The Name Game

We have gotten so many wonderful and positive comments on Merrill's name that I thought I would explain the background in case you were wondering. Merrill was my grandfather's first name (Merrill George), is my Dad's middle name (David Merrill), and is also my middle name. So there is a tradition there and I wanted to use the name for a 4th generation. Also my grandfather was the nicest, most laid back person. I don't think I ever heard anyone say anything bad about him. So to name a child after him felt great too. If we had had a boy, we would have used it as the middle name again. But we found we really liked it as a first name for a girl. It is a uni-sex name, even though it isn't spelled the same as other female versions (such as Meryl Streep). We have also thought about shortening it to "Merri" as a nickname (which is the same reason we would not use it for a boy name!).

The middle name, "Grace" has a story behind it as well as Shannon's Grandma Babe's maiden name was Grace. Grandma Babe was such a delightful person as well and Shannon always loved the name, so it was a no-brainer for the middle name. We thought it sounded really nice with Merrill as well. And Merrill now will always have something in common with her cousin Gracie!

So we are very happy that we able to honor both sides of the family and two beloved grandparents with this baby. We hope that Merrill will get a good mix of Great Grandpa Merrill's easygoing style and Grandma Babe's love of parties!!