how phoebe anne got her name

I don't think anyone was more surprised by what we decided to name Phoebe than we were.

Let me explain. When we found out that we were having another girl, we somehow, miraculously, agreed on and liked a huge list of names.

With Lyla, we had about three names that we both felt good about. Those names were Lyla, Eden and Phoebe.

When it came down to naming Lyla it was between Phoebe and Lyla. When it came down to it after she was born, she was definitely a Lyla and not a Phoebe.

Anyways, some of the names we threw around this time around included: Evelyn, Elsa, Ivy, Charlotte, Ingrid, Iris, Ruby, Violet, Pearl, Audrey, Hattie, and Nora {there were actually more, but I can't remember all of them right now}.

For a few weeks after finding out we were having a girl, I was convinced she was going to be Ruby Anne. Then I thought of the name Violet, and I was sure that was going to be her name.  

Then I thought of Nora. I was in love with the name, and AJ liked it, too. We added it to the list, and I subconsciously began to think of the baby girl growing inside of me as Nora.

AJ, on the other hand, was pushing for the name Hattie. That was his top pick. I thought it was cute, but never really felt that strongly about it.

I had no idea that when it came down to it, it would be as hard as it ended up being to choose a name.

{note: I think once, maybe twice we mentioned that Phoebe could still be on the table, but it was nothing more than a fleeting thought, and mainly because it was a name we liked a few years ago. It was never one we actively discussed or even mentioned seriously as a pick, it never even made our list of names that I hate pinned up for months and month}

And then we had our sweet little baby.

And then we had to decide on a name.

I admit, I was sure that I could convince AJ that her name was meant to be Nora. I was sure that when it came down to it, he would agree with whatever name I wanted because let's face, I did just go through a heck of a lot to get her here.

But in actuality, I couldn't even bring myself to call her Nora. Every time I tried, I just couldn't say that name while looking at her. It just didn't feel right. As much as I wanted it to, it really didn't fit.

I didn't actually admit that to AJ right away, and when we were discussing the name, I still suggested it, but mainly because I didn't want to settle on the name Hattie. That name didn't feel right either.

So for almost three days we called her baby or sissy.

One evening, as I talked to AJ on the phone, he said "What about the name Phoebe?"

Totally out of left field. And because I'm stubborn, and didn't want to admit right away that the  name felt more right than anything, I said we'd think about it.

So for that night, every time I looked at her, the name Phoebe came to mind. It was the most bizarre thing though because that wasn't even a name we really considered.

The next night, he came to be with us after putting Lyla to bed. We sat for a good hour discussing names. We added the name Clara to the list and thought about the  name Pearl again, and of course, Phoebe.

I jotted all sorts of combos down on sticky pad. We had different middle names we liked that included Rae and Patience, which are both family names.

We decided to sleep on it once more, and even pray about it, that we might be inspired and led in the right direction.

The next morning I knew we had to name her. And just like that, we agreed on Phoebe Anne. And when we finally said it, and made it official and wrote out her birth certificate, it felt even more right.

And I fell in love with name.

So there you have it. We ended up naming her something completely different than we ever thought, a name that wasn't even on the table.

My mom told me that she said to my sister after she was born {without even knowing we were then thinking about the name Phoebe} that she had a feeling that Phoebe would come back as a pick. Maybe my mom knew something that we didn't!

My middle name is Anne, so I guess you can say she is named after me in that sense.

When all is said and done, she is our little Phoebe Anne, and we love the name.