One of my daily prayers these past few days has been about a name. Any name. 6 weeks til our guess date, and I am no nearer a name than I was 6 months ago.
Our last few babies have been 2-4 days old before being named. While it seems to be fun for some, naming babies is something that I dread. Mostly because of the importance of the task feels so insurmountable, so huge. A name is something this child will carry through her life long after I'm gone. I feel it keenly, that pressure to not fail at this important mission.
There are so many names that I like just fine, yet none that I love. None that speaks to me, etched on my heart as "the one." I scroll through webpages of Saint or Bible names and scribble some down on a piece of paper, carry it around in my pocket before throwing it away again, back at square one. This naming of a soul is heavy business.
For me, boys are easier to name. Something strong and manly. Something commanding and powerful. There are a lot of those. Girls are trickier. I want something feminine and beautiful, but strong. I want something sweet, but something she can carry proudly through life, whether she's a stay at home Mama or a Supreme Court Justice. I want a name that fits not just a baby during that snapshot-quick phase of life, but a name that fits a grown woman. And I want a name I love. A name that seems right.
Since our first boy and girl, it's been more of a struggle. Benjamin was named before we met him. Dinah's name was one that I couldn't get off my mind, even in the face of those who told me they didn't like it. Her name remains my very favorite out of my kids, and I finally told my husband, "I'm sorry, but this is it. It's her name. I can't help it."
I want that again - that sure feeling of rightness. And so I'm closing out my browser windows, taking a break from baby name books, and instead I'm asking the One who knows her name already - tell me what it is. Before this little one was formed in my womb, He knew her - her name, and who she is and who she will be. So I'm daily asking - What is her name? And trusting that, when it's time, I'll know.
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I'll pray you find that perfect name. We just found out we're expecting our fourth. The hard part for us is to find a middle name. We always choose a grandparent or great grandparent who lived their lives for the Lord. One day I plan on putting pictures of their namesake next to their picture in a shadowbox. Along with a keepsake- an old recipe in their handwriting, the bulletin from their funeral that shares their testimony etc... I want my children to have a strong connection to the people who helped shape their parents. This seemed like a small way to start that. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteNaming a child IS hard. It is a lifetime for them to live with what their parents gave them. I knew a lady who named her daughter fawn. really? so if she became a professional person Fawn would be on her door?
ReplyDeleteMy own daughter is Sarah, I loved the name and I even have a daughter in law now who is Sarah.
For each of our four we have picked a total of four names (two boy and two girl) with middle names as well. Then when the baby is born and we find out the sex and get a look at him or her we choose the name that is best. With the first three I had a good sense of what we were getting before they were born, but I thought Jack was going to be a girl! Praying for you in these last weeks...K
ReplyDeleteSending thoughts as wait for her name to come to you. Hugs.
ReplyDeleteI am due in a couple of days with my first. Her name will be Emma, but I really like the name Naomi and I hope I can convince my husband to like that name some day as well. I agree that naming a child is hard, because it's a choice we make as parents, but something our child has to live with forever. Good luck on finding that perfect name for that very special, one of a kind daughter.
ReplyDeleteI find naming really hard. I come up with plenty, but my DH vetos....everything, then capitulates on something about two weeks before bub is here.
ReplyDeleteNames are so difficult, so important. With our last one, we struggled so very long. Even during the birthing, we never hit upon "the one." So we had a name that was...okay. Nice, beautiful even. Until he was born and they asked us what his name was and my husband pulled out a name from discussions weeks before: Simon. And he is, he is just so wonderfully sweet Simon all the way.
ReplyDeleteI wish you lots of luck finding the right name!
Beautiful reflection...I had a beautiful and reason-filled girl's name picked out for all three of my first children, all of whom were boys: Vivian. When my first daughter was finally born, it just didn't seem like *her* name, although I had waited so long for her. We gave her two first names, AnneMarie, because that was what was whispered in my ear by her guardian angel. When my second daughter was born, no matter where my husband and I looked, we couldn't come up with anything. In the delivery room, waiting for her to come, my husband said we needed a strong, beautiful biblical name, and flipping through, Naomi just jumped right out at him. She is a little Naomi for sure: beautiful, and quirky. Funny enough, we rarely call her that, she goes by Momo.
ReplyDeleteSorry for that, it is so fun to think through how your children came by their true names. I know this little one of yours will have a beautiful one.