We knew your name before we knew you!

Hey Baby Girl,

Mummy and I had been speaking of adding number 3 to our family for quite some time.

But our journey to becoming parents was not an easy one.

So let's go back in time.

I'll tell you of how your Brother and Sister came to be.

And how they got their names.

So you'll know not only how you got yours. But that it has deeper meaning than just it's letters or how it sounds.

Your brother arrived first. But that took longer than Mummy and I ever expected.

You see, Mummy and I met much later in life than either of us thought we would meet the one we would marry.

Truth be told, I had all but given up on the concept on finding love.

But love I found. And found it in you Mum I did.

(More on your mum and I in other letters to come).

When we met, I was 29. And your mum was 'the older woman'. A few years my senior.

Your nanny (my mum) tells me I should never tell a lady her age. So I'll just say, Mummy was a little older than me. Not much, but a little.

On our first date, your mum was very clear she wasn't messing about. She knew what she wanted and what she wanted was a family.

She wasn't in a hurry. But she also wasn't hanging about, either.

The older a lady gets, the tougher being a mum becomes.

Long story short for now...

I proposed within 6 months. We were married not long after. And we both expected to be parents not long after that...!

Alas, that last step wasn't the case...

So here comes the difficult truth part. The truth I promised to always share with you.

It took two years of trying.

Two years of emotional roller-coaster.

Two years and a number of miscarriages.

Before your Brother turned our relatively new married couple, into an even newer family. A family of three..!

Honestly, we had pretty much given up trying.

The grief of miscarriage is horrible. And truthfully, after more than just one, we were both terrified of it happening again.

So we stopped 'trying'.

A few months later. Your mum was feeling a bit 'off'. She took a pregnancy test and ta-daaaa. That was your brother. Growing inside of her!

Pregnancy with him wasn't an easy road either...

I'll tell you of the most awesome midwife of all time in another letter.

But for now. Let's make sure I don't digress again!

He got his name from a TV show, believe it or not!

There was a show your mum and I were watching at the time... One of our favourite shows, ever!

In it there some pretty 'bad-ass' people. It's an American show, so I'm giving myself a pass for using the phrase, 'bad-ass'.

And the characters dad was even more 'bad-ass'.

His name was strong. It meant something powerful.

It's not a short name you just blurt out. Nor is it a long name that people tend to struggle to pronounce or spell.

It's a name that rolls off your tongue and makes you think... 'Yeah, that's a good name!'.

That was our intent with the names of all our children...

'That's a good name!'

And that brings us to your sister.

Your mum and I thought our road to baby number two could go one of two ways...

Option A) It could take another two years...

Maybe more.

Maybe never.

And if that meant any more miscarriages...

Honestly.

Neither your mother or I thought we could have taken that, anyway!

We didn't think we had it in us to endure any more grief like that...

(Little did we know, right?!)

Or

Option B) We would become pregnant right away...

Something we hoped 'may' happen. But deep down, never expected 'would' happen...!

But happen it did. Option B it was!

A smaller age gap between your brother and sister than we expected, but not as big a gap had it taken longer.

So another long story short.

Your mum and dad were basically one hit wonders. And your sister was conceived pretty much on the first try! lol.

Two year gap. Job done. Yay us!

Now your sisters name was slightly different. But not by much...

We wanted old, but strong. Graceful but powerful.

You see a trend here, right...?

Short enough to roll off the tongue and make people think, 'That's a good name'.

Not too short to be blurted out. Not too long to be complicated.

Strong. Powerful. Elegant.

I almost forgot to say...!

Your siblings also have two middle names. As do you.

Your brothers middles names are the first names of your two granddads.

The best dad's Mummy and I could have ever hoped to have.

Your brother carries them both.

Your sister has the names of her aunt. Who sadly past away in an accident, far before her time!

I only knew her a short time. But your mum. She was influenced so much by her aunt!

A wonderful woman. Whose name your sister helps to carry on.

And now to you. Our baby Enola.

Your middle names are those of both your nanny's.

Similar to your brothers middle names. You carry the names of the best mothers Mummy and I could have hoped for.

They are both amazing women who will forever be a part of who you are!

Now to your first name, baby girl...

Enola.

Yours is the only name I share in these letters. So I can be more specific with telling you of what Mummy and I wanted it to mean.

Enola is 'alone', spelt backwards.

At first glance. Maybe a strange name to give a child.

But yours has perhaps the deepest meaning of all.

Before you were even conceived. Mummy and I knew what we would call a second daughter, if we ever had one.

And that would be Enola.

Because if you could be ok alone. You would be amazing on those times you chose not to be!

You see...

Being alone is nothing to be scared of. It's nothing to be fearful of becoming.

Because strength comes from within. But even greater strength comes from being strong with others.

So your name was our way of giving you an advantage in this world!

We didn't mean strength as some kind of power word. At least that's not how I think of strength.

I mean strength of self, of emotion, of being and of purpose.

Because if you could have all of that, inside, on your own...

Then that strength, multiplied with those you love. And those who love you...

That's what empowers we humans to do amazing things!

So that's how you got your name.

Enola.

Never alone.

Love you baby girl,

Daddy