Baby Name Announcement

Finding a name you will give your child is no easy task, you go through hundreds of names, and you must find one that both you and your husband love. For Nathan and I, this process was extremely easy (Thank Goodness). Her name came straight from God, a feeling that we just knew exactly her name. Before we even found out the gender we were calling her by name.

Macie Elizabeth DeNicola

Meaning of Macie: Gift of Yaweh
Meaning of Elizabeth: God is my abundance

But there is so much more to both those names than just those meanings. Nathan and I are both extremely close to our families and family means so much to us. We are both very sentimental, so when choosing a name for our baby girl we knew we wanted it to have great meaning.

Macie is the name of Nathan's great-grandmother, and Elizabeth is the name of my great-grandmother and my middle name as well. First, let's talk about Macie. I wish I could have met her because from what I have heard she was a remarkable lady. She was very intelligent - H.S. Valedictorian, and she loved books; Which is where her children get their love for reading. She was someone who instilled that education was essential. You see Macie dreamed of going to college, and so she wrote a letter to the President of the college she hoped to attend ever since she was a little girl. She offered to work for her tuition because she couldn't ask her father for money to go to college, it was hard times back then. One day a car came to her driveway and it was the President of the College. He came to speak with Macie and offer her a scholarship. Unfortunately, Macie's grandmother declined the scholarship on her behalf because they couldn't afford for the boys to go to college, so she didn’t think it would be fair for Macie to go. Heartbroken, Macie still stood with her head high and went to do her chores and never mentioned the incident to her father that night. Macie had not spoken of that experience to her children until many years later, but it showed how she did not dwell on how things might have been and instead took life with strides. Macie made sure that her home was filled with books for her children. She exposed them to the classics and made sure they had a set of encyclopedias to help with their school work. All of her children had very worn library cards, and they knew from a very young age that they were expected to go to college, and they did. Those three children would end up earning a total of 7 degrees.

Macie was also a Faithful Follower of Christ, and an extremely gifted painter. From what I have been told she made some incredible dishes as well; from cooking, to baking, to canning. She also played the piano beautifully. She loved her "ear-bobs" and shopping, laying out in the sun, and she was a witty character. Clearly, a very strong woman that we are honored to name our daughter after.

We have designated a library in Macie's nursery in honor of the first Macie, and her love for reading and education.

Now let's talk about Elizabeth, my great-grandmother. Her name was actually Sarah Elizabeth (whom I was named after) but she always went by Elizabeth until I was born. She grew up in Texas and moved to Indiana when she was 16. She was always joyful and had the sweetest laugh. She was what I would call a Proverbs 31 woman. She had 3 children and every Saturday she made homemade bread and cinnamon rolls. She was an incredible mom, grandma, and great grandma. She was a great wife and always worked hard to keep her house clean, and she was a bit of a Martha (she worried). Hence where grandma Stump and I get our cleaning from and our worries. She loved horses and loved Jesus. She was born with a hole in her heart, just a little something unique, just like me and my one arm.

Oh Macie, you are named with great intention. Your dad and I pray over you every night and all the time. We pray you are kind, strong, intelligent, and are a little disciple of the Lord. We pray that you always will put God first in your life and all you do. Your dad and I can’t wait to meet your sweet face. You are already so loved by so many people.