
As most of you know who are regular readers of this blog, or just participants in my life, we just found out we're having a girl. I can honestly say, now that a few weeks have passed and I've gotten over the shock, that I am very excited! Our family is going to have a different start than I ever imagined, and that's kind of a fun discovery. But, I feel very confused and befuddled. When I thought we were having a boy, I knew very definitely the name of our child, and why he needed that name, and I even felt a confirmation that he liked the name! I know, I'm different. Well, so now I am having a girl. What does all that other stuff mean, and does it still apply if our next child is a boy, and really, is it important?!? And most important of all, I can't come up with a name for our baby. We had a name picked, but now that we're really having a girl, I don't like this name. In fact, there's not one name that I can honestly say I like, because I don't feel as strong as I did about our boys name. What kind of a name do you give to your first child that's a girl? Does she need a strong name so she can be a leader in your family and in life, or does she get the sweet, girly name that will help her develop into the beautiful woman she will someday be? Can you see my quandary? Please, if you have insight, share it with me. I would appreciate it, and so would Reed, who gets frustrated with my "new name every night" game.
Okay, now I just shared this post with Reed, and he didn't seem to understand where I was coming from. He thought the point of my post was that the name you are given will shape you into who you are. That is NOT my point. Here is an example of what I'm trying to express. My mother, when my sister and I were born, felt impressed to give me her name as my middle name because she felt that I would be a lot like her. And, sometimes whether I liked it or not, I felt tied to my mother in a special way because of this whether I was truly like her or not. It can be the same way when you name your child after an ancestor. Most people will remember, for the rest of their days, who they were named after and why, and probably take the time to find out about that person and try to emulate them in some way in their life. This is where names can be important.
Even if you're not named after someone, you never know when someone may name their child AFTER YOU, because you were an important enough person in their life. Like my twin sister whose middle name is the name of one of my mothers good friends. I never even knew this friend, but it was obviously someone important enough to my mother to carry on this woman in some way with one of her children. Names are interesting stuff, huh? Or maybe it's just interesting to a hormonal and anxious soon-to-be mother wanting to ensure a good name for her child.
8 comments:
I think coming up with a name is the funnest thing ever! Trust me, you are really gonna enjoy having a girl first. You'll see. And there are so many beautiful and special girl names and women out there to name after. Like Amanda for example. I know what you are saying here, but I think you'll get it worked out.
It is so fun to have a little girl! We had name issues as well--John didn't like names that were too fancy, but it was much easier for us to agree on names for girls than names for boys. He wanted just a one syllable name for a boy. The only one we ever agreed on was Seth. Good thing we only had one boy! Just relax and have fun with it!
Jon refuses to discuss names until after they are born. the one name I always wanted for our girls but never got- Calliope (and Callista for that matter too). jon said he would rather name his daughter Garbage and call her Garby for short. That,he said, would be cuter.
First of all, you have GOT to add some paragraphs into your longer postings like this one . . . my attention span is far too short to be able to follow all of that.
Second of all, I've never named anything except for plants, stuffed animals, and fictional characters (I tried to name a goat once but SOMEBODY wouldn't let me . . . I promise I'm not still bitter about that or anything. But Mr. Darcy was a way cuter name than Clyde, just for the record. And it's not like you got to name our cat when we were kids . . . oh, wait.).
So anyway, admittedly I have limited experience naming actual living, breathing, walking-around-on-two-legs things. But you are stressing about this way too much. Picking names is fun, so make it fun! And anyway, there's no rush. You've got months to think of the right one.
If you want some names from family history, may I suggest: Rebecca, Pearl or Perlina, Maude, Kay, Veressa, or Sebra. And by the way, you may have forgotten that I'm named after my grandmother.
But I think you could call your kid, as AJ suggested, Garby, and she will still develop into whatever person she's going to be without the added benefit of a flowery, ostentatious name. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, after all.
How about the name Rose? I've always liked it ever since Louisa May Alcott's "Rose in Bloom."
Please note the use of paragraphs in this long posting. Good luck!
Laura
I was going to suggest naming her after her Aunt Dalana, but Amanda beat me to it and now it isn't as clever. You still could if you wanted though.
Really, good luck with it all. You and Reed will come up with the perfect name and it'll be just perfect for her and you'll never be able to imagine her being called anything else.
We need to see you guys, feels like forever.
First of all, I'm pretty sure it was me who named the cat. After all, I am pretty darn good at naming things!
Secondly, I recommend making a long list of names and talking through each name one at a time. Take your time with it. When you find the right one it will just feel right.
Oh, and when you make your list, be sure to put all types of names on it. Flowery ones and strong ones. As long as you like it just a little it does not matter.
Good luck. I hope you can work it out.
Hey, was the picture of the little girl up with this post yesterday? Isn't that the girl who lip-synced the solo during the Olympics?
Yes, Laura, this picture was up yesterday and yes this is the little girl who lip-synched at the Olympics. I didn't think anyone would figure out where I stole this picture from. Smartie Pants!
Post a Comment