The name Hannah was on the top of our list for a year or so before we even got pregnant. We liked it because the nickname Hannah Banana was adorable. Once we found out we were having a girl, we had a tough time not calling her Banana when talking to friends and family.

We officially named her Hannah Elizabeth when she lay crying on my chest. We wanted to make sure the name matched the face and we knew at that moment that she was Hannah. She was the little girl we imagined since my 17 week ultrasound. We still didn’t know she had Down syndrome.

There was a brief period after she was born that I was mad we named her Hannah. The Hannah I dreamed of didn’t have Down syndrome. It didn’t seem right. I pulled myself back to the morning she was born and asked myself what other name would we have chosen. Who was this girl who made a quick entrance into the world, and pooped on my chest, and made her Daddy smile like I’ve never seen him smile? Never mind…Hannah fit perfectly.

Now when I look at Hannah I can’t imagine her as anyone else. Hannah is Hebrew for grace, making it a fitting name for someone that acted like a heart defect and open heart surgery was no big deal. Elizabeth is after Elizabeth Bennet, the intelligent and quick-witted character from Pride and Prejudice. It’s a character Hannah will learn to know well thanks to story times with her Jeep, and a beautiful literary role model for my little girl.