Name Game

I don't think I've ever written about our baby boy's name.

And though I like to give my husband a different idea (who was set on this name since the beginning of our marriage and long before Wesley's existence), I love it.

James Wesley Craddock

James is a family name on Kyle's side. Kyle is James Kyle. The name James is the first name of 5 generations of Craddock men. James is a Hebrew name, and the name of one of Jesus' twelve disciples who comprised His inner circle and was a close confidant, present at many important events such as Jesus' transfiguration and His turmoil in Gethsemane. And of course, another biblical James was the writer of the 20th book of the New Testament, which happens to be one of my favorite in all of Scripture. It's a book that God has used to breathe life into my soul numerous times and also contains a verse that has great importance in my marriage (see James 1:16-17). A dear friend read it at our wedding. I love that our son carries the name James.

For the sake of avoiding confusion with so many James Craddock's, we knew our son would be called by his middle name. Wesley is of Old English origin and means "western meadow," which is not extremely meaningful but is pleasant imagery nonetheless. Kyle and I talked about this name and loved it many years ago, so it seemed like an obvious choice when we found out we were expecting a boy. We often shorten it to Wes and like that he has a built-in nickname. We also love that it's an English name - from a country that we both have visited and have a strong affinity for.

Craddock, our last name, is Welsh. It is a variant of the name Caradoc which means "love," "affection," or "beloved." Certainly this child is undoubtedly, unmistakably loved. So so dearly.

In the spirit of all the change, I'm hoping to turn over a new leaf and update the 'ol blog more than once every few months. Let's be honest, that's a sad existence for a blog. Besides, I like having this bit of web space. Not so much to document everything that happens in our lives, but it definitely serves as a creative outlet for me. It helps me organize my thoughts into ways that tell bits of our story.... and hopefully captures a few moments in time along the way. :-)