Youthful Purity

We decided to name our third child and first daughter "Julia Katherine."  

As you may have noticed, we're kinda on "J" kick.  It wasn't intentional, but now we feel quite stuck in our ways.  "Julia" was the name we had picked out if Jack was a girl, and we've held on to it ever since.  It's a good example of how my husband and I work through our differences.  See, I had a list of favorite girl names for a long time:  Vivienne, Claire, Elivia, and Leah.  I've always liked Leah but didn't like the meaning.  But Jon didn't like any of my names, he liked Julie.  So we decided to compromise and go with "Julia" a combination of our two favorite names.  And then I could call her "Lia" as a nickname.  I actually haven't called her Lia yet, but there's still plenty of time for that.  Jude, on theo ther hand, has given her his own nickname - "Yaya."  And because it's so cute we all tend to follow suit.

Image from: http://www.babynamewizard.com/

I mentioned why we chose "Katherine" as a middle name a few months ago when I wrote about my grandma.  G'Ma passed away this June, before she had a chance to meet her first great-grandaughter.  But at least she knew ahead of time about our plans to honor her.  G'Ma was a beautiful woman inside and out, and along with my mom and Aunt Janine, my daughter and I are proud members of this growing line of godly women.  Julia has quite a legacy before her.

Name meanings are important to us - Julia means youthful, and Katherine means pure.  And I think the combination is perfect for our little girl. Even though she's only been with us a short while, my prayer for our sweet daughter is that she'd lead a life of purity.  So the scripture verse I've chosen for her is Psalm 119:9 "How can a young [woman] keep her way pure? By living according to Your word."  I'm not sure if a mother could hope for more than that.

Image from: http://www.babynamewizard.com/

Our little lady has only been in our arms for less than 6 weeks.  But she's been in our hearts for so much longer.  And the boys, Jon and I couldn't be more proud of our Julia Katherine.  She's the perfect addition to our family!


You can read about how we came up with Jude's name here, and Jack's name here and here. 

The name game, Part II

Big news, we have a name! Although for most of you this probably isn't news at all. As the nickname Lil' J would suggest, Handsome Coastie and I have agreed that the first name will be "Jack" and the middle name will be ... a surprise!! Haha, gotcha! (Hey I'm just relieved that we've finally made a decision). But I will tell you that the middle name will not be Russell, Daniel or Bauer. :)

To compensate for this anti-climactic event, I will now launch in to the historical, cultural and theological considerations in our selection of Jack's cognomen. For those of you who attended my Pennsylvania shower, I apologize for this doubly-disappointing post, as you have probably heard all this before...



It all started long ago, before HC and I were married, possibly before we were dating, although I've misplaced my name lists from that era. And although not everyone picks out their future offsprings' titles that far in advance of parenthood, we do, and we just so happened to like the same name - Jack. Fast forward a few years to our pre-pregnancy days and my husband announces that he intends to bestow all of our impending children with "J" names (see previous Name Game post) and "Jack" immediately moves to the top of the list. Actually, no, allow me to clarify. Jack moves to the top of his list and to #2 on my list (I'm saving my #1 name for the next boy!). But a year or so later (still very much pre-pregnancy) our plans are nearly foiled when close-relatives begin to consider the same name for their soon-to-arrive baby boy. A twist of fate and "Jack" remains on the market. Followed by a positive pregnancy test, followed by an "It's a boy ultrasound," followed by HC's prompt announcement that his son will be "Jack," followed by my announcement that "Well, we think we have a name but we're not positive yet ... I don't really want to commit to anything yet ... what if we change our minds before he's born ... what if someone else having a baby before us uses the same name or the media catches hold of a horrible person named Jack ... what if he ends up actually being a girl", followed by hubby's continued assertion, followed by a second boy-confirming ultrasound, followed by shower invitations referencing a baby named "Jack," followed by shower gifts referencing a baby named "Jack," followed by me exclaiming "I give up, it's meant to be, his name is Jack!" Okay, so not exactly like that but you get the idea.

Now onto the rest of the story. HC likes the name Jack because he thinks it sounds like a studly football player/future coastguardsman turned politician. I like the name Jack because it sounds like an intelligent English author. :) My professor, a former Royal Navy officer (as in Her Majesty and not Commander in Chief) also likes the name and promptly informed me that the name is both British and nautical. According to Wikipedia, "Jack Tar was a common English term used to refer to seamen of the Merchant or Royal Navy, particularly during the period of the British Empire. Both members of the public, and seafarers themselves, made use of the name in identifying those who went to sea. It was not used as an offensive term and seafarers were happy to use the term to label themselves." He also informed me of a traditional Newfoundland and Labrador folk song "Jack was Every Inch a Sailor." Good to know our son's name is right in line with his nursery theme! :)

One of the real reasons we like the name is because it is a diminutive form (whatever that means) of John. We had actually considered naming the baby Jonathan after his Daddy and then calling him Jack, but those kind of situations can get messy so we canceled those plans. Jack means "God is gracious" or "God's gracious gift" - the same meaning as John, which also happens to be the same meaning as Janine (a diminutive form of Jane). We both feel that "grace" has been the perfect theme for this pregnancy. For not feeling wholly prepared for this season of our life, we have definitely sensed God's hand and direction over the past 8 months. We have been so blessed with a healthy, uncomplicated pregnancy. And it has truly only been by the grace of God that, during this pregnancy, we've both been able to work full-time, attend grad school (finish a degree) and still be able to enjoy time with eachother and summer company. We're also especially grateful for the opportunity I now have to work from home and spend more time being a mom. God has been so good, and we hope that Jack understands God's hand in his life that's been guiding his steps from the very beginning.

