What shall we name the baby?

Another of my favorite shots from the talented Valery Bunnell when they were just seven weeks old

I have always been fascinated with names. When I was a little kid, my parents had an old, dogeared copy of What Shall We Name the Baby? that I used to read through to find out what different names meant. I actually pored over it trying to find a name for my brother's video game character once. Yeah, you could say I was obsessed.

So of course, when it came time to name our sweet babies, I was SO EXCITED to pick out the perfect names for them. Unfortunately, it wasn't as easy as I expected it to be. There are always names that have negative connotations or names that you simply think are ugly — or just don't fit with your last name. And, of course, you have to agree on names with your husband or wife. We talked about names for a while, and I thought I'd share the story of how we chose them, which I've meant to do for a while.

Henry Andrew

While there were several girls' names we liked, we found it a lot harder to choose a boy's name. Finally, as we were talking one night, we both realized that we loved the name Henry. There was a little boy in our church with that name when we were first married, and he was feisty and funny and made that name absolutely charming.

Then, while we were driving through the middle of nowhere in Idaho heading to Jackson, Wyoming, to celebrate my birthday this year, we drove through the tiny, nearly abandoned town of Henry — and the name just felt perfect. I also realized that my hometown has the Henry's Fork of the Snake River running through it, and my family and I used to go boating on Henry's Lake, near the Montana border, with friends. Henry is a classic name that means "ruler of the home," and I loved that it has a nod to my heritage as well.

His middle name, of course, is for Andrew, and we liked how the names sounded together. :)

Norah Kathryn

I have loved the name Eleanor for a long time, but Andrew was not a big fan of it. However, we both thought Norah was a beautiful name, and I particularly like it because I have been enamored with Norah Jones since her first album came out when I was 15. Norah means "honor," and I love that it is also a classic, pretty name with meaning that she can be proud of.

Norah's middle name, Kathryn, is for her grandmother, and it's also one of my favorite names.

Henry and Norah pair together well, and I fall even more in love with their names as I watch them grow. They make my heart absolutely swell with joy, and I hope they'll love their names as much as we do when they get older.