What’s in a name?

I didn’t feel the weight in naming Jackson and Colton the way I did with Theodore. Their names came easily; it was fun. With Teddy I agonized for the entire 40+ weeks of my pregnancy. Maybe it was because he is our third, and I felt such a finality to it, or maybe it was because he is our rainbow baby. Maybe a little of both. Regardless, I knew this baby deserved a name that reflected the tremendous journey which led us to him.

Everything about my pregnancy with Theodore was unique and new, with endless amounts of opportunity being presented every step of the way to grow and deepen our faith. Because of this, most of the names I had loved in the past just didn’t feel like they fit anymore. This felt weird and confusing considering we’ve always had a long list of boy names we love… then a close friend reminded me of how much I have grown and changed over the last two years; of course the names I felt were a fit several years ago were no longer appropriate for this baby.

While I may have been fuzzy on names, my desire to select one that honored both my family and my faith, was crystal clear. One morning while organizing my desk I came across a document of Mumford family history, and literally caught my breath when I saw the name Theodore; my Great Great Grandfather and a patriarch of sorts of the Mumford family.

I grew up hearing the most incredible stories about Theodore and his wife, Elizabeth. Theodore fought in the Civil War, and together they had 17 children (17!!). Their family portrait had been a mainstay in my childhood home, and it’s always been one of my favorite pictures. I always felt like the Mumford strength and work ethic I am so proud of pours out of that photograph. Theodore and Elizabeth were so damn tough, and an incredible team… what a legacy of a name to pass on to our boy; a beautiful way to honor my father and family.

As I continued thinking about names, I googled the meaning of the name Theodore, and discovered it means Gift from God, or God’s divine gift. I felt another pull at my heart. My faith had already been strengthened so much throughout this pregnancy, and my mom has always called my brother and I her “gifts from God”. It’s been something she has said to us for as long as I can remember, and thus Theodore felt like a beautiful way to honor our faith in God, and my mom as well.

Reflecting now, it seems crazy I ever doubted his first name. I was admittedly an exhausted, hormonal mess and just could not fully commit. If I’m being brutally honest I also think all the unknowns regarding Theodore’s health had led to my inability to full envision what name would fit him best. Our home was constantly covered in sticky notes with different name combinations and options. It was the first time I went into the hospital not knowing 100% what the baby’s name would be - even though anytime someone asked me what name we had chosen, a voice in my head ALWAYS said Theodore. This was true as early as 16 weeks pregnant during my first maternal fetal medicine appointment.

At about 37 weeks, however, I received yet another nod from God in the direction of Theodore. One of my closest friends, Lauren, recommended a book she saw on display at the library, and when I picked it up I could not believe it when I read how the main character, Thea (short for Theadora), had been named after her grandfather, Theodore. Even more fitting, the story was set at a horseback riding camp in none other than Boone, NC. If you believe in signs at all - you’ve got to agree with me this was a huge one.

Enter Teddy’s middle name. From day one of finding out we were having a boy, Paul wanted to name him Boone. Those who know us well know that Boone, NC is such a special place - it is where Paul went to college, made the most incredible friends, ran track/cross country, and had some of the best times of his life. I also quickly adopted Boone as my favorite home away from home, and fell in love with the area as quickly as I fell in love with Paul. My first visit to Boone, and first time meeting Paul’s college friends, left me knowing without a doubt he was the man I was going to marry. And when I resisted the name for our son, Paul pointed out that Boone also means blessing.

We went back and forth for months on end, and eventually compromised once we were able to look at his precious face. We agreed that Theodore Boone, God’s Divine Gift and the most incredible blessing to our family, was the absolute perfect name for our third baby boy. A blend of my heritage, with Paul’s background, and some of the happiest, most adventure-filled times of our lives, made for an absolute perfect combination (there was also that additional push when we discovered our Teddy was born on Dr. Seuss’ birthday - whose first name is… Theodore).

We simply cannot imagine him as anything else, or our lives before he was with us. We love you so much TB3.