The Loves of My Life

The Loves of My Life

Saturday, February 21, 2009

What's in a Name- Introducing My Circus Animal


Today we brought home our beautiful baby boy.

Wesley Wendell White was Born Thursday, February 19th at 6lbs, 13oz and 20 in. long.

He is absolutely beautiful (of course I am biased) and I have already switched to the "I can't imagine my life without him" gear.

A few months ago,  I posted a "A Baby Naming Contest" blog to see if anyone wanted to try and guess the name we picked out. And true to my word,  I am posting the winners.
No one actually guessed the first name....accept "Anonymous." But my thought is,  if you post anonymous, you might as well not post :-)

But two people guessed the middle name. It took a while....but they finally got it...and within  only a few hours of each other. The winners are.....
First Place- Diane Davis
Second Place- Edie Finnell.

To be truthful...I had a feeling these girls might guess it since they are both avid readers.

So why Wesley Wendell White?

Well a friend of mine, Elizabeth,  wrote a beautiful post on her blog and I encourage you to read it here. She put  into words some of the things I don't know how. I have to say after reading it, I wished I had thought of some of those reasons, but I hadn't. But her prayer is what fills my heart with hope, that Wesley will grow into the meaning of his name.

To be honest....both Paul and I just really liked the name Wesley. We wanted a W name.....cuz let's face it...who doesn't like alliteration? We hadn't even thought of the theologian until a few weeks ago....but that's okay.

Wendell is the name that Paul without a doubt wanted. Wendell is named after the writer Wendell Berry. Paul has read many of his books and poetry and he is a man that he highly respects and loves. After reading some of his stuff, I would have to agree. His heart and thoughts are so rich and full of so many rich things...things that truly matter in this crazy world.

While I was in labor, Paul read aloud some of his poems. There was one in particular I really liked, and it happened to be one of Paul's favorites too. In fact....after we announced the name...a close friend posted this exact poem on our facebook wall without even knowing that we had read it.

"When despair grows in me
and I wake in the middle of the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief.
I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting for their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free."

~ 'The Peace of Wild Things' -- by Wendell Berry

Reading that just takes my breathe away....as does looking at Wesley. 

I love his name.....and it holds so much meaning and hope for me. I also love all the little nicknames emerging from friends and family.
There's Dub Dub, Triple Dub, The Web, and the funniest which Jeremiah came up with....Mr. Fire Engine ("Cuz he sounds like a fire engine when he cries!")

So Welcome lil Wes.....my sweet little wanderer Wes.

16 comments:

Dionne Sincire said...

Welcome Wesly Wendal White!!!!!! He's adorable. :) Congratulations!

Jeff & Jenn Kliewer said...

Just to precious for words! Love to all the Whites!

Carrie said...

I love the name Wesley too. Aside from the fact that my oldest son bears that name, I love its timelessness. Congratulations!

Anonymous said...

Congrats! And good name . . . you can't really argue with Wendell Berry. Here's my favorite Wendell quote for little Wesley:
"But do the Lords of War in fact
hate the world? That would be easy
to bear, if so. If they hated
their children and the flowers
that grow in the warming light,
that would be easy to bear. For then
we could hate the haters
and be right. What is hard
is to imagine the Lords of War
may love the things that they destroy."

Kristi said...

O Jen...after knowing your journey through your pregnancy with Wesley...it is so beautiful to hear the outcome...how you feel when your with him...why you named him his name...how much you love him....

It's all so perfect. I'm so happy for you....

Brazenlilly said...

He's gorgeous, and I'm so glad you are glowing in the new baby love. What a precious name, and the meaning makes it even more loveable. We'll be praying for you as you adjust to a family of 5!

Christy said...

Jen, such a lovely post. I can't wait to meet Wesley Wendell. :)

Heidi said...

Beautiful post...

Beautfiul baby boy...

Congratulations!

aurelia said...

Beautiful picture. So sweet.

Sarah said...

Blessed little man! I am rejoicing and basking in the awe of all that is so fresh from God ... sigh!
What a gift of heritage and depth and love your sweet "Dub Dub" is coming into ...
Congratulations, precious family!

Sarah said...

Blessed little man! I am rejoicing and basking in the awe of all that is so fresh from God ... sigh!
What a gift of heritage and depth and love your sweet "Dub Dub" is coming into ...
Congratulations, precious family!

Anonymous said...

Love him and love you.

Can't wait to see you both!!

Erika Mills said...

What wonderful words! Welcome Wes :)

- he's so totally cute!!-

Diane Davis said...

i keep coming back to look at his picture. it is a picture of hope.

loving you all,

d

Lyonslove said...

WWW.welcome to the world!
He is a doll! How fun that they are 1 day apart! I'm with you on couldn't live without the new baby!!

edie said...

Congratulations! Forgive me that this is ridiculously overdue. I love the name and I hope you are enjoying every moment with your new little guy. He's beautiful, Jen. Wishing you and your family all the best.