Named by his father

This picture is the Naming of our boy. Yes, I had held him for a few fleeting moments (long enough to ingrain the deepest attachment and love, and an image of new eyes staring RIGHT into mine), and then he was taken to be quickly cleaned up by hospital hands and then passed to Papa. Others in the room, I hope, felt the sacredness of the moment, for some left and those who didn't left a quietness. I don't know what those moments were like for Eddie, but he came back from that corner with his eyes shining.

The week before the birth I had been at the Udell's house, resting up and becoming peaceful for the delivery. I had gone into a small dining room adjacent the kitchen, and sat at the table with a journal, a Bible, and a prayerful spirit. I was reading through Daniel, amazed over and over by how the character held so much that I desired for my son: wisdom in youth, ability to be counter-cultural, God given understanding. Soon this time with the Lord resulted in an image that I would later paint and give to Uriah - an image of a lone figure standing as all others bowed down against God around him, and their prostrate bodies resembling the gravestones of their sacrificed eternal life. I wrote in my journal that I wanted to name my son Uriah Daniel, but I didn't tell Eddie this.

Weeks before the birth I'd decided that Eddie could name our son. He had told me how it was so significant to him that his father had named him. Of course, I had some say in what the "narrowing down" of names were, or give suggestions. 

But here were were in the delivery room, and Eddie walked up to me with this glowing expression.

"Emilie, there are a couple different names we could give him, but I really think he's a Uriah Daniel."

What do you have in store for him, Lord?