Baby Squidgette's Real Name

I have a weakness.

I can't name things until I have seen them.

I was like this a child with stuffed animals and baby dolls. I may really, really like the name "Rustic" for my new little stuffed puppy, but if I looked deep into his eyes, I knew, deep down, that his name was really supposed to be "Ferguson." And I just couldn't stick with my first name.

When we were in the process of adopting Grant, we had a list of names that we liked. When we saw him in the hospital, we chose from that list: Grant Alexander. He was our very tiny gift. And we had big dreams about his future defending others and championing the weak. So, that's how he became Grant Alexander.

I then proceeded to spend the next week in NICU absolutely miserable because I was convinced that we had named him the wrong name. Clearly this child wasn't a "Grant." He was supposed to be a "Michael." Although "Michael" was nowhere on our list of preferred names, although I had never, ever even remotely thought about naming a child "Michael," I was miserably convinced that I had misnamed my son.

This is where it's very good that I married Scott. He does not understand my need to see someone, to look into their eyes, to choose a name. So, our son's name is still "Grant" (for which I'm very thankful, and I now believe to be his right name), and he is making a similar list of girl names to take to the hospital this time.

Because, I also have a horrible habit of choosing awful names when I'm under that kind of pressure. (For example: Percival, Matilda, Cecil...)

But prepping for a utero-baby is a little different than prepping for a maybe-adoption. So, we've been hashing and re-hashing girl names for quite a while. In a culture where babies are considered babies only if they're "wanted" or after they pass through the birth canal, we want to be very clear in letting others know that regardless of her size, development, or story, she is a unique little bundle, being created just for us, by our Heavenly Father.

So, wee Squidgette's name is...

Now... where did that come from?

Elizabeth: My middle name is "Elizabeth" and I was named after my great-grandmother. Although I only knew her for the first two years of my life, she was hilariously similar to myself. I say "hilariously" because apparently we both approach life in the same casual, fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants kind of way... and that usually leads to laughable mishaps.

Elizabeth also means "my God is abundance." Which is strikingly appropriate, as this baby is an addition to our abundance that we never imagined. The Elizabeth of the Bible, who was noted for her fear of the Lord and gentle acceptance of God's plan, is my favorite woman in the Bible.

Wynne: When we found out we were having a girl, my knee-jerk reaction was panic. How on earth was I supposed to parent a girl in this culture? Perhaps because I am a girl, I am even more acutely aware of the trials facing little girls, the perverted messages of beauty, and the distorted view of femininity and roles. As Scott and I prayed over our little one, the same word kept reappearing in both our prayers, in the same request: "Lord, may this baby girl be winsome in counter-cultural beauty." We want our little girl to be strikingly different from her culture, in a way that wins her culture to Christ.

Short of pulling a complete "Puritan" and naming our little girl "Winsome," we abbreviated (and yes... misspelled) this word to become little Squidgette's middle name.

So, Elizabeth Wynne... we can hardly wait to meet you!

Our own little "Bets."