J is for Josephine

So - one month later, I'm finally getting around to explaining why we chose the name Josephine. Yes, I realize it is a very old name. That was what drew me to it. I like old, classic, strong names. I also like that she will most likely be the only Josie in her class...maybe the only Josie in her school. Actually, I love that.

I found the name Josephine when I was pregnant for Jack. We didn't know if he was a boy or a girl, so I put a big star next to it and moved on.  Once we knew he was a boy, his name was chosen and I never looked at the baby name book again.

Fast forward to when I got pregnant for Josie. I knew immediately that I was pregnant (I have a weird intuition when it comes to that) and I also knew the baby was a girl. Tyson can attest - I told him BOTH of those things the night I got pregnant. (was that TMI??) Anyway, I started looking at girls' names right away and when I came across my star next to "Josephine" - I added it to the list I was keeping on my iPhone. I sent my list to Tyson and he hated 90% of the names on there (including Josephine). I was pretty set on the name and made it my mission to get him on board. When we left for the hospital on November 30th - Tyson wasn't sure if he would be bringing home a Josephine or a Lillian (hair color was a determining factor for him).  I knew I would be bringing home a Josephine.

Yes, I realize that both of my children have a "J" name. No, we are not trying to be like the Duggars. I can't think of another "J" name that I'm in love with - so future children will probably NOT have a J name. (although Jedidiah & Jinger are very tempting)

**that was a joke**

The name Josephine has some connections within our families:
- my brother is Joseph and Josie was due really close to his birthday 12/4.
- my Grandma is Peggy Jo - which is close
- and thanks to Tyson's Aunt Sally we learned that Tyson's Grandma Ruth and her brother, Dyer (Jack's namesake) were raised by their mother and her two sisters after their father passed away. One of the sisters was Josephine - but they called her Aunt Jo.

Josie's middle name Elizabeth is also my middle name. We also considered the name Ann (my mom's middle name).

Weird fact: There used to be an elementary school in the Cincinnati area called Josie E. Becker Elementary (Becker Elementary), but it was shut down a few years ago.

So - there you have it...the reason we chose Josephine. I can't wait to see the person Josie grows up to be and I hope she loves her strong name as much as I do!