How we got her name.

First name: Caroline

Our favorites early on were Caroline, Charlotte, and Georgia. Oh, and one I'm not sharing because it's still in the running for a future baby.

Charlotte was a front runner for a long time. And then we started thinking about it... Charlotte is a beautiful name, but what nicknames can be derived from that? Lottie? Not our favorite. Char? Sounds like she's 60. But the one that really made us nervous?

Charlie.

For this reason:

And then there was Georgia. We loved it. Classic, but unique. Spell-able and sweet. And then we googled it. And found that there's a song by the name of "Sweet Georgia Brown." An obnoxious song. The Harlem Globetrotters song, actually. And we didn't want people whistling that to her for her entire life.

And then there was Caroline. Cute nickname options (Carrie, Cara, Callie - but please don't call her Carol) and another classic, spell-able name. We were also shooting for name that wasn't in the top 50, according to the Social Security Administration. Our last name is so very common that we didn't want to pair it with a super popular first name. Check. And besides, we love it.

Middle Name: Hannah

We chose Hannah about 3 days before she was born. Keep in mind she was 10 days late, so we were clearly cutting it close on that one.

After tossing around lots and lots of options, we decided to shoot for a Biblical option for the middle name. For those of you who aren't familiar with feminine Biblical names, let me just tell you that the pikin's are slim. Boys names WAY outnumber girls. And then there are the obvious rejects:

Bathsheba (adulteress)
Rahab (prostitute)
Delilah (temptress)
Dorcas (I assume I don't need to explain)
Etcetera.

Plus, we wanted a Biblical name that connected to us and our story.

And then we came across this verse:

I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.
1 Samuel 1:27

And I was reminded of the story behind this verse. The story of a woman who couldn't have children. A woman who cried bitterly over that reality. A woman who fervently prayed for a child. And the Lord heard her prayer.

She gave birth to a son, Samuel.

Her name was Hannah.

And we knew it was the right name for us.

Caroline Hannah.