What's in a name?

Choosing a name for Phelan began when we learned I was pregnant. I started my lists of names for boys and girls, editing them throughout the months. It seemed fairly easy for me and Chris to settle on a few beautiful girl's names we both loved, but a name for another son proved to be a challenge.

Some months before he was born, I'd heard of the name Phelan. I thought it was lovely and unusual and jotted it down in my notebook. It meant "little wolf" or "brave wolf" -- a significant, strong meaning. In the hours and days after our son was born, Chris and I went back and forth over names we liked the sound of or the meaning of but they just didn't seem fit this little boy quite right. I remarked that he was amazingly sweet and quiet from the moment of his birth and said I thought he deserved a name that meant "peace." On a second round of researching the short list of names we'd narrowed down, Chris found an alternative meaning for Phelan: peaceful. Our second son was named.

The significance of Cedar comes first from my maternal family name, Cedarleaf. But also from the presence of the Red Cedar River by the farm, and the beauty, longevity, and strength of a cedar tree.

With all this in mind, and with profound joy, we introduced our peaceful, brave little wolf to the world:
Phelan (fay-lun) Cedar Newhouse