Welcome, little one

Our precious little boy, Bowen Elliott, was born yesterday morning at 9:40 weighing 9 lbs 6 oz and measuring 22 inches long.  Bowen and I are both doing well, Steve is super helpful, and Olivia is doing great with Grandma and PaPa this weekend.  I love how soft Bowen's scalp is, and his furry little seashell ears.  Just loving this little one and enjoying the steady stream of visitors!

A little about his name...

• Yep, it's different. Bowen is not even in the top 1,000 for any time period, which may explain why I got quizzical looks when I tested it out on unassuming strangers like the old guy bagging my groceries. 
• I like last names for boys, and Bowen was originally a surname as with Capt. Jeff Bowen, an Asheville NC firefighter who was killed in the line of duty right before we were there this summer.
• I first heard Bowen used as a given name years ago and kinda tucked it away.  So thank you to our pastor in Delaware, S. Bowen Matthews, a wise and gentle man.
• Friends of ours had a nephew named Bowen, who was born in April this year and lost a short, heartbreaking battle with PKD. (Full story here.) Hearing his story cemented the name on our short list.
• My dad, who is a retired airline pilot with a lingering Tidewater Virginia accent, pronounces it "Boeing," which I think is funny. He can't not put a "g" at the end.
• We're not going to use the nickname Bo.  His name is Bowen, thankyouverymuch.
• My grandfather was named Elliott, so that's where we got the middle name and its spelling.