As you know by now, we keep names a secret until the babies are born. I just think it makes it more fun and allows for an element of surprise since everyone already knows the sex(es). Anyway, choosing twin girl names was really tough. I had a whole list of criteria, and we obviously like “old fashion” or traditional names. So, after all that squabbling and drama why did we choose the names we did?
Lucy: I just like this name. There’s no real “reason” for it…I just think it’s cute. When I was pregnant with Henry, I considered this name if he were to have been a girl. I just think it’s sweet and not very popular and I love calling my little girl Lu Lu. When we found out they were girls I told Andy that unless he absolutely HATED it, this one was non-negotiable.
Joy: Of all of the biblical attributes, Joy has always been my favorite. It doesn’t mean happiness in the way that the world thinks it does or should. It means to be content regardless. When my grandpa was still alive, he constantly asked to see the girls and talked about them all the time. At his funeral, the girls were mentioned more than once. It broke my heart that he never got to meet them and wanted to honor him in some way…his name was Joe. So, I thought that Joy was a perfect way to commemorate my grandpa’s love for these unborn girls and also remind myself to be joyful in ALL things.
Jillian: We’re not real profound people. So again, this name wasn’t selected for any special reason other than that it was cute and we thought Jill sounded good with Lucy. We waffled pretty badly between Jillian and Madelyn. While I *love* the name Madelyn, I hate the nickname Maddie and by the time you consider all the different spellings, Madelyn is actually way more popular than I would want. Ultimately, the decision was made…via a virtual coin toss on Andy’s iPhone. Yeah, we did best of three…and Jillian won. How sweet. (And now that she’s here, I can’t IMAGINE her being called Madelyn!)
Mary: We were originally going to go with Jillian Grace…but a few days before they were born Andy and I started to reconsider. Lucy Joy and Jillian Grace is pretty…but it’s kinda “theme-y”…and we didn’t want that. Besides, if Joy was a throw back to my grandpa, we figured we could incorporate something special from Andy’s side of the family…Mary has been around in his family for generations…so I told him he had the final say. I actually didn’t know he had decided on Mary until after the girls were born and his mom said something to me about it…which was fine, it was just funny that I didn’t even know until after he had announced it to everyone else!
Other Names We Really Considered and why we didn’t use them:
Josephine/Josie (for my grandpa)- opted against it because Lucy and Josie was way too rhyme-y.
Molly- There’s a dog in the family with this name…although I pushed pretty hard for this one…
Lily- Another dog in the family
Anna- A bit too high on the Top 100 Names for us
So there you have it. Whether you cared or not. :)
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;) I know that you really used the name Joy after me, but I understand how you need to say otherwise. Ha ha. I love hearing how/why people pick names. I love your name choices and I'm so excited to meet those sweet girls today!
Always fun to read peoples thought processes about the name thing! I have to admit, Molly was our choice for a girl, so is it wrong to be glad you didn't go with that one? Cause we're still set on that one if we have a girl next :)
i LOVE the names. and we have similar taste…that's all i'm saying for now. :)
Lucys cute but now I have to change my dogs
name she's a Lucy too…it's ok fits my niece better..
OMG one of your picks is Brianna's baby's name! Brianna, you sly fox. And yes, I just started a rumor. I apologize.
I LOVE your kids' names! They're beautiful, cute, profound, and precious all in one. And, oh, yes, they just happen to fit each child perfectly.
You should be more careful with the use of the word "hate." My brand new baby niece is named Maddie & I think it's a beautiful name. (Personally, I "hate" the name Jeannett to be honest!)
Carolyn-You're right…I should be careful with the word hate…but remember, I said I didn't like the name, not necessarily anyone WITH that name! Oh, and for what it's worth, I do also hate the name Jeannett too! :) Seriously…
I love the names!! I waited anxiously through your whole pregnancy and then delivery wondering what you were going to name those baby girls of yours!! I have to admit I love the name Jillian sooo much!! I personally am sick to death of Madelyn/Madison, and all the other Maddoe combo's out there these days. You did good picking, not that my opinion matters in the least. =P Thanks for the explanation.
I love their names too. My dad wanted me to name my boy Lucy if he was a girl. =) You gotta love Lucy in The Lion Witch and the Wardrobe!
Did you read the "Peanut Butter and Jelly" books in elementary school? About Polly "Peanut" Butterman and Jillian "Jilly" Matthews? (The first book is called New Friends) They were cute books. I thought of them when I saw the name Jillian, especially since your girls in-vitro nicknames were Peanut and Jelly Bean. =)
one of those names that you didn't pick for a girl is one that we've almost named each of our girls and is now number 1 if we have another. i just love your taste in names!
carolyn get over it!…and jeannett your name is fine! ive heard worse…
Dan whispered "Samuel David" for our first child. Of course, the rest of HER came out and he then said Elizabeth (came up with this after figuring we actually could be having a girl – prayed and searched the Bible). I always loved the name Danielle, but had to wait for our second baby since he didn't have a name at all when she was born. I finally got my Danielle. He didn't like the nickname Dani – that would mean there would be two "Dannys".
I love your girls' names.
i personally LOVE the names of all your kiddos. can't wait to squeeze them – we're all healthy now.
i love the names you picked and considered… jillian and lily are two of my favorites that we considered for our last baby. but my niece has a dog named lily so that kinda put a damper on it – but i was really pushing for it because my s.i.l.'s name was susan and it means lily.
Don't ya just love it!! My name was going to be Susan, but my grandfather already had another granddaughter named Susan so he gave me my Bible name(my mother didn't object, but has always called me Suzi since my middle name is Sue!!!! and my father was in the middle of WWII flying over the Pacific Ocean) Also, our granddaughter was going to be Brooklyn, but when our son and dil saw her they said, "nope, she looks like Madelyn Grace – funny about names, huh?!!!
Ted's grandma always wanted a Molly in the family, but I couldn't do that. Molly Malley? Please.
Well Ernie…: ), congrats on the new family additions. We really need to get together sometime, even if I have to make the trip your way. It's been too long. Take care.
Adriana
love your pictures and your blog, jeannett! xoxo to you and andy and the children.