She has a name...

Dustin and I have been considering many, many names for our newest addition, just as we did with our older two kiddos.  Dustin is much better at name picking than I am - he picked both names for our other two children.  We chose Trent because it sounded strong and masculine - Dustin picked that one.  We picked Kate(lynn) for it's sweetness and femininity but also for it's quickness off the tongue, which lends itself to strength - also Dustin's pick.

Well, this third child is no different in terms of who did the picking... Dustin's pick again!  Man, he's good. 

But there is something uniquely different about this time around.  Our little girl already HAS a name.  One that her parents' thoughtfully chose to grant her with.  Her name speaks of her strong ethnic heritage.  It speaks of hope for her people.  It is a part of who she is and the beauty of the culture and strength she has within her.  I don't want her to lose her ties to her Ethiopian story.  For this reason, we are choosing to keep her Ethiopian name as her American middle name.  If she chooses to change her name, and use her Ethiopian name as her first name as an older child or an adult, I will be delighted.  But I also want to give her a special and meaningful experience as an American girl and in our family, Daddy picks the name so well.

Her name will be Penelope and we'll call her "Penny".  It is a bright and cheerful sounding name.  A name that carries hope and promise - just like our sweet Penny.