We’ve picked a name! Normally James and I would never announce this sort of thing before the birth. (Many of you have heard the story of how far we went to keep Tommy’s name AND gender a secret!) But obviously this is a special circumstance and we wanted to bless our little girl with as much dignity as her little life deserves, even if I’m still carrying her.
We are so very excited to introduce you to our daughter, Carmen Marie Van Guilder!
She is named after my tia (aunt) who passed away tragically/suddenly from a brain aneurysm 8 years ago and abuelita (my mom’s grandmother) in Peru, though her middle name is the English version of theirs.
Her middle name is also a teeny tiny nod to my middle name, Mauricci, which is my mom’s maiden name. When I was little I used to tell people my middle name was Marie just to avoid the blank stares I would get if I told my elementary school- aged classmates what it really was. Don’t judge. I was just trying to avoid confusion and lengthy explanations. 😉
Finally, if you’re not sick of listening to me explain all the layers of meaning to this name, my tia and abuelita’s name references the Virgen del Carmen, a popular representation of the Virgin Mary/a patron saint in Peru and Latin America, whose feast day is in July (the month we found out we were pregnant with Carmen).
As always we cherish your prayers, and now we all have a name to put to them. 🙂
“A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.” Revelation 12:1