The Name Game

I'll get to the birth story soon (31 hours of labor ending in a C-section) but first, I wanted to write about Samuel's name, as some of you have been asking how it came to be.

David and I had a certain name picked out for our first boy since before we were even married. About 2 weeks before Samuel's birth, we were discussing our pick for a girl's name, if this Baby was to be a girl. We didn't discuss the boy name at all, as it was still a given from way back when.

David was really sick that night, and I was sleeping in the guest room to avoid it (neither one of us wanted me 9 months pregnant with the flu!). He tucked me in and went to bed in our room. When I got up the next morning to check his temp and wake him, he rolled over and handed me the iTouch. On the screen were boy names and at the top was Samuel Jeffrey, a name we had never once even mentioned. Instantly, despite our unwavering love of the name we had picked out way back when, I knew Samuel Jeffrey was to be his name and so did David. We never even said a word to each other, we just knew. David told me that when he went to our room the night before, he did some praying and searching to make sure we had the right names picked out and God put Samuel Jeffrey on his heart.

Samuel has a few different meanings, but the one that spoke to David (and to me) was "AS REQUESTED BY GOD." David and I have always wanted children, but when we found out we were pregnant, we were completely surprised! We had planned on maybe waiting another year, but God had other plans, thus Samuel was requested by God to be a part of our family. So incredibly fitting. :) We also love that when God called Samuel in the Bible, Samuel replied, "Speak Lord, for your servant is listening." We always pray for our Samuel to be listening and faithful to God.

Jeffrey means "PEACE" and is David's middle name and David's Dad's first name. David and I believe all things from God carry great Peace beyond understanding, and Peace has been a huge part of our life journey and our family together. So incredibly fitting. :) Today, I was reading Samuel's Devotional that Aunt Sarah Lundgren got him, and the entry for February 13, Samuel's birthday, was entitled, "I Give You Peace." Yes, indeed, God gave us Peace.

Originally, we tried very hard to avoid any names that people would shorten. We didn't want to be those parents, constantly correcting people on our Baby's name. But, we ended up with that little issue, and given that God named our son, we don't really mind too much (though honestly, it is SO awkward! LOL). So, to answer a very asked question, yes, we are calling him Samuel. No nicknames for now. Just God's name for him.

We love our Baby Boy so much. He is truly a gift from God. He is a smiley, happy, calm (except for those crying fits) and wonderful Baby who loves the sound of Daddy's voice even more than Mommy's food. :) Thank you to all of you for praying him into this world safely, and for all the love you have shown him and us. We feel your prayers and love and we feel truly, truly blessed.