We've decided to name our baby girl ...

Elizabeth Marie Fellow. We will call her Lizza, but you are welcome to use any nickname for Elizabeth that you like.

I love the name Elizabeth and have had several close and wonderful friends with this name. And Marie is my middle name and Tim's mom and sister's middle names. Although the name Marie comes from both sides of the family I think about Marie as a part of Jan. She is an amazing mother and grandmother, and she means a lot of me. She is an example and a friend, and I an honored to give our daughter part of her name.

And then Lizza, of course, comes from one of my oldest and dearest friends. One of the many things that I love about this name is that (if I understand the situation correctly) my friend Lizza gave this nickname (for Elizabeth) to herself as part of her journey to find herself in dark times. (I know she went by other nicknames at other times in her life, but I might have the story wrong.) But knowing a little about my friend's life before I met her, I feel like Lizza became the name for her that represents a woman who is strong and faithful and on a constant journey to find happiness, peace, love and God. Lizza for me -- because of my friend -- is a name and word that I associate with some amazing qualities that I have found in few others. I truly love my friend Lizza, and I hope my daughter can know her and love her and have some of her best and beautiful qualities.

Elizabeth is due to join our family in mid-April. Seems really far away. I can't wait. Quinn talks about her every day, which makes it both more fun and more real.