And We Have His Name...

Just like with James, it took us a while to nail down a name for this baby boy.  We didn't have a clue what to name another baby before I got pregnant and we were not even close to committing to a name by the time we found out the baby was a boy.  But after discussing and practicing with this name for several weeks, we are excited that this is the name this baby will carry as he grows into a boy and then a man.  

Our criteria for deciding on a name with both boys has been the same.  We wanted all this in a name:

• Biblical name
• Family name
• Easy to spell (only one way to spell the name)
• Easy to pronounce when you read it
• Common, but not popular

So, with all that in mind, we decided on...

Luke Thomas Bower

The name Luke is not a family name, but we still like it a lot.  We didn't agree on many names, but this was a name we both liked.  It was also important for me to have a name that flowed well with James.  I didn't want to have a James and a Bartholomew - I just don't like the way they sound together.  Luke is derived from Greek and it means "light."  We pray that this baby boy becomes a light in the world.  I also like this description of the name from Nameberry.com, "Luke is a cool-yet-strong New Testament name, with a relaxed cowboy feel, which has been on the rise since the advent of Luke Skywalker."

The name Thomas is a family name.  Thomas means "twin."  Ray's grandfather's name on his mom's side is Thomas Stacy Wood III.  His grandparents became a big part of Ray's and Evan's (Ray's brother) lives when they moved to North Carolina nearly twenty years ago.  They gave Ray and Evan opportunities for responsibility such as mowing their lawn and taught them many important life lessons.  One of the qualities Ray admires in his grandparents is their ability to share family history through storytelling.  We are honored to be able to continue family tradition and history with this name.  We both like the name Thomas and I've always been able to identify with Thomas in the Bible.  Thomas doubted Jesus, but Jesus always met Thomas where he was and Jesus has been so gracious to do the same with me.  

So there it is!  Little Luke is just chillin' in my belly.  I can't wait to see what he looks like.  I wonder if he will have twin like attributes to James or if he will be completely different.  We can't wait to see!