What's In a Name?

Names are really important to me and Scott, and as a result it has sometimes been difficult to come to a consensus about what we should name our children. But each of our three children has been given a name that is significant to both of us.

Isobel means "consecrated to God." We chose that name before we knew that she was a girl, or that we would be allowed such a short time with her. We had chosen three possible middle names, and when we learned that she would likely not survive, we settled on Grace. We knew that we would need a lot of God's grace to survive what was to come.

We had chosen Caden's name when I was pregnant with Isobel as well. We had originally chosen the name Caedmon. Caedmon was a British poet who wrote praise poetry to the Lord. We eventually truncated it to Caden. When I was pregnant a second time, it seemed appropriate that if we were to have a little boy, he should be called Caden, because the name means "warrior." We were so frightened about the possibility of loss the second time around that it was good to think that we had a little warrior in there. We chose the middle name Isaac because Isaac was the son God promised to Abraham and Sarah when they thought there was no hope that they would ever experience the joy of having a child.

Judah's middle name, Kessler, is a name from Scott's family. Scott was very close to his maternal grandfather, and that was his middle name. The Kesslers were a family who took in Scott's great-grandmother when her stepfather was unkind to her, and so she honored them by naming her son after them. The name Judah was one I liked the sound of, and then when God rescued us and saved his life, it seemed particularly appropriate, because Judah means "Praise the Lord." We are so humbled by the gift of his life, and we are so thankful he is here and well, there is nothing really to say except, Praise the Lord!