Why Jinsei? Grab a cup of tea, pull up a chair, and I'll tell you the story

I've been asked several times the significance of Sophie's middle name, Jinsei, so I thought I'd share the story, and why we decided to use it.

First, because the kids are one-quarter Japanese, we both felt it was important that a part of their heritage always be with them ... so they all have Japanese middle names. Brock, well he'll always be a Higa - but the girls might one day marry - so we decided from the get-go that's how we wanted to do it. Second, we've used all Japanese names that fit somewhere in Rod's family ... which we also thought was important. Tatum's middle name is Kameko - and that is after Rod's great-grandmother. Brock's middle name is Masayoshi - and that was Rod's dad's Japanese name. He passed away shortly before I was pregnant with Brock.

Now Jinsei. Rod's dad's family came from Okinawa Japan. When they came to Canada, the eldest brother ... Jinsei ... stayed behind, with eventual plans to come to Canada and join the family. Rod's dad (known as Roy) wasn't actually born in Japan, but was later born in White Rock, B.C. Throughout the years ... Jinsei, and Roy had families of their own, and Jinsei never did come to Canada. In fact, they never did meet. And now, they've both passed on....

Sweet baby Sophie is now five days old, and fits in like a piece of magic. She's sweet, and precious, and all things girly ... I can just tell. Brock and Tatum are fabulously in love with her, and I'm fabulously in love with them. I have my big girl in her big-girl bunk bed, my big boy in mom's bed, my five-day-old princess peacefully asleep on my chest, and a very small glass of wine close-by to sip on. Rod's back to work, and the only sounds I hear are the ticking of the clock on the wall, the typing of the computer keys, and that heavenly sound of the tiny baby's breath...

This is life worth living.