A grandma was brought to tears in a hospital ward when she looked at the whiteboard and discovered that her daughter’s newborn baby had been named after her own grandmother.
Ashleigh Johnson, 31, from Humbolt County, California, has always been told by her mom, Angela Yates, that if she ever had a little girl, she hoped she’d name her after Angela’s own inspiring grandmother, Olivia Marie.
Throughout adulthood, Ashleigh – whose middle name is Marie – had this sweet request in the back of her mind, only to, over the course of 10 years, give birth to three boys and adopt another.
Even if she did have a girl, Ashleigh said, it would have been understandable for her mom to assume the name was not going to be Olivia, given all of her son’s names begin with the letter B.
But finally, on November 8, after giving birth at St Joseph’s Hospital, in Eureka, California, a tearful Ashleigh was given the news she had welcomed a baby girl into the world.
Soon after, Angela entered her daughter’s room, where she was handed her newest grandchild – and to throw her off track, Ashleigh said, “Here’s your grandson.”
When Angela then asked her daughter what the baby’s name was, her son-in-law proceeded to write on a nearby white board, one letter at a time: Aliviah Marie.
While recording her mom’s emotional reaction, Ashleigh said, “That’s for you,” adding, I’ve had that planned for, like, 10 years.”
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Ashleigh said she spelled the name with an A variation as a tie to her own name beginning with an A.
Speaking of the surprise, which she shared on social media, Ashleigh said: “After having all boys, I never thought I was going to be able to give that special gift to my mom.
“I told myself that if I ever had a daughter, I was going to name her Olivia. I kept that to myself and a few close friends.
“Seeing my mom in that moment made my heart happy.
“She has done so much for me and my family and to be able to name my daughter after her own grandma was very heartwarming.”