What's in a Name: John William

Like I mentioned here and here, names with meaning are important to us.  And we finally got to use our boy name!  John William was our boy name if Marin had been a boy and if Emilie had been a boy.  Here's why:

John: My dad's name is John and my Grandpa (my dad's dad's) middle name is John.  And, my mom's brother's name is John.  It's a family name name that belongs to some of our very favorite people on earth.  It was really important to me to name John after my dad, mostly because I think my dad hung the moon. It's no secret that I am a daddy's girl.  Adding another John has complicated things just a little bit.  Especially because my dad's middle initial is P, so often he is called John P.  For now, we just have JohnJohn or baby John and Grandpa or Dad.  My dad and my Grandpa are some of the smartest, warmest, kindest people on this planet.  If my son grows to be half the man that they are, he'll be a saint. 

William: Jason's dad's name is William and Jason's middle name is William.  So it's a nod to both of them.  Jason's dad is a great guy.  The kids love their Pappy and now that Jason's older, he's one of Jason's best friends.  Bill did a great job raising Jason, and after his mom died, it wasn't always easy.  It certainly wasn't the direction he pictured his life going at 33 years old.  He taught Jason a lot about responsibility and accountability and I know that Jason attributes a lot of who he is today to his Dad.  Bill and Jason are very close and I hope that Jason and John will have a similar relationship as he grows. 

If he was a girl, I really liked the names Berit, Simone, Caroline or Claire.  But since we knew the gender ahead of time this time, we never really discussed this at length.

So our little JohnJohn is named for both of his Grandfathers and also his Great Grandfather and his Dad.  He and Jason have the same initials and yet, he's still uniquely his own John William Patterson.  We can't wait to see who he'll become.  He's sure to set the world on fire!

 

What's In A Name- Emilie Mae

We've heard them all; from "old fashioned" sounding to "country". So why Emilie Mae? We think it is feminine and classic, but just a little different. Most of all, it is a name with a special meaning to us. Like we did for Marin Jane, here is the breakdown of the name we chose for our sweet Emilie Mae.

Emilie: This was a "new" name for us. As in, it wasn't even on the list of names we considered for Marin. I really like Kiera, and was totally sure that would be our girl name for a long time. Then Jason decided that he didn't like it with Patterson. He thought that Kiera Patterson sounded too Chicago. At first I fought him on it, but the more he said it, that became all I could hear. Wah-wuh. We couldn't agree on many names. I also liked Greta. Jason's response to that suggestion was, "You mean like Hansel and Greta?" Cue the quick lesson in Children's Literature, please. I also liked Emery which Jason said sounded too country club and Rory which he hated all together. (Please don't be offended if these are any of your children or relatives names. Jason is a wonderful man, but he doesn't always have the best taste in everything. ;)). I really liked Emerson, but you just can't have an Emerson Patterson. Somehow one of us threw out Emilie, we both liked it, and it stuck. We talked about whether to spell it Emily or Emilie, and we decided we liked the ie better. It is just a little different, and for some reason just feels like an entirely different name than Emily to me. I know that sounds crazy, but to me it just does. We have a dear friend, Emilie, so that's really the first we had heard of spelling it with an ie. Thanks Emilie, for letting us have your name. :) A lot of people have also asked the origin, and yes, it is French. It's actually a very common name in France. That really didn't have any play into why we chose it. I'm so glad we did choose Emilie, as soon as we met her, it seemed to fit her.

Mae: Mae was Jason's mom's middle name. This was really important to us to honor his mom by choosing Mae as the middle name. This was never debated. No matter how much the first name was discussed, we always knew that Mae would be the middle name. I asked Jason if he wanted to use Mae as the first name, and he didn't, so we didn't. This picture on the left is an infant Jason with his mom, Laura Mae. It's one of my favorite pictures. And yes, Jason and Lindsay look just like her. Although I never knew Laura, I have really tried to make a point of getting to know about her by asking Jason's dad and aunts. From what everyone agrees, she was fun, energetic, happy, sweet, loving, talented, and kind. And she loved her kids. What better person to name your child after? I promise my children will always know about Laura. It is my very true hope that the stories of her fun, special spirit are passed on to them, and that they live their lives with as much luster and kindness as she did.

So there you have it. Emilie Mae. And we think it's just perfect for our little angel.

Oh, and no, we're still not telling what the boy's name is, just in case a little brother is ever in the cards for Marin and Emilie. And yes, it is the same boys name that we had picked out had Marin been a boy.

What's in a Name?

Many people have asked us about Marin's name. We love it. We think it is very feminine and different without being overly trendy. And although it is unusual, we think it has a very classic feel. So where did we come up with it? Here is the breakdown:

Marin: I heard this for the first time on a movie about 5 years ago. I can't remember the movie title, but it was a nondescript easily forgettable chick flick. I just loved the name. I asked Jason if he liked it too and although he admitted he did, he refused to discuss or name our unborn, unconceived children. Fair I guess. :) I never forgot the name, and the minute we found out we were pregnant I asked Jason if we could name her Marin if it was a girl. We also have friends whose youngest daughter's name is Marin. When Lindsey was pregnant with her and they told us that she would be named Marin, I said how much I loved the name as well. Luckily they didn't mind sharing the name. And yes, I asked before she was born. :)

Jane: Marin's middle name is after my mom. My mom is a huge part of our lives and is very special to us. I am very close to her (we talk about three times a day) and Jason has become very close to her as well. I really hope that Marin and I will have a similar relationship as she grows. Jason and I both feel very grateful for this special bond with my mom and to honor her, decided to name Marin after her. Marin and my mom are very bonded already, and we just know that they will go on to have a really beautiful relationship as grandma and granddaughter.

So there you have it. We aren't telling the boy's name that we had picked out, because we are still going to save it if we have a boy someday. (After we have well forgotten about 2am feedings and uncontrollable crying. :)) We struggled a bit with how to spell Marin, but decided in the end to stick with the traditional spelling. It also looks a lot like Martin, my maiden name, so I sorta like that shout out as well. It is pronounced mar (like you are beginning to say Mary) in, as apposed to mar (like the Spanish word for sea) in.

And speaking of Miss Marin Jane, here is a recent picture since that is what everyone cares the most about anyway. :) Happy belated St. Patrick's Day!