Special thanks to Megan for the awesome nautical "Jack" letters.

Halfway!

This weekend I reached the 20 week mark, which is technically halfway, even though we didn't know we were pregnant until 5 weeks into it. Either way, it's a good reason to celebrate! I'm starting to show a little more each week, although I'm sure people who don't know me just think I have a gut. But the best part of this past week was really, truly feeling Lil' J move!! There's been lots of little bumps and pops, especially at night when I'm sitting on the couch doing homework. Jon even felt him last night - he thought it was "just gas." Note to the wise: Never tell a pregnant woman "It's just gas." When I can see my hand moving when it sits on top of my belly, I'm pretty sure it's not gas. :)
Last weekend my family came to visit for the holiday. We found out J was a "he" just in time for Marmie to come down for some shopping. Knowing it's a boy and starting to buy some little outfits has made this pregnancy much more real. One of my favorites was the "Litte Sheriff" set complete with faux vest. Sadly, Handsome Coastie is not a fan. He says J is not allowed out of the house in the sheriff outfit, but he's not the one that's going to dress him every morning. :)
We also attended a "Budgeting for Baby" class that the Navy offers new parents. It was more about budgeting than it was about babies but definitely worth the free layette we received at the end. We got a canvas tote that says "Baby's first sea bag" full of onesies, sleepers, bibs, burp cloths, and sheets, plus a handmade afghan. We also came away with a few pointers such as the best places to buy formula, how much money you can save a year by nursing and that most babies go through 2300 diapers a year. Good to know.
In other news, my friend Janine had a baby girl yesterday! A perfect little 5 pounder. She's the littlest, newest baby I've ever held! And yes, that's right. I have a friend also named Janine. We worked in the same office and even answered the same phone line, which was just a little confusing. We are also both short and blonde. For awhile we used to reference "other Janine" as "the pregnant Janine" but that lost its effectiveness 4 months ago. In referencing my former post about trying to pick a less-than-popular baby name, I'm sure our parents could have never guessed that their daughters would one day work with another girl with the same name.
Speaking of names, we're working on it. Most people know we're pretty sure of the first name, but we're having a hard time agreeing on the perfect middle name. We'll keep you posted!

The Name Game

Upon hearing of the impending birth of a child, the average couple would probably start their search for the perfect name. Not so here. When I found out I was pregnant, I simply pulled out my pre-created, sacred list of favorite baby names. For some reason, I have been into baby names ever since I got my first baby doll, and I've been keeping a running list since long before I knew where babies came from. Fifteen-and-some-odd years later, I'm still keeping track of this same list. Of course, many names have long-gotten axed - Tracy, Catelyn, Clayton and Nathan. But amazingly, a number of them have stood the test of time - Leah, Macie, Ethan and Tad. Of course, in those days coming up with a baby name was much easier. At the time, I wasn't considering one very important factor when naming a child - the father.
The following is our list of stipulations in choosing THE name:
1.) It has to sound good with our last name. Marriage truly changes everything. Since getting my new last name, I've had to cross of all the favorite names that end with the "n" sound - Colin, Ethan, Evelyn - simply put, I just can't handle the double "n" suffix when paired with our last name.
2.) It has to be unique enough that their teachers won't have to tack the first letter of their last name to the end of it, but not too crazy that no one can pronounce or spell it. (In my class I always felt bad for the Michaels and Megans, or should I say the Michal B., Michael P., Megan E. and Megan D., at the same time I also felt bad for any Sacagawea's or Melchizadek's).
3.) It should start with a "J." This is NOT my rule, this is my husband's, and I'm not too keen on it. Not only has it greatly reduced my options but I am also having a hard time picturing family Christmas cards and keeping everyone's initials straight.
4.) It should have a good meaning. This one is much harder than I first thought. It seems like all of my favorite names have the strangest meanings. Part of me just wants to say "forget it," but another part of me is forced to acknowledge the importance of a good meaning. As a Communication major in college, I once had to do a presentation on a particular theory entitled "Coordinated Management of Meaning," in short, it was a very long way to say "your words create your reality." I would say this is a fairly Biblical principle as well. In the Bible, your name was your destiny. When someone said your name, they were repeating your destiny, reputation, character, etc. Talk about your speech creating a reality (no pun intended)! You wouldn't call your kid "ugly head" over and over again, but when you name him/her "Kennedy" (a former favorite name) that's essentially what you're doing. To attempt to get around this issue, I've been looking for alternative spellings, different origins, different websites with different meanings, or at the very least, have tried to come up with a unique way to twist a bad meaning into something good.
That said, it should be no surprise then that our list of favorite baby names is quite short - 3 names to be exact, and zero middle names. So you've probably read this far assuming that I would tell you these three names. Well, sorry to disappoint you but you'll just have to wait a little longer. I'd hate to put our ideas out there without them being settled between us, and despite what my husband may say, we are not sure of the name!!
Tomorrow we'll find out if the baby is a boy or girl, which should help narrow down our already skimpy list. Maybe then I can convince Handsome Coastie that my favorite middle name is best.