The Name Game

Son #2 and Daughter-in-Law #1-and-only had their first baby last week..the first grandDAUGHTER in the family! She's a cute little thing and I can hardly wait to fly down and see her...hold her...smell her...and soak her all in!

Now, Son #2 and DIL #1-and-only told us early on that they were having a girl. There was no secret there. But what that little darling was going to be called? Well, let's just say that these two could easily work their way up the ranks of the CIA to become Spies #1 and #2! They weren't telling! Now part of that was because they still hadn't decided...it took awhile to "try" on names and see what sounded right. And, I think, the other part was that they didn't want the hassle of "You're naming her WHAT?" comments!

Now this little bug has an unusual name. Every time I tell someone about her, I have to spell her name at least three times and explain it (it's a Japanese name). Mom, Dad and Baby will be doing this for the rest of her life. I know...I have a slightly unusual name also (and so does Sweetie!...yes...what can I say?...we are a family that dotes on confusion and spelling!) I am forever having to spell my name or correct the misspelling...or the completely WRONG name that someone supposed I meant...as if I didn't even know my own name! Well...technically I didn't HAVE a name for many years because of a bureaucratic and paternal bungle! (See HERE for the explanation!)

When I was pregnant with Daughter #1, I told my father what we were going to name her and he said, "Why are you naming her a boy's name?" (it sounds the same as a boy's but is spelled like a girl's name) To which I gasped because...hey, this was the guy that named his son a girl's name and his daughter a boy's name!...thus confusing bank tellers and junk mailers for the rest of our lives! Go figure!

Then you can also get into the whole "stealing" names thing! You know...cousin so-and-so "stole" the baby name you wanted to use. As if there were only one or two Williams running around in the Middle Ages! You can't do any kind of Family History work without running into multiple repetitions of family names...all in the same generation! I have one ancestor who named 3 of his daughters the same name...Sarah. One died young, the second Sarah had a medical condition that they knew she would die from, so they named the third daughter Sarah too (or three, if you like!)

So I don't really blame Son #2 and Daughter-in-Law #1-and-only for keeping the little critter's name under wraps! While they haven't had the inevitable pre-birth queries of "Whaaaa?" at least they've delayed them!