'Splaining the Naming

I must tell you that the most difficult part of this pregnancy was deciding on names for the twins. Call me crazy (some of you already have), but I really take the naming game very seriously.

From the moment we found out God was blessing us with twins, I knew that their names had to capture the significance of this great gift. Bob agrees that naming our children is a great responsibility, not to be taken lightly. But he did not agree on my name choices. I'll spare you the details of our discussions (spat of the century), but we were still in disagreement as I walked into the operating room.

My hope was that once he saw my body being cut open to birth these babes, he would be more deferential to my opinions. But I was wrong.

We asked everyone's opinions -- seeking advice from our family, the nurses, and any one who happened to walk by our hospital room. We were desperate.

For the first 3 days, they were labeled Twin A and Twin B. This was so confusing since our little girl (who was Twin B in the womb), beat out her brother for the first spot and officially became Twin A.

Fortunately, by Day 3, we had finalized the birth certificate paperwork and their names became official.

Let me introduce:

John "Jack" Kelsey Byrne

Jack's name held the least controversy, and Bob and I were in agreement pretty early on.

Bob's grandfather was John, and he went by the nickname Jack.

We gave Jack the middle name Kelsey to honor our great friend and mentor, D.A. Kelsey, an appellate judge in Virginia. Bob and I both clerked for him at different times (Bob for 2 years and I for 4 years) after graduating from law school, and he has had an enormous impact on our family.

When I began my clerkship, I was pregnant with Robbie. I was able to work from home 99% of the time and even took Robbie in to the office on occasion. He was one of the first people I called after Robbie's death, and we prayed together on the phone. Bob and I were honored to have him give the eulogy at Robbie's memorial service in Virginia. (a copy of the eulogy is on the sidebar). It is our prayer that Jack grows up to be a strong and fearless man of God and chooses to serve Him all the days of his life.

Ryan Elizabeth Synclair

Now for our sweet daughter. This is where the controversy began. I'll spare you the details of our spat and simply say that this is her official name.

Ryan is Bob's grandmother's maiden name.

Elizabeth is my mother's name, my first name, and Bob's aunt's name.

Synclair means “clear sign”. To me, the gift of these twins was a clear reminder of God's purposeful involvement in our lives. Although there may be times when He seems far away or silent, the truth is that God will never leave or forsake us and His love for us is incomprehensible.

We pray Ryan Elizabeth learns to trust God with all her heart.

I asked God for twins...for many different reasons. And He answered this prayer with beautiful Jack and Ryan Elizabeth.

We are so very blessed . . . . and so very tired.

{Don't let them fool you.}