Can JR Martinez make us swoon any more? First he stole our hearts on Dancing With the Stars. Now the Iraqi war veteran who suffered severe burns on half of his body while serving our country is gushing about his new baby girl with girlfriend Diana Gonzalez-Jones. He's a proud dad, and we love him for it.
He told us all about her adorable freckles and revealed the little girl's name yesterday. And now Martinez is dishing the details on where little Lauryn Anabelle got her name!
Martinez told People that both of little Belle's official names are from deceased relatives. Lauryn was named for Diana's younger sister, who passed away suddenly last year. Anabelle is for his own sister, who died at just 6 years old.
Naming kids for family members is not exactly groundbreaking. We all know a handful of juniors, and most of my friends in the Jewish faith have a tradition of choosing a name specifically based on that of family members who have died.
But there is an art to this whole borrowed name thing. It can be tough to mix the old with the new. Especially when names of generations past are a little ... dated. And when a death was recent, you don't want to put the pressure of filling the void of a loss on a little baby (trust me, I've seen it happen ... and it is HARD on a kid).
I love that Martinez and Gonzalez-Jones opted to give their little girl her own unique twist by changing the spelling of each of the names. As JR explained, "She will have her own identity."
It's a nice compromise: a memory is honored, but the child gets to grow up knowing that she (or he) is recognized for being herself wholly and completely. Her parents want her to be an individual. That's one of the best gifts parents can give a kid at the start of life. See what I mean about this dad making us swoon?
Who is your child named for? Did you stick with the same spelling or change things up?
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