Her Name, Part 1

  Our little girl has a name. It was our favorite girl name when we were expecting Liam, so most of our close friends heard us toss it around a couple of years ago (because we don't generally keep things like that a secret). It was still our top pick when we found out we were pregnant this time around, but we didn't want to assume we would use it until we knew the baby's gender and had time to re-discuss and pray about it. We've been telling people that it is her name for a week or two now, but it wasn't until Josh sent out a tweet today that included her name that I realized we were to the stage of telling the internet world. Apparently we are.

 So, her name is Cora. Cora ____. There are a couple possible middle names that we love and are having trouble deciding between them, but Cora is definitely her name. I'm not completely sure how Cora became a name we talked about. I have been asked quite a few times in the last couple of weeks if it is a family name, and it is not. I don't know anyone with the name, and until about 8 months ago I didn't personally know of anyone who had used the name for one of their children.

 Part of my reason for loving the name is because it is an older, classic name. I think it fits nicely with Liam (who is actually William), and (at least in my opinion) it sounds precious & adorable as a little girl name, but ages beautifully. I even practiced (out loud ... my husband doesn't know this and will make fun of me when he reads this) what it will sound like when she stands at the altar someday and says, "I Cora, take you ________, as my lawfully wedded husband." It sounded lovely, to me; and that is fitting, because I believe she will be lovely.

  The other reason I love the name so much is because of its meaning. The name Cora is of Greek origin and means, "filled heart". Name meanings are extremely important to me, because I've always felt that the conversations my mom had with me when I was little about the meaning of my name helped form my early identity. I saw myself as crowned, in Christ, and victorious; because that is what my name meant. The name my parents selected for me has been a gift in my life, and I hope my children will feel the same way. I pray that Cora will have a heart that is filled with the abundance of Christ and the Fullness of who He is. Actually, part of the hang-up on choosing her middle name is having difficulty deciding between name meanings ... deciding which meaning I want her to grow up hearing that we hope her heart is full of.

  I let you know when we figure it out.