on her name...

Eisley: "cheerful" | Kathleen: "pure"

Since the very beginning of my pregnancy, the one girl's name that had been circling through my head was "Eisley" (pronounced "Eyes-lee"). Even when writing out a list of other contenders, it's the name that already seemed like hers. It just…fit.

For those of you who don't know, there's a band named "Eisley", which is where I first heard of this particular name. I have always thought thought it had the most beautiful, feminine ring to it. (And, no, she isn't named after the band. I enjoy their music, but if I was going to name the wee one after my favorite band it would have been something awkward like "Hanson", "Anberlin" or "Dave Matthews Band". Obviously none of those were going to fly.) When trying to come up with a name, I wanted something unique, but not so crazy that people would give me the stink-eye when I sign her up for preschool someday. Most of my life I've been obsessed with the name "Felicity", but if you happen to know my last name you're aware of the fact that my child would have the longest name in all humanity. As much as I still adore it (and as much as I still like to think I could possibly use it for another daughter I may have down the road), it just didn't seem right for the child dancing around in my belly.

Jay's favorite name was "Penelope", which surprised me because it's very quirky and unique. (When I asked him to give me a list of his favorite names, I was actually quite thrilled by his creativity!) I actually really liked "Penelope", too. We went back and forth for a while, but I decided to really fight for my favorite (not to mention shorter) name. Mostly because I felt like it was already her name, and I couldn't imagine her being called anything else than what I had been secretly calling her in my head for so many months. Also, I wanted a name that wasn't automatically going to be shortened into a nickname for more of her life.

So, "Eisley" it was. Perfectly so.

As far as middle names go, I had thought we settled on one a while ago. However, in the back of my mind I really wanted something with a bit more meaning. The one I had chosen before was short, sweet and sounded lovely with her first name…but it didn't really have any family meaning. Since we decided to go with a first name that had no sentimental value (other than it being complete and utter perfection), I started thinking more about finding a middle name that would really mean something. I love that my middle name is my grandma's middle name. It's like a little piece of my family tree that I get to carry along with me throughout my life.

Kathleen (more often known as Kathie!) is my mother-in-law, and the first time I put her name next to "Eisley", it felt right. Jay's mom is one of the most incredible women in my life. She has so much kindness, faith, joy, and love. I think that our first child taking a bit of her name is the perfect choice. Jay and I both love that we are able to honor his mother in this way.

So, Eisley Kathleen it is. And we kind of can't wait to meet this little girl.