Baby Girl Has A Name!

We are proud to announce that our baby girl has a name!  For at least the last 10 years, Tanner and I have two baby girl names that we loved - Chloe, and Claire.  Both feminine and sweet.  We thought if we ever had a girl, we would be set.  And then we found out we were actually having a girl, and the strangest thing happened.  Neither of our beloved girl names felt right.  We still love both names; should we ever have another girl, they may both be in the running. Just didn't seem to fit this time. 

So we started searching the internet, pinterest and the recesses of our brains in search of the perfect name.  I have always like the name Kate, but could never convince the Tan-man.  We had thrown the name out to our family for opinions; they all seemed to like it, but we weren't entirely convinced.  We couldn't decide if her name would be C/Katherine, Caitlyn, just C/Kate, or none of the above.

Then we had a conversation with my father-in-law.  I knew he had lost his father and his baby sister in a car accident when he was very young, but it's just not something we ever really talked about.  He sat at my kitchen table, and opened up for the first time I can remember.  It wasn't a long, drawn out speech.  Just a moment of him remembering his family.  He said, "Now don't let this affect your decision, but you know Kate is a derivative of Katherine.  Catherine was my sister's name."  Tanner asked if it was Catherine with a C.  Steve said yes.  I started crying and immediately knew immediately that my daughter's name is Cate.

I always love when names have significant meaning in some way.  Whether it's the meaning of the name, the origin, or the name itself, I think it gives kids a heritage.  I want my kids to know that they have a legacy of family, faith and fun.  I want Cooper and Cate, and any additional children God chooses to bless us with to know that they are loved by generations and that many people have invested in their lives from before they were born.  They are prayed for, needed and precious.  Cate Rachelle, you are carrying the name of your great aunt and sharing a middle name with both your Mommy and Nana.  Carry yourself with pride and wear your name well, my dear girl!

Oh and by the way, if anybody ever tries to mess with you, they'll have THE HULK to deal with!