Choosing Marissa's Middle Name

夏美

We wanted Marissa's middle name to be a Japanese name. Justin's cousin, Leilani, visited me the day after Marissa's birth. She printed 25 pages of Japanese boy's and girl's names with their meanings. I really liked Takara (Treasured One) but it sounds like a boy's name. Justin's parents and relatives from Japan gave us some options to choose from:

Shi zu ka - Calm or quiet Summer
Hatsue - First girl
Natsumi - Summer Beauty
Narumi - first Kanji (Heisei era - the era that Japan is currently in) Second Kanji (Jitsuko)
Michiko - Beautiful wise child

Justin and I both agreed on Natsumi...for our "Summer Beauty" baby.
-- Sheila