What's in a name?

So, I'll admit from the time we knew we were pregnant I had no idea of a name (male or female) for our second child.  Even after we found out a few weeks ago that he is going to be a boy, I really still had no idea.  I did know, however that I wanted him to at least have a first name that is Biblical.

The first inkling I had regarding his name was after we had the Parvovirus scare.  I went from fear and trembling (literally) praying before the Lord to do His will with our child (which let me tell you is terrifying when all you want to pray to the Lord is for your child to be completely healthy) to rejoicing in the Lord for His kindness and mercy in protecting our son.

In my joy the story of Hannah came to me, and her joy at having a child, and she named her son Samuel, "Asked of God; heard by God."  I knew God had heard our prayers (and still does), and it made me start to think, "Samuel....hmmmm...We could name him Samuel."

So, as Josh and I talked about names, we realized that Josh's dad, Richmond, whose mother was called Pat, had a father named Samuel.  So, we talked it over for a few weeks, and it seemed like a good fit. For his middle name, continuing the trend of family names, we decided on William.  My father's name is William, and he was named after his mother's brother...William.  Josh's dad, Richmond, whose father is Kenneth, had a father named William.

So, after thinking about it a few more days we decided to name our boy...

I am glad to report that he is still healthy and growing (these are from yesterday).

His face

Him hiding his face with his hands, which he seems to do a lot of during ultrasounds.

His foot

I should add that when I was a little girl my mom told me the story from I Samuel 3 when God kept calling Samuel's name, and Samuel would run to Eli thinking it was him calling.  My mom said that at the end of the story I almost tearfully told her, "If God called me, I would answer."  I've remembered that story through the years.

My prayer for both Benjamin and Samuel is that when God speaks to each of their hearts, that they  they each respond to Him, "Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.”