Welcome to Carrots! I'm so glad you're here. This is where I share thoughts on liturgical living, faith, parenting, culture, and an extra dose of Jane Austen. You can sign up for my email newsletter here to stay in touch, or look me up on Instagram!
Our Lucy. Her name means light, pure, bright. And we named her after St. Lucy, a courageous virgin martyr. One virtue that I am perpetually lacking is courage and I pray that my precious one will be brave for Our Lord like St. Lucy.
We were on the fence about her middle name for a long while after we were dead set on “Lucy” as her first name. Then, while reading Lord of the Rings for the umpteenth time, Daniel came upon a name we have both loved for a long time: Elanor.
(Sam Gamgee and Rosie Cotton have just had their first daughter and Frodo is advising Sam that a flower name would be appropriate.)
“But if it’s to be a flower-name, then I don’t trouble about the length: it must be a beautiful flower, because, you see, I think she is very beautiful, and is going to be beautifuller still.’
……Frodo thought for a moment. ‘Well, Sam, what about elanor, the sun-star, you remember the little golden flower in the grass of Lothlórien?’
……’You’re right again, Mr. Frodo!’ said Sam delighted. ‘That’s what I wanted.'”
We knew we would think that our baby girl was beautiful and would be “beautifuller still.” And I love the idea of the sun-star, that she would be our little golden flower. Oh, and did I mention that we’re huge nerds about LOTR? And that.
So, our beautiful bright star: Lucy Elanor.
A sweeter baby there never was! She is ALWAYS happy, our little smiley one. And she sleeps! How this girl can sleep! Last night she was asleep from 5:30pm to 8am (waking only to nurse 3 times). What?! We were lucky if Benjamin slept 6 hours and nursed 4 times. Whew.
Her precious baby coos melt my heart and snuggling her to sleep is so dear.
I had so much difficulty nursing Benjamin due to his reflux, my stress, working full-time, pumping full-time, etc. But Lucy is a dream. I love nursing her and realize how special and wonderful the nursing relationship can be.
Try as I might, I cannot capture one of her amazing grins on film. I take picture after picture but I can’t catch her sweetness.
Don’t forget John Keats!
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/bright-star/
good call!
Lovely to meet a new friend and fellow Elanor-mama.
Our Elanor’s middle name Zeforah is a derivative of Moses’ wife ‘Zipporah’ (or ‘Tziporah’), but because there is another Ellie in the family she goes by Norah, as you must’ve noticed. We call her our Starflower and that passage you’ve quoted is so dear to my heart! I used to hope that our Elanor would be followed by a dozen more (since I myself am eldest of seven), but it would seem God must have something else in mind for our story. Many blessings to you all! …P.S. Have you ever read Christopher Tolkien’s _A History of LotR_? The fourth volume contains drafts of an epilogue JRR toyed – including Sam & Rosie’s children.