Penelope Jane

Penelope's birthday is in a few days. I went back into the blog to the year Penelope was born to find a few favorite pictures and I found this blog post I wrote about her name. I had SUCH a hard time deciding on her name and I even considered changing it when she was about a year old. Reading this brought back so many memories!

I always have said I have certain rules for picking a name - the name can't be something made up (or a crazy new spelling), it has to be obviously a boy or girl name, the name shouldn't lend itself to an obvious nickname or shorter version, and I like short, one syllable names. So, as you can see, we broke several of these rules with Penelope Jane.

When Matt left that morning to get ready for church, we had her name chosen but I didn't want Matt to say anything during his talk. I felt like once it was announced there was no going back. I know, I was being weird. But what was a Penelope like? Would she be taken seriously as a doctor or lawyer? Could she be in sports or politics and not thought of as too girly or feminine? Man, I like to over think things...

Matt has liked the name Penelope for a long time, but I said you have to basically decide to name her Penny since that is the obvious nickname she will have. However, we have already heard Pen, Penel, and Nel so who knows what even the next five days will bring to her list of nicknames. Her name still sounds like a question in my head - Penelope? Is that your name?

So little baby, I hope you like your name, and I hope it's feminine, strong, classy and something that will take you through all your phases of life. And if you don't like it, it was your dad's favorite after all. :)
Today I can easily say that this girl is a Penelope Jane, through and through. She is feminine and strong-willed. She knows her mind and speaks her mind. When I read this quote, I think of Penelope.