What are we naming the baby?

We haven't been keeping the name a secret...if anyone has asked, we've told :)

The first name will be the same...boy or girl. It is nice for Nolan and Gideon to already call the baby by name! It's the middle names that would be different.

For a Boy: Payson Baxter
For a Girl: Payson Deborah (maybe a nickname of Paysie...though John says he doesn't like that, lol)

Now the next question that is asked, is usually...Where does that name come from??

I was introduced to Elizabeth Prentiss through the GirlTalk Blog. I purchased a couple more of her books, Aunt Jane's Hero and Stepping Heavenward. When I read more about her, I found that her father was Edward Payson and that she had grown up in New England...namely Maine, where I also grew up. We also share the same birthday!

Having done as much research as I could on Edward Payson, I found out that he had been greatly influenced by Jonathan Edwards. I was also surprised that he has been as forgotten as he is today. I would consider Edward Payson very influential to the history of reformed theology. I have had trouble finding out more about him because there have been hundreds of men named after him. They share both his first and last name (as their first and middle names).

Early last summer, I remember speaking to John one night about the name of a future child, if we were to be so blessed with another. He immediately loved the name Payson!

I recommend reading a short biography of Edward Payson.

As for the middle names...

...You can read about Richard Baxter here.

...And Deborah is after my mom :)

So there you have it.

I also want to note that the name goes right along with our name pattern...in more ways than one.

All of our children's names end the same...Nolan, Gideon, Haddon and Jamison...and Payson. There is also a syllable pattern...Nolan is 2 syllables, Gideon is 3, Haddon is 2, and Jamison is 3...then Payson has 2. 2-3-2-3-2.....confused yet?