of Genesis also overcame great obstacles.
Now, looking at Teak I couldn't imagine his name being anything else. He is Teak Joseph Head and one day he will change the world.

Jeremiah 30:17

Ever since we found out about our unborn son having Spina Bifida our doctors had us scheduled to have a sonogram every month to check on him and his growth. Making sure nothing else is going on with him.
So from month 4 to month 9 we had the privilege of seeing our unborn baby boy in his living quarters. We get to make sure that he is staying as healthy as he can be.
Waiting for those ultrasound days were stressful and exciting. Our hopeful thoughts were always focused on praying for the health of our child. Jeremiah 30:17 helped tremendously. I kept it in my car and would hold my hand on my pregnant belly and repeat these words while driving to and from work everyday: "I will restore you to health and heal your wounds, Declares the Lord." (Thanks to my Aunt Susan in N.C. for the great passages!)
Every month we would wait patiently while they viewed our son and stated that his brain is still fluid free, feet still look good, brain still forming great and good in size.
We just can't believe that our son is staying as healthy as he possibly could while he is growing in the womb. The power of prayer is amazing. Chad and I learn to truly look up for all our needs.
We were married 2.5 years before in the same church that we were baptized in together but it sometimes takes a life changing moment to help you focus. We continued to ask God for a miracle - heal our son, heal our son, only you can heal our son.
Month after month our son was staying strong, kicking, even showing off one time by touching his toes to his mouth. The ultrasound techs would comment on how he was a squirmer when they were trying to check him out. Our Spina Bifida son was showing off how he could move his feet, the feet that people were telling us he may or may not be able to use once he hits this earth.