Longtime readers will remember Mandi from her (now quiet) A Blog About Miscarriage (she’s also on Instagram, and is happy to be a source of support and info for anyone who needs it) — we were able to celebrate with her through welcoming four living babies among so many losses, and I’m thrilled to share that she’s let me know she had another baby — a beautiful little girl with the gorgeous name … Pia Susan!

Mandi writes,

“Pia Susan just turned one in September! My fifth living baby/fourth girl (after Lucia Rose, David Newton, Jr., Cecilia Claire, and Maria Therese).

We decided to carry on the Saint names ending in ‘ia’ for a girl and had about 4 names we were choosing between, Pia being one of them. The priest for the Latin Mass we started attending a few years ago gave a beautiful homily on the Latin word ‘Pia’ in relation to the Blessed Virgin Mary about a month or so before my due date and it just clicked. Even with the Marian connection, she’s named after Padre Pio who my son has a great devotion to. Susan is after my husband David’s aunt and she is tickled pink to have someone named after her. Her nicknames are Pizza, Pisu, Pippy, and Sweet Pea amongst others. She is super, super tiny (she’s in 3-6 month clothes at 13 months) so the name seems to fit really well. We get lots of compliments on it, though many people are surprised by it since it’s pretty rare.”

I love all of this!! Pia Susan is just amazing, both on its own and for its Marian, Padre Pio, and family connections, fantastic!! I love, too, the nice connection for Mandi’s girls of all having names that end in -ia — it’s one of those details that’s so immensely satisfying for a name lover, but doesn’t hit anyone in the face in a too-obvious way — just lovely!!

Congratulations to Mandi and David and older sibs Lucia, David/Davey, Cecilia/Cici, and Maria Therese/Maite, and happy birthday to (not quite a baby anymore) Baby Pia!!

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Read all about how to get your own baby name consultation from either Theresa or myself here.

For help with Marian names, my book, Catholic Baby Names for Girls and Boys: Over 250 Ways to Honor Our Lady (Marian Press, 2018), is available to order from ShopMercy.org and Amazon (not affiliate links). It’s perfect for expectant parents, name enthusiasts, and lovers of Our Lady!