What's In A Name?

Choosing a name for your child is a daunting task. We wanted a name that had meaning so that one day when Megan asks, "Why did you name me Megan Elizabeth Garrett?" we can respond that Megan means Strong and Capable (Anglo-Saxon) or Pearl (Greek) and Elizabeth means Consecrated to God or God's promise(Hebrew). We can explain to her that we thought these were good traits to have and we will encourage her to live up to them.

Naming Megan was a challenge. We started our list with about 20 different names and their meanings. By Christmas we had the list narrowed down to five first and middle name combinations. We kept these names a secrete from everyone. We had several people try to guess what her name would be. We had guesses from Abagail to Petunia and most everything in between.

At one point we decided on Samantha Grace. However, about a week before she came, we decided that we didn't like that name as much as we thought. We went into the hospital with two other names, Megan Elizabeth and Rebecca Ruth. Even the nurses kept asking us what her name would be but we just couldn't decide. It wasn't until after we saw her in the OR that we decided on Megan Elizabeth.

After we got settled back into our room, Mark went out to the waiting room where both sets of grandparents were waiting. When he told them Megan's name, they cheered and rumor has it that some of them (like a certain grandmother) even jumped up and down. Everyone really likes the name. We hope Megan likes it too.