Pace William

Pace William Monroe was born on July 28, 2015 at 2:33 pm. He came out screaming with his bottom lip quivering, weighing in at 7lbs 3 ounces. There was no greater sound. 

Pace is my maiden name, so this little man shares his name with lots of important people. I hope every time he introduces himself, he remembers that he has a piece of all the Paces in him. I hope he has my dad's integrity, my mom's ability to love so intensely, Katie's open-mindedness, Coatney's loyalty, Calley's sense of humor, Caroline's ability to get along with everyone, and Noah's resilience. And I hope he always knows just how loved he is by all the Paces. 

His middle name is named after his dad (William Jr.) and his grandfather (William Sr.) I hope he has his grandfather's intelligence and his ability to make a mean Bourbon Slush. And I hope he is exactly like his own dad in every single way (except maybe his sulking post Texans-losses).  

And while his name is rooted in family, I also hope he also has a sense of independence. I pray he'll always have his roots grounded in family, but wings big enough to fly.

Will and I had to say a very hard "see you later" to Katy and her family, a few days after Pace was born. (More on his birth story, later.) Our love and feelings towards her and her family feels too sacred to try and explain in this avenue. But as we tried to thank her, we realized her gift to us was also encompassed in our son's name.  Pace, in Italian, means Peace. There is no better description to describe what this little patient soul embodies, and all Katy has given us.  

As I sit here and rock my one-week old, I am overcome with gratitude. But most of all, I'm overcome with peace. Because miracles do happen.