Saturday, January 2, 2010

A rose by any other name…

I’m preoccupied.

I want my daughter to have a name.  I want her, more specifically, to have her name.  And it just isn’t happening yet (no matter how eager my mother is to monogram things!).

Before we knew Seth was a boy, the only girl name Jim and I agreed on was Elizabeth, and I’d always thought that I’d use Marilyn as a middle name (in tribute to my paternal and Jim’s maternal grandmothers).

Easy-peasy, right?  Elizabeth Marilyn.

Nice enough, but then creeps in the suspicion, what if she ends up going by Beth?  True, not the end of the world.  Beth is a pretty name.  But it’s less pretty when you already have a son named Seth.  Seth and Beth?  No thanks.

So, Elizabeth got nixed.

I fell in love with Eleanor; the rest of the family, not so much.  So, buh-bye Eleanor.

How about Ella?  Nonna Karen got really excited about this one, especially when I toyed around with the idea of morphing Marilyn into Kaylyn after not only the great-grandmothers, but the grandmothers as well.

Jim told me he thinks Ella is too trendy.  And while it’s no Emma, here in 2010, he just may have a point.  (check out this article)

We’ve also seen Jillian, Kathleen, Erin, Kendall, Renee, Eden, Shannon and a few others fall victim at the chopping block.

Sigh.

I know we have time.  Ample time.  I know that we didn’t name our boys until the week they were born, and nobody was worse for the wear.

But this time, it is different.  I want to teach Seth to call her by name.  I want to call her room ____’s room, instead of the green room.  Since there may be so many uncertain things surrounding her arrival, I want at least this to be known.

I just want her to have a name.  Her name.

18 comments:

Angela said...

I totally understand! My husband and I picked out our boy and girl very early in our marriage. Andrew James and Katherine Elizabeth. We didn't find out with the first two children we had. Both boys. So Andrew James and Benjamin Matthew. I always held out for my Katherine. Now I'm expecting #3. We decided to find out with this one. I was sure it was a girl this time. But, alas, Katherine has once again alluded me. So Thomas Alexander it is. :)
Hope you find your perfect name soon!

MaryBeth said...

Oh how I get this. What if Elizabeth were Liz or Eliza (long I) instead of Beth? Can't wait to hear what you decide.

NoVaIrish said...

Are you sure you want to take Erin off the list? I mean I know some really awesome people named Erin. And they are super pretty too. Just sayin.

:-)

mandie lane said...

My vote? You're the one with the weight gain, cankles, and sleepless 3rd trimester nights. Eleanor it is!

That was easy! ;)

Kendra said...

Praying God reveals it to you soon!!!!

mandie lane said...

OH- and a PS thought on Elizabeth, which I do think is a very lovely name. You know full well I've got an Anderson. Anderson could potentially be shortened to Andy, but not if I have my say- Mandie and Andy? ::gag:: We went with the name anyway, because we fully intend to never use "Andy" at home. My Jonathan husband has never been a Jon and my brother Michael is only a Michael. So ... I think you could avoid the Seth and Beth thing, at least at home.

Anonymous said...

I love the name Eleanor...I suggested it for our little blessing as well and husband said no. Why can't they just let us pick and realize they should have no say? I'm so behind on your blog and just realized that you were pregnant again so congrats! And don't feel bad, I'm due in 34 days and still don't have a name. I have to see my babies before I name them for some reason. Good luck finding a name that you both love!

MommaHarms said...

I think us mommies need to know the name to make us feel even more connected. At least I do. I need to know the baby I am carrying's name to feel as connected as possible. Our last we had a first name for but no middle name until the night before she was born! (schedule c-section). It drove me absolutely insane, but my husband didn't think it was a big deal.

Mrs. Frogster said...

Oh yes the agony of choosing the perfect name! We always struggled with the middle name for some reason, which really doesn't matter all that much. I loved the name Michael Henry, but everyone else hated it, so Mikers never got to be a Henry. Oh well.
I know that whatever name you choose, it will be perfect and beautiful. I am, however, rooting for Eleanor. so Beautiful!

Stacy D said...

Girl names are tricky, aren't they?

It's hard to decide. Eleanor is a beautiful name, and if you and Jim love it, then I say go for it :)

I'll keep thinking and send any thoughts I have your way!!

~ Stacy

Michele said...

Names are tough; and it's very hard when you have lots of outsiders giving their opinions. Mason's original name was nixed because everyone hated it, but it turns out that I love the name Mason more than any other name, just took awhile to find it. You will come up with the perfect name. Oh, and my Allison calls herself "ALLY" now, which I cannot stand; I tell everyone her name is Allison, that is what I named her, I do not like nicknames or shortened names, but she likes to go by Ally, it's unavoidable, so try to pick something that is not able to be shortened, if you don't want them to be called by something else, hence Preston and Mason. haha! Good luck and I can't wait to her baby girls name!

Sara said...

3 more I've thought of...

Stella (I've always loved this name, but is just sounds harsh with our last name for some reason)
Caroline (traditional...I like it.)
Adeline (a new girl in Z's class has this name & I just love hearing it ring through the class)

Sara said...

Also, if you & Jim love Eleanor...the rest of the family can jump in a lake. :D That is all. Love ya!

Jenn said...

We picked names for our first two pretty easily. When we found out we were having a boy, I wanted him to have a name as soon as I knew. Didn't happen. We couldn't agree, so I gave in and let Mike name him. Cody fits him wonderfully even if there are still family members that don't like it. Oh, well. You seem to like some of the "older" names, and I saw a little girl at church tonight that made me think of you. Her name is Audrey. Audrey Elizabeth sounds cute!

Denise said...

i like betsy for elisabeth (with an "s" not a "z").
elisabeth means "consecrated to God," i like that.

my girl's are emilie and josefine.
i'd loved emilie since i was 16. josefina is my g-ma's name. i didn't LOVE the name josefine when we named my daughter, but I LOVE IT now.

i do feel all our kiddos names were picked by God (i see that as they grow). may your sweet girl have the name God has already chosen for her.

Courtney said...

I know exactly what you mean about the nicknames. We named our son Nathaniel, knowing we would call him Nate. I did worry that people might call him Nathan (which sometimes does happen, but I am quick to correct them!), which is a nice name, but not what I wanted him to be called. I didn't let that stop me from naming him Nathaniel, though. I figure we call him Nate (or Nathaniel if he's being REALLY bad!), so that's going to be his name.

Here's hoping he doesn't become a rebellious teenager and demand to be called Nathan!

Valerie said...

How about Valerie? ;)

Tessa wasn't named until after she arrived, but it was at the top of my girls name list. Joel liked some others better. However, once she was born - he said she just looked like a Tessa, and she does!

You may still get Eleanor, but no matter what - I'm sure the name you choose will be meaningful and beautiful.

Marlo said...

Just saw this post after I commented on the other one. Eleanor was one of my favorites too. And we have family that aren't thrilled with our choice of Eloise, but it really should be your choice! In my experience people get over whatever feelings they have once they get to know the actual child. For instance, I know a Mabel who is absolutely precious- didn't like the name when I first heard it, now I think it's great.