Before I tell the birth story, let me tell the story of how our babies got their names.

To be honest, naming these twins was by far the most difficult naming process we've ever gone through. I wrote about some of it in this Help Me Name These Babies post.

First, we eventually decided to keep the "J" theme. We liked the idea of a cohesive yet distinct identity for each of our children. Giving each child a "J" name provided this for us.

Second, all our children's names are Biblically based & each name has a story that reflects a something significant in story of how our family came to be.

Jewel refers to the jewels Rebekah was given before she became Isaac's wife. This story was significant to us because it was from this passage of Scripture that Matt believed God confirmed his desire to seek me as his wife. Hence, Jewel Rebekah.

James is Matt's middle name and also, James was one of Christ's disciples. James' middle name, Alexander, is a tribute to one of Matt's great-great-great grandfathers who led the Scottish Presbyterian movement in the 1500's.

Jude is described in Scripture as being the brother of James--so it was a perfect fit! Jude's middle name, Timothy, is a family name. Three men on both sides of our family are named Timothy.

Jasiel & Jorai technically are male names Biblically. But, we picked these names for their meanings and their lovely pronunciation.

Jasiel (we pronounce it JAH-see-ell) means "whom God made." Conceiving twins was such a surprise that it seemed fitting "God made" Jasiel just for us. Matt wanted one of the twins to bear my name, so Jasiel's middle name is Elizabeth. We both think Jasiel has a very feminine sound when pronounced in English. It sounds similar to Jossalyn, but with a different ending.

Jorai (we pronounce it JOR-ae) means "whom Jehovah teaches". An alternate meaning we found was "rain" or "autumn rain." Before Matt & I were dating, Matt gave me a birthday card with Hosea 6:3 written inside. It was the very same verse I had chosen as my life verse on my 18th birthday. Hosea 6:3 says, "So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; And He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth." Matt did not know that this verse was special to me when he gave me the card on my 18th birthday. But it was one of the first signs that confirmed to me that Matt was to be my husband. Dawn is the name of my beloved sister and I gave her name to my daughter as a tribute to our special bond.

We've received mixed reactions to the names Jasiel & Jorai. For us, the moment the twins were born there was no doubt. Yes, the names are unique. Yes, they are difficult to pronounce (upon first sight). But the meaning and story  behind each name is so special to us that we decided to remain true to our family identity and bestow upon our daughters their meaningful names.

Coming up next....the birth story. And more pics!