When CJ and I first found out we were expecting, we immediately jumped into coming up with name options for both a boy and a girl. We had a ton of names on our girl list but not so many on the boy list. For some reason, coming up with a boy name was too difficult for us (maybe that was a sign that we were expecting a girl?). But anyway, we went through our list of names for girls and kept narrowing it down and then expanding it when we found a new one that was a contender. We tried to imagine what name would fit best when I read someone’s blog post about how they came up with their daughter’s name and it really resonated with me (and CJ too, once I told him about it).  I wish I could find that post because she was so eloquent with how she explained her reasoning but allow me to try in my own words…

Claire. A name that I’ve known since I was four years old when I first met my best friend. Claire was magnetic even then. A person that you would look up to and admire even if you were decades older. When I moved to California, I feared that we would lose touch but we never did. In fact, we became closer. She is that friend that you can talk to once a year and it’s like no time has passed. She’s one of my heroes even though she’s only 3 months older than me. She’s the type of friend where you don’t have to say a word but she knows exactly what you’re thinking. She has supported me and been there for me no matter what. Not to mention, she is strong and independent and so incredibly accomplished. She knows what she wants and will do what it takes to make it a reality. I’ve never met someone who doesn’t love Claire and I don’t think I ever will.

When CJ and I were coming up with names and I read that blog post that I mentioned, I told CJ about it right away and we agreed immediately – if we want our daughter to be like anyone in the world, it’s Claire. She’s kind, caring, driven, independent, inspiring, and most of all – the best friend you could ever ask for. So we decided then and there, even before we knew we were having a girl, that if we were having a girl, her name would be Claire Elizabeth. Claire, because we hope that our daughter will grow up to be like the powerful and wonderful person that she’s named after. Elizabeth, because I’ve always loved my middle name and the names sound beautiful together. Not to mention, we hope she’s a bit like me too. 😉 It also works out perfectly because her name has both of our initials, C and E.

Our Claire ❤

So there you go, now you know how we decided on her beautiful name. 🙂

Claire and I at my 16th birthday party

So cheers to every friend out there that inspires you to be a better person! Those friends are the ones that you should hold onto and never take for granted.