Isaiah Brantly Charles. What's in a Name?

There are few things that Jon and I agree on easily, which keeps married life interesting.  One of the things we are both sure about is that little Zy is totally worth all the trouble he gave us Saturday on his way into the world. Although I had the brunt of the intense acute pain, I think it's safe to say Jon did more work as he pushed on my hips for almost every contraction and I just "pushed" for a few contractions at the end there. Plus, now Jon's taking care of both of us like a superhero, while I can do little more than feed the baby, as I'm healing up and recovering.

So, when it came to naming baby Zy, most of you know we struggled. Jon wanted something traditional like David or Sarah, I wanted something uncommon, even unheard of like Azariah, or...well I won't tell you my girl name in case we ever decide to use it.

In our 8th month of pregnancy or so, Jon suggested Isaiah, which means "God is salvation." So we decided to start reading the book together to see if it was a good fit. You probably know, of the 66 chapters in the Bible's book of Isaiah, many of them are dark and cumbersome to read straight through, but so many also have rich and beautiful verses about justice, serving, prophecy of the coming Savior, and grace. I started making a file of all the passages I love and then put them together into this compilation of my favorites for his nursery wall. 

We're also pretty excited about continuing to call him Zy for short, but either's fine if you prefer one over the other. We know Zy's gonna be easier for many of you, and definitely Angie, to spell.

As for his middle name, we had many things to consider; his initials, the way it sounds with his first name, family names, meaning, etc. In the fall, I had suggested naming him Brantly after Kent Brantly the missionary to Africa who treated and then contracted Ebola in Liberia. The surname Brantley with an "e" means "fire" in Old High German and "steep, tall," "meadow" in Old English. Since Zy's birth, there's been nothing firey about him, but we pray that he will someday be on fire for Jesus like Kent and Amber, the sweet, gentle, soft-spoken missionaries Isaiah already resembles, who spread God's love far beyond their comfort zones. And he may very well be tall as he was in the 99th% for height today at the doctor, and serene like a meadow.

Combined I love that his first name points from the Old Testament toward salvation by grace, and his middle name refers to a missionary family who emobdy that love and grace in their lives and testimonies.

Isaiah Brantly Charles would love to meet you all soon. Until then, here are a couple more pictures to tide you over.

"My big sister's pretty awesome!"

"It's daylight out, I better get some sleep and rest up for night-time."

Car ride home from the hospital.

First visit to the pediatrician today.