What's In A Name?

It was in that magical moment right before dropping off to sleep that Stéphane came up with her name.

What about Liliane? 

We had been going back and forth - I wanted Lily (for my favourite flower), but he didn't like it.  I don't even remember what he suggested but Liliane was a perfect compromise.  Much lighter and prettier sounding than its English counterpart, Liliane is a lovely name on its own.  But there was the added bonus of paying tribute to my paternal grandmother and aunt in one fell swoop as both have Lilian in their names. Brilliant!  And to complete the homage, Liliane's middle name is Nicole after my sister Jennifer Nicole.

When we found out we were having another girl, we didn't debate for very long. We were looking for a simple but pretty name and, like Liliane, easily pronounceable in either language.

What about Alice? I said.

Done! And Ruth for my maternal grandmother as her middle name.  Oh and my youngest sister Jaime has Alice for a middle name so we got her, too.

Here we are, all the Piercy siblings. Just Uncle Matthew that doesn't get someone named after him. Sorry about that, bro.

Now that little Alice is here, I love hearing people use her name because it constantly reminds me of my grandmother. I can't wait to start calling her Al, like my Grandpa used to do.

My Honey Grandma and Grandpa have both passed, but I am lucky enough to still have Ruth and Rolf. I can't wait to see my Grandma this Christmas and introduce her to her chubby little namesake.

Ruth and Rolf, on their wedding day:

This is a teeny tiny photo (cursed technical problems, husband away) of my paternal grandparents, Alice and Bill (a.k.a. Honey Grandma and Grandpa) on their wedding day:

You can see them here a little better. This is actually how I remember them. 

And me with my Auntie Jean on her wedding day in 1974.  I'm about two months old.

So all this to say, wow, these girls have some pretty big shoes to fill.  From taking my first steps on Ruth and Rolf's patio to countless Friday evenings and Saturday dinners spent with Alice and Bill, my grandparents have always been an important part of my life. What better way to honour that than bestowing a little piece of those happy memories on my children.