The Meaning of a Name

Have you ever wondered why your parents decided to name you what they did? For this reason, I thought it would be a good idea to share how we decided on the name Felicity. When we found out we were having another girl many months ago, we didn't have any difficulty at all deciding on a name. We like names that are less common but not weird. And we definitely aren't into strange spellings of names. We also prefer names that people won't automatically shorten to something else (i.e. I introduce myself as Kimberly and 5 seconds later the person is calling me Kim).

With those qualifications, one of the first girl names that came to mind for me was Felicity. Some people may remember the TV show that ran for 4 years (1998-2002) starring Keri Russell. That's one reason I like the name. It was a great show, and Keri Russell was awesome in it. I envy her curly hair and would consider not straightening mine every day if I could get it to look like hers. Since my Felicity will no doubt have curly hair someday, it seemed appropriate.

More importantly though, is the actual meaning of the name. It means happiness. Because of the meaning, I had a very strong feeling that that's what her name was supposed to be. (I had the same kind of impression when I was pregnant with Bridget about her name). When I think back to what my life was like a year ago, it felt anything but happy to me. After my second miscarriage, I grieved for months. Even though I have an amazing husband and beautiful daughter, I felt like I our family wasn't complete. I felt so physically, emotionally, and spiritually broken that it was hard to feel happy about anything. During my pregnancy this time, I slowly began to feel that happiness return as each appointment and milestone passed. By the end, I could hardly wait to hold her in my arms and have her safely here. Giving birth to Felicity was truly one of the happiest experiences of my life. Babies really are bundles of joy, and the past 2 weeks have been full of joy for me. Even when I'm up with her in the middle of the night and so tired I can hardly keep my eyes open, I love every minute I get to spend with her.