of grateful praise

The first time the Mr. and I selected a name for our son, we had decided to choose a French name. We are both a big mix of heritages, but French is the one (in small doses that is) that we have in common. That, mixed with my love of all things France, it seemed like a great idea. Of course, Pierre, Francois & Jean just didn't fit our taste in names. But one day, the Mr. gave me a call and said "How about Isaak?" Spelling it with a 'K' would be the French part. Stretching it a bit, but we both knew that Isaak was the perfect choice for our first born son. The name means laughter, a big part of the Mr.'s and my relationship. And surely, our first son has brought laughter to our family that is medicine to our souls. The story of Isaac, biblically was also meaningful. The Mr. loved the fact that when Isaac was young, he had so much faith and trust in his father. I loved the fact that Isaac was born to a woman and man who, in the world's eyes, were probably not supposed to have a child. We were told that it was going to be very difficult for us to have children due to my endometriosis. Now, backtracking a bit. As we began the task of choosing a name, the Mr. really wanted to name our first son Ian, but I was looking for something a bit different. Once we had decided upon Isaak, he wanted a middle name that began with an A. His initials would then be IAN. So, the Mr. would kind of get his way. My mom suggested the name Andrew, which means warrior. And so it was, Isaak Andrew.

The second time the Mr. and I selected a name for our son, it was a little more difficult. We knew we wanted something that was not on the most popular baby name list. But that also meant that we would probably get a lot of remarks about our choice. Choosing something different will do that. We didn't mind. This time, we were at church. We stepped out of the service and onto the patio for some discussion. Yes, we left church mid service. The Mr. opened up his Bible and turned to two books. First, the book of Ezra. And then, the book of James. Ezra means help is on the way. And surely, our second son has helped our family grow in ways we could not imagine. James is the Mr.'s favorite book of the Bible. And so it was, Ezra James. But then... we decided we wanted to honor the Mr.'s aunt who has been an incredible blessing to our family. Her name is Toby. We chose to incorporate the name Tobin. And as an added bonus, because the Mr. and I are both winos, there just happens to be a fabulous winery in Paso Robles, one of our favorite places, that makes an impeccable red... Tobin James. And so it was, Ezra Tobin James.

Now, choosing a name for our third son was more difficult than we expected. The Mr. and I could not agree on a name. We knew, once again, we wanted something different and unique. Ready to accept, once again, the remarks of others who did not prefer our choice. We threw several names around, but none clicked. And we continued to disagree on our favorites. And then, very unexpectedly, as the Mr. was reading to our son. The name presented itself. And it clicked. It is French. The given meaning- merchant, was not significant, but the idea that comes to mind when hearing the name certainly is. In fact, two things come to mind when I hear his name...

Merci. As in, we are very thankful for this unexpected gift of another son. As well as Mercy. As in,

Lamentations 3:22-24. [The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in Him."] In the very beginning of my pregnancy, I was horribly ill. For many weeks. Terribly ill. I had a high fever for over a week. I was so worried that something would happen to our child. But daily, I am reminded that His mercies never come to an end. I love that when I hear his name, encouraging words of scripture come to mind. And so it is, Mercer. We are still on the hunt for the perfect middle name...

On another note, we were given a few bottles of red in celebration and to honor Ezra's birth. Tobin James red of course. Perhaps, to honor Mercer's birth, we will be given a stay at the sweet Mercer Hotel in one of our other favorite places- SOHO, New York! :) Kidding of course... but I can dream.