Rachel was now halfway through her pregnancy - she was due at the end of November. Today, she and Jesse were getting ready to go to her 20-week ultrasound.
There had been much debate among the couple about whether or not to find out if they were having a boy or a girl. Rachel desperately wanted to know, but Jesse wanted to wait. They already had a name ready for each possibility: Simon Jesse and Olive Maria.
Simon would be named after the couple's favorite playwright, Neil Simon, and of course, Jesse. There had been little discussion about a son's name - both Rachel and Jesse were onboard with Simon Jesse St. James from the start. A bonus, as Jesse's younger sister Annie had pointed out, was that his initials would repeat. Yeah, she hadn't been too crazy about the name choice personally.
For a daughter, the pair had had a harder time coming up with a name. One evening, when Jesse had been out grocery shopping, Rachel had received a very excited phone call from her husband.
"Rachel! I'm at the grocery store!" Jesse exclaimed.
"I know that, babe," Rachel laughed. "I asked you to go."
"Well I'm in one of the aisles and I was looking at the jars of olives," Jesse continued.
"Okay…" Rachel was now thoroughly confused.
"I want to name our daughter Olive - I mean, if we have a daughter," Jesse added.
"You'd want to name our daughter after a vegetable?" Rachel was trying not to laugh.
"It may actually be a fruit - I need to do some more research," Jesse said. "But, yes - Olive St. James is perfect."
"What about a middle name?" Rachel asked.
"I…haven't gotten that far yet," Jesse replied. "But…just think about it. Olive St. James. Okay, I gotta get back to shopping. Love you - bye!" Jesse hung up the phone before Rachel could respond.
But as time went on, the name started to grow on Rachel. She and Jesse had been watching The Sound of Music recently when they both said in unison,
"Olive Maria."
The more Rachel thought about, or said the name aloud, the more she loved it. Last night, when she had groaned in discomfort and Jesse asked if she was okay, Rachel had caught herself replying, "I'm fine - Olive Maria is just kicking up a storm tonight."
But ultimately, they still didn't know.
At the obstetrician's office, Jesse helped Rachel get on the table and soon, the lab technician, Sophie entered.
She asked Rachel how she had been feeling, what pregnancy symptoms she had been having, if she had any questions or concerns. Then, Sophie applied the gel and moved the sensor around.
"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. St. James. You're having a baby girl," Sophie smiled at the pair who were quiet for a minute.
Finally, Jesse broke the silence. "You knew," he laughed, kissing Rachel on the forehead.
"I have no idea how," Rachel laughed too and kissed him back.
"I can't wait to meet her," Jesse squeezed Rachel's hand.
"Me neither," Rachel replied with tears in her eyes. "Our little Olive Maria."