To start this ten-day series, I thought I'd unveil the name of my youngest child: Manly. This little guy has been the heart of all my posts of late. (He is doing much better, by the way. )
When I was expecting Manly, B and I argued over boys names for months. We finally concluded we would narrow our list to 3 names and choose his name when we first met him.
A month or so later, I was exhausted from a month straight of pre-term labor contractions at night. My body ached. My spirit was listless. I was wanting this pregnancy to end, but not wanting my little guy to come early. I asked B for a Priesthood blessing. In the middle of the blessing, B had an impression for what to name our baby. After he was done, he told me. I listened, thought, and agreed. The name was not what I expected, nor was it necessarily what I wanted. But, it felt right. That was enough for both of us.
We looked up the name on the internet and found its meaning to be "man, warrior" and "manly." We laughed and decided "manly" would become his nickname on-line.
Are you intrigued by these hints? Let me lure you further along.
In the Christian tradition, this name belonged to one of the first followers of Christ. And, for all you art connoisseurs, this person has been the focus of many religious paintings. One of my favorites was painted by the talented hand of Caravaggio*.
Still don't know? Well, the name of this painting is The Calling of Saints Peter and Andrew.
Okay, okay, enough suspense. His name is Andrew. He is my little guy.
He has grown from a 6 lb. 8 oz. little thing
to a 14 lb. 4 oz. chunk.
I wasn't very excited about having a little boy. I just didn't know what to do with a boy.
Now? He has my heart. I love his chubby cheeks, his lopsided grin, and his blue eyes. I also love how he clings to me.
He is a Momma's boy.
*Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
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Love it Amber. Everything about it.
ReplyDeleteI really like the name Andrew. And what a cool way to come to it!
ReplyDeleteWhew! I was afraid that his name was really Manly for a while there! Andrew's such a great name. (Bar Mitzvahzilla also has a biblical name.)
ReplyDeleteI'm waiting with breathless anticipation to find out Queen's real name. Tomorrow?
I love that name! When I was pregnant with Fynn, I knew he was a he (though we didn't find out via ultrasound...) and I had all those fears about being a mama to a boy. The unknown. But I couldn't imagine my life without a little boy in it :) Little boys are so sweet, and so caring, and so much fun!
ReplyDeleteAmber, I LOVE this! I love how close you and Mr. B are - you are united in your love for one another and for your faith. I love how this shows you can plan and discuss and analyze something, but then in the end the answer takes you by surprise. The name Andrew came at a very powerful moment, and you both knew it was right. It gives me chills!
ReplyDeletePS - Glad to hear your Manly is feeling better.
Oh Amber! I love the name Andrew. As a matter of fact, #2 is Andrew. I swore, after the toddler he was, no one should use that name again. It should be retired like it was from hurricane names. Strangely, about 20 months later, I became Godmother to my g/f's son, Andrew. No one ever listens. :)
ReplyDeleteAndrew is a perfect match for that face. What a wonderful story behind it, too. My first daughter has a story of that nature behind her name. Even at 5 she asks me to tell it to her over and over.
ReplyDeleteI have four sons and must admit a couple of them are kinda mama's boys, but luckily the 21 yr-old is growing out of it. :)
ReplyDeleteAndrew is a wonderful name! And he's so happy-go-lucky looking! I love his grin.
ReplyDeleteGreat solid name for a chubby little boy. I have four sons (no daughters) and 2 are momma's boys. Luckily for his future wife, the 21 yr-old is pretty much outgrowing it!
ReplyDeleteWell, hello there, Andrew! I hope you are feeling much better today!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful baby (and name)! I love the expressions of love and happiness in the last pic.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely. And his name suits him. (So does Manly!)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you'll be sharing something with us daily. We can savor the pleasure.
And so happy to hear that Andrew is feeling better!
I love the name Andrew.
ReplyDeleteAnd your little man is divine.
Is that reddish hair on his head?
xox
Sweet post. I love the story behind choosing a name. So glad you shared this.
ReplyDeleteWe fought over our boy names every time. Our #5 was similar- 3 names narrowed down and then a strong impression to both of us to name him something completely different (a name never brought up in all 5 kids) when he was born.
ReplyDeleteLove the name. Love the story.
I agree, Andrew is the perfect name. I'm so glad you shared it with us. Can't wait to find out the Queen's real one!
ReplyDeleteI had a dream when I was pregnant with Emma that we had a little boy named Andrew. The love I felt for our little boy was so, so real in that dream that I was certain Emma was going to be a boy.
ReplyDeleteNot. So. Much.
LOVE the name...it fits him beautifully!
The name has grown on me. Now I think he really looks like an Andrew.
ReplyDeleteThanks Marvett!
ReplyDeleteI knew I was having a boy, but I got an ultrasound anyway. : )
ReplyDeleteMy biggest fear was whether I would have a hard time cuddling with him. Strange, huh? I guess I am so worried about avoiding gender stereotypes that I often worry myself into a frenzy. Now that I have Andrew, I wouldn't mind having more boys. They certainly are sweet and fun.
Ha! Sometimes I slip and call him Manly. That's the root reason why I went through all this trouble. : )
ReplyDelete"You can plan and discuss and analyze something, but then in the end the answer takes you by surprise." This describes us very accurately. We plan everything! Until we receive a prompting to do something else. But, I think it is the planning that prepares us to listen for that Spirit and gives us courage to do what we've been directed. At least Andrew's name was an easy thing to agree to.
ReplyDeleteI am thinking the same thing for the Queen's name. : )
ReplyDeleteAndrew is a beautiful name. I think it might require growing into, so perhaps #2 is now better? Yes? Hopefully?
He IS happy-go-lucky!! Mild mannered, easy, and plain wonderful.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I hope THIS week is better than last week.
Aww! I hope Andrew asks me to tell me his story. I am doing much better about writing these things down. I know if I don't I will forget.
ReplyDeleteHis RSV has turned into a run-of-the-mill cold. Thank goodness. He is lucky. I have a few friends whose babies have had to be put on respirators. This RSV season was (is) a rough one.
ReplyDeleteThat last pic is of him on my lap. He loves his Momma.
ReplyDeleteI can tell Andrew is doing better when he starts to giggle. He has been doing that the last couple of days. He is such a sweet heart.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jane!
ReplyDeleteI sure hope he has reddish hair! His sister kind of does. His father has flaming red hair and I married him hoping he would pass that on to our children. : )
ReplyDeleteI think we will fight about ALL of our boys' names. Girls? We have that down.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad too. When I started calling them by their on-line nicknames, I realized it was necessary. : )
ReplyDeleteI had a similar dream with my Queen. The funny thing was I knew she was a girl. My dreams just wanted to trick me. That is when I learned I did NOT have the gift of interpretive dreams. (Not that you don't.)
ReplyDeleteHe is so cute!
ReplyDeleteAnd I loved the part about the blessing! How cool is that!
We had our girl's names picked out way in advance. The boy's names we fought over until right before we left the hospital with them. =)
OMG! That last shot is priceless! What personality he has in that smile! I felt the same as you when Luke came along. WHAT will I do with a boy?? What will I have in common with a boy? But, wow, I couldn't agree more. Something about a little guy loving his mommy so much.
ReplyDeleteLove the name Andrew... strong and powerful yet warm at the same time.
Can I just say that I love how fat your baby is?
ReplyDelete