What's in a Name?

Yes people, I've been tagged twice, but I refuse to play the game...BWAHAAHAA!!! So consider this mention here as my participation, and now I'm done.

Instead, I'm going to wax poetic about names.

When you find out you're expecting, one of the first things you do, besides pick yourself up off the floor, either from pure joy or fear, depending on if this was planned or not, is to go out and pick up a baby names book.

A search at Amazon.com of baby name books reveals over 50 titles, ranging from one like the picture here to Simply the best baby name book to The Greatest Baby Name Book ever, and everything in between.

New parents-to-be spend countless hours pouring over names, making sure initials don't spell out something obscene or unfortunate (like Patricia Isabelle Graves or Brian Ulysses Matthews). They practice yelling out the name in the backyard to see how it will sound when you're calling your child to come in for dinner. They write it down on paper to see how it will look on a business card, or on a wedding or graduation announcement.

Then they narrow it down to 2 or 3 favorites, and then wait in great anticipation until that day when the wonderful one arrives: Little Ava or Macy or Chance or Hudson or Sophia or Kiel or Reilly or Ireland or Kelton or Chris or Molly or Abby or Chloe or Maddie or Jack or Nick or Nate or Hayden or Tiffany or Blake or Emma or Morgan or Olivia or Daria or Caden or Luke or Caleb or Micah or Samuel or Christina or Josh or Daniel or Michael or Grant or Evelyn or Tatum. Each name picked