I never realized the stress a parent endures when trying to determine the name for their child. Perhaps I am over-thinking it, but we are struggling to find a name we agree on. You see, we had a name. We loved it. But that was last year, before the third miscarriage. When I became pregnant for the fourth time, and the baby made it past the "danger zone," we started talking about what we would name her. We found a name that we loved, and vowed not to tell until after she was born. Well, the name we loved so much seems to be the name everyone loves. I've been doing my research, tracking name popularity on the Social Security website and babynames.com, and I was sure we'd be fine; apparently everyone else had the same idea. Since September, I know of 7 baby girls born with this name. As I am a teacher by trade, I know how difficult it can be both for the student and the teacher when there are several children with the same name. As such, I told Bryan we'd have to come up with some alternatives. He is not happy about this to say the least. You see, the name we love now was a name he once disliked, but it slowly grew on him, and now he can think of no other name that will hold the same power. We know that her middle name will be Virginia, after my mom. The trouble is, many names do not go with Virginia; any name that ends with an "a" sounds silly next to Virginia. For example: Mia Virginia- not so great. Then, any name that can double as a location sounds ridiculous. For example, Bryan likes the name Savannah, but you put Savannah with Virginia and it sounds like we are simply bad at geography.
I want a name that sounds sophisticated, but offers options; Bryan wants something cute. When we come up with a name, I imagine it on a resume. If it looks too cute, I veto- I want my girl to be able to run for President or be a cheerleader (although I prefer the first.) Her options may be limited if people don't take her seriously, or she sounds too much like an elderly woman. We still have a little over a month to figure it out, but I fear she'll be born and we'll still be arguing. I imagine I will ultimately pull rank, since I am the one giving birth after all. Feel free to offer suggestions- perhaps you know of a name we haven't yet thought of.
Like a waterfall in slow motion, Part One
2 years ago
4 comments:
I know EXACTLY what you mean! We totally stressed over the name of our baby. We wanted something unique, but not wierd, meaningful, that sounded good with Tallon, etc. That social security website can be a blessing and a curse. We fell in love with the name Isaiah and then spent months douting it, not wanting to join the "unusual Old Testament name" trend that we were afraid was taking over. In the end, we just went with it (and made the final decision minutes after his birth)... Naming a person is a really tough thing to do! Some advice that worked for us was to narrow down the name to 2 options and then let the one who goes through labor decide in the end. Good luck!!
Hi Stephanie! Jennifer Dotts here, from Whitworth. I've been following your blog, and wanted to put my two cents in, on the baby girl's name. I think the name Lucille would be lovely. It's classic, offers options (Lucy) and matches up with the middle name quite nicely. Lucille Virginia. Just a thought. I'm glad to see you doing well after so much struggle. I've been praying for you and your family :) Have a great day!
Here's a fun site, with popularity rankings dating back to 1880.
http://babynamewizard.com/
namevoyager/lnv0105.html
I think that you should look for something with two syllables, which would go well with Scott as well as the longer middle name (which I love.) Even if it ends in -a it's a bit better by being shorter. I hear you on the cutesy name thing, mine smacks of cheerleader and Tupperware sales. No offence, Mom.
Chloe?
Darcy?
Ella?
Sadie?
Hi! I found your blog as I was reading some links from Rocks in My Dryer about the LOST Finale. We had the same problem with the name Virginia for our firstborn daughter. I knew I wanted her Middle name to be Virginia after my grandma who was so precious to me, but nothing sounded good to us with Virginia as a middle name. So, we changed Virginia to her first name and decided to call her by her middle name. We really wanted the name Grace, but Grace Virginia didn't fit right - Virginia Grace , however sounded beautiful to me. My hubby wasn't too thrilled about the middle name as a first name thing (his dad is Howard Alan and goes by Al), but I didn't want to budge on the sound of it - it seemed sophisticated and pretty. Just wanted to let you know how we handled it. Grace goes by Grace, Gracie and lots of times by Virginia Grace. Who knows, maybe you'll like it too or maybe you'll have better luck with Virginia as a first name? :) Best Wishes and I'll keep you in my prayers as your pregnancy draws to a close!!
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