From the very start, we were convinced that we were going to finally have another boy after three girls in a row. Eric, Nate and Sam were sure that at long last they would equal the females in number. So we never really seriously chose a girl's name — we were sure we would be welcoming Benedict Francis into our family.

April had mentioned the name Ada to Eric early on. Eric liked the name since he has been reading Charles Dickens's Bleak House which features a character of that name, but it was never much more than an idea.

During the first few hours after Ada was born, we tried several names on for size — Emma, Jane, Lilly and others. But the kids loved Ada and it just seemed to fit. When we hit on Ada Marie in token of thanks to the our Blessed Mother for answering the many many Hail Marys Eric offered during the labor and delivery, it was decided.

Saint Ada

Saint Ada was an abbess in seventh century France from a very pious family; apparently her uncle was an important influence on her. St. Ada's feast day is 4 December. Because St. Ada was French, we chose the French version of "Mary" for our new little girl's middle name.