How we named him...

Oh the pressure of naming your child, it is a big deal. I mean this name goes on official documents like diplomas and resumes, etc. Naming a child isn't a decision that should be taken lightly.

The process of naming Caleb started with a list I kept on my iPhone. Even before we knew we were having a boy, we made a list of girl and boy names. Any name we heard and liked it went on the list. Caleb was on that list for me from the beginning. Then Sean reminded me that his brother-in-law and nephew are named Caleb Andrew, however both of them go by a nickname of their middle name and never called Caleb. Considering this, we took Caleb off as a possibility. I, however, didn't connect really with any other name besides Caleb. Eventually, the name was put back on the list as a possibility. We went back and forth on names and ultimately decided we were okay with waiting until we saw him to name him. Our top three names before he came were in order of preference was Caleb, Brayden and Jadon (commonly spelled Jayden), Jadon is the spelling used in the Bible (ref: Nehemiah 3:7).

Then Caleb entered the world and we looked at him and couldn't decide what he looked like. Sean even went through a list of Biblical boy names he found online to help us. Throughout the pregnancy, I looked at the meaning of names but after his birth I really looked at the meaning. Caleb means faith, devotion, wholehearted. Sean and I prayed asking God to provide us a child in His timing and as you read in his birth story, we had faith that Caleb would come in God's timing, not the doctor's. This is ultimately what helped us to decide on Caleb, Caleb Michael Henning that is. Michael by the way is Sean's middle name and he preferred to use Michael rather than Sean for the middle name. 
So Caleb Michael Henning, it is for the rest of his life on all major documents, to be called by his teachers at school.
My dad took this photo yesterday, best photo yet capturing his dimples

20 comments:

Simply LKJ said...

Love learning how you chose his name. I too believe meanings are important. Such a sweet picture!

whit | Black Little Button blog said...

He definitely looks like a Caleb my dear.

I love that you kept a list on your phone, that's what my husband and I would do as well. We had a boy and a girl's name picked out way before we were even married. :)
-whit

Pamela said...

Aww so sweet :) Cute picture!! love the name!

the Florkens said...

So precious! I have a similar list of names on my phone and we aren't even planning on babies for another year or so! Caleb Michael is beautiful and he is awfully handsome himself! As the proud owner of a pair of dimples, I have to say I love seeing them on smiling babies! Congrats!

-Kate
www.theflorkens.com

brooke lyn said...

definitely a Caleb.

Katie said...

Those dimples are ADORABLE! We were hoping Charlie would get her dad's dimples, but instead she got my chin dimple (so sad lol!).

Jennifer @ Delightfully Noted said...

He is so handsome! I found picking a name for boys was so much harder than a girl's but then one day it just clicked. The name is Caleb is very nice and I like the meaning.

Hilary said...

I love the name Caleb! Kaleb was one of our top 3. :-)

Happily Ever Parker said...

Very sweet! David and I agree on one boy name and girl name. I am so glad I don't have to battle him :)

Anonymous said...

Oh what a sweet baby!! I have had friends who have had so much trouble coming up with names. Luckily, I already have a girl name picked out and am working on boy names just in case I get preggers :) xo

Amanda C. said...

I have been away from the blog world for a while. Caleb is presh! I think a name is important. Caleb is a good one, not overly used or trendy.

Whitney Tomlin said...

Ah, I have been away from blog world for a while. My baby girl just turned 7 months and it passes so quickly! Love the name and he is so precious!

Kira said...

I kept name lists on my phone too!

Sarah said...

sweet baby boy, I like caleb over all the other names you had too. And it's crazy to think, what name you give them will be on everything. When we thought of names, we thought, would someone vote for this person for president with that name? Does it sound like strong name? I think CMH does. :)

Erika Lee @ A Tiny Rocket said...

He is pretty perfect and see those little dimples. congrats mama

Lauren {at} Life.Love.Lauren said...

I absolutely love his name!!

Amy said...

Perfect name for a perfect baby!

chantal marie said...

aw he is beautiful!! i think it is a great name!

Selma @ Crazy Little World Of Mine said...

He's beautiful girl, and you two chose the perfect name for him. :)

The Olive Tree Blog said...

love his name and yes so much pressure choosing a name! awwwww his dimples!!!