Our hearts are once again overflowing with joy and gratefulness! As the sun came up on Wednesday, November 16, 2016, sweet Adeline Grace entered into this world naturally and quickly, only a few hours after her due date. All 9 lb 5 oz of this steel blue eyed, dark haired beauty took our breath away! Her birth story is one to be shared at another time, but the entire experience was an absolute answer to prayer.
As we began making our list of potential baby names, we followed the same four rules we came up with when naming our oldest child:
1. Multiple syllable first name, since our last name is so short. (Nevermind that my first name and last name are only one syllable each... this was by default/marriage ; )
2. Classic name that has stood the test of time
3. Meaning is everything
4. Name is not final/public until we meet her face to face
Adeline... French/German origin meaning "noble, pleasant, kind, pure"
We have rarely met another Adeline, and we were drawn to the beauty of this rare but classic name (most recently popular in the late 1880s). When we discovered the meaning behind the name, we knew that it would fit our daughter perfectly.
Grace... because we truly believe she will be a child of grace and pure beauty, who is peaceful and gentle in spirit! Another neat correlation is a song written in 1903 called "Sweet Adeline" -- Traditionally performed as a barbershop quartet, the lyrics appropriately describe the "flower of my heart"...
In all my dreams
Your fair face beams
You're the flower of my heart
Sweet Adeline
Sweet Adeline, you are the flower of our hearts... your gentle spirit has brought so much peace to our family, and we are absolutely in love with you!
{Photography by Sarah Denbow}
During this pregnancy, I loved dreaming about what this child would look like, and what her little personality would entail. With a wonderfully sweet but strong-willed two year old, I often asked God how I would possibly be able to keep up with two children of this same nature. And each time I asked, these gentle but firm words entered my mind.... "Trust me. I know exactly what you need." I began to rest in this assurance, and I began to believe the subsequent thoughts that God gave me about this baby girl -- that she would be "peaceful and gentle in spirit." As other friends and family members prayed for our baby and birth experience, they consistently told us things that aligned with this truth... words like gentle, peace-filled, graceful, calm, etc... even before we had shared our vision for her!
As we began making our list of potential baby names, we followed the same four rules we came up with when naming our oldest child:
1. Multiple syllable first name, since our last name is so short. (Nevermind that my first name and last name are only one syllable each... this was by default/marriage ; )
2. Classic name that has stood the test of time
3. Meaning is everything
4. Name is not final/public until we meet her face to face
Adeline... French/German origin meaning "noble, pleasant, kind, pure"
We have rarely met another Adeline, and we were drawn to the beauty of this rare but classic name (most recently popular in the late 1880s). When we discovered the meaning behind the name, we knew that it would fit our daughter perfectly.
Grace... because we truly believe she will be a child of grace and pure beauty, who is peaceful and gentle in spirit! Another neat correlation is a song written in 1903 called "Sweet Adeline" -- Traditionally performed as a barbershop quartet, the lyrics appropriately describe the "flower of my heart"...
In all my dreams
Your fair face beams
You're the flower of my heart
Sweet Adeline
Sweet Adeline, you are the flower of our hearts... your gentle spirit has brought so much peace to our family, and we are absolutely in love with you!
{Photography by Sarah Denbow}
Leigh, I loved reading this and I love the name. I sang in Sweet Adelines (women's barbershop chorus) for years, and it was such a joy. Harmony is the keyword, and the child you describe will surely bring your family into a special kind of harmony. I've seen and experienced the phenomenon of a second child in a family. In my own experience, my second was the pensive, thoughtful, calm and careful one, and he's grown into a man who personifies those qualities. I have entertained two theories; 1) God sees what you have and what you need, and your second child brings balance (this one is likely the truth); 2) the second child comes into the family and sees the first one's temperament, what works and what doesn't serve, and makes accomodations to fit in and stay out of trouble. (Or, I suppose, if the first one is the calm and thoughtful one, the second comes in and livens up the scene!) We are so happy for you and JJ and we're especially happy for these two little girls to be born into a family of faith and nurturing. Love and best wishes from Loretta and me! (I'll add that we miss you and wish for a wrinkle in the map!) ❤️ ❤️ - Chris
ReplyDeleteSuch wisdom and a beautiful analogy about harmony, Chris! I love that you sang in the Sweet Adeline chorus...such a fun fact about you that I didn't know! We sure wish we could just drop in and introduce our girls to you and Loretta... such special women who have blessed us so much!
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