When Dan and I were dating, we talked about our family. Yes, it's not healthy to do this but we did it anyway... I'd suggest to wait until at least engagement; but that is not the point. We agreed on a lot of things but I like gender-neutral names for babies; Dan, not so much. We had a large stack of boy names that we liked so when we found out we were having a girl, we were stuck! Elaine was my middle name and I still really like it, but for some reason, we didn't love it for our first born... It was just ill-fitting for us right now, maybe another girl along the way? Taylor was ALWAYS in our top, for a boy and a girl. Obviously, Taylor is where our paths were crossed and God put us together. We fell in love with each other and that community. Taylor holds a deep place in our heart. Our lives would not be the same if it weren't for Taylor. However, for a name, we valued a deep meaning and Taylor, as a word, lacks a substantive meaning for us... it means 'a tailor'. Yeah, kinda boring.
Mid pregnancy, I was reading Charlotte Parent magazine and came across an article by Gregory Keer. It was entitled, The Lion Sleeps Tonight. (read it here). Set as a letter to his third son, he explained his wife's birth and his time holding his son before bed. He explains why they chose the name Ari for their son. In my pregnancy-hormone-induced state, I cried while reading this article. The name, which he states means lion, left a strong impact on my heart. (Note his brother's names are Benjamin and Jacob, both in our top 5 boy names!) The author states, "It is our hope you will grow strong and pounce on every opportunity to do well for yourself and others." The same hope lives in Dan and I for our Ari. Upon more research, we find that Ari comes from the [Hebrew] Bible name, Arieh. It occurs once in the Bible and refers to a guard in Israel. The word (as a noun) means Lion and it is featured Biblically as the proverbial ferocious animal and a metaphor for the destructive power of God. Clearly, a powerful name for such a wonderful, beautiful little girl.
Dan and I talked about the meaning of the lion and we discussed the many personality differences between the two of us. According to Wikipedia, male lions sleep up to 20 hours a day. If our Ari is the sleepy, chilled out and cuddly lion, she'll be taking after Dan. If she's the ferocious go-getter hunter type, she'll be like me. Ha, this makes us laugh. But in seriousness, our little lioness is a Child of God created and formed in His image. Regardless of her personality, she will be loved and protected by Him.
