As many of you know, we did not reveal her name until she was born - we just called her Snack Pack! We just thought since everyone already knew she was a girl, we wanted one big surprise when she was born. Also, I didn't really want any input from anyone - Ken and I just wanted to decide by ourselves. You know how some people like to say things about things like that....
Well, we knew before I even got pregnant that if we had a girl, her middle name would be Margaret. Margaret is my Mom's, Grandma's, and Great-Grandma's name, and I think it goes back even farther than that. My mom decided not to continue the tradition with me, but that is ok because I like my name. I did choose Margaret for my confirmation name though.
We had lots of names we liked for boys, not too many for girls. One day, Ken suggested Madeline. I liked it but was a little worried that people would call her Maddie, and I didn't like that at all. The day after he suggested it, I woke up remembering a song that I had heard in college on a Rich Mullins video called Madeline's song. Here are the lyrics:
"Madeline fusses and Madeline laughs The angel who watches says "Hey look at that"
There's your faith mountains will shake
Cause God gladly bends just to hear Madeline when she prays
Madeline stretches and Madeline kicks The angels in heaven say "Hey look at this"
There's your faith mountains will shake
Cause God gladly bends just to hear Madeline when she prays
And the only angels that I've ever seen Look like tears on the face of the sky
Though it sure breaks your heart to see heaven all streaked up
With sorrows like theirs still you know all the while
From where cobbles shine golden like emeralds shine green
From where gems stud the streets and the walls
God looks out a window at us just to see If anything frail as a sparrow should fall
Madeline fusses and Madeline laughs The angel who watches says "Hey look at that"
There's your faith (there's your faith) mountains will shake (mountains will shake)
God gladly bends just to hear Madeline when she prays
God gladly bends just to hear Madeline when she prays"
I hadn't heard the song probably for 7 years, but I remembered it and I was singing to myself all day. Then I looked it up online and got all the lyrics, then I ordered the DVD off amazon.com.
After I heard the line, "God gladly bends just to hear Madeline when she prays,"I was pretty much set on the name. Plus Ken assured me that we wouldn't let anyone call her Maddie.
So for months, her name was Madeline. Then one day Ken asked what I thought of the spelling Madeleine. I thought it was beautiful and Ken thought it was very feminine. Also that is how the saint's name is spelled - St. Madeleine Sophie Barat. So we were sold.
Today my mom pointed out that St. Madeleine started the Society of the Sacred Heart, and St. Margaret Mary had a vision of the Sacred Heart.
So that is how the name came to be. We both just love it!
3 comments:
Wow, you put way more thought into her name than we did with our Madeleine. We picked it after failing to come up with a middle name to go with Olivia. So we made Olivia the middle name and Madeleine was the first name we both agreed on. The spelling is just the way I saw it in my head whenever I said the name. And we didn't know there was a saint until after she was born.
Great story! Special girl, clearly.
I'm rather partial to that name, too! :) And we don't let anyone call our baby "Maddie" either!
(My husband does call her "Mad Dog" every once in a while, but that's temperament-related!)
As a "Margaret" I loved reading this! It is a name with a long history in my family as well. Beautiful photos: she is just gorgeous... whether in pink or yellow!
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