Kara has wanted to have babies since she was 10 years old. Unlike Garnie and Quinn, she loved baby dolls and spent hours naming, diapering and giving them bottles. She also loved real babies just as much and babysat as soon as she could. After she graduated college in 2008, she created Camp Serenbe and spends all year creating a special summer experience for kids 3-13.

My little Kara has always been a mama at heart.

So when she said she had a little gift for us when they visited in November, I had an inkling good news was on the way. And sure enough, she and Micah presented Steve and I with a little onesie they’d made that says “Carry Me To Serenbe.”

We were beyond thrilled.

It was our little secret until Christmas, when she made it — as the kids say these days — Facebook Official. Within what felt like seconds, people were coming up and congratulating me and almost everyone wants to know the same thing: What will the baby call you?

This fascinates me. I called my grandmothers Granny and Grandmother — very traditional. Steve was the first-born grandchild on both sides, so he coined the names Pampa for his grandfather and Hun for his grandmother.

For a long time, I thought it would be cute to make Marie into Re-Re, but now there’s a part of me that really wants to embrace Grandmother. And it’s less about the historical aspect and more about moving into the next stage of life. I think there’s something wonderful about honoring the transition from mother to grandmother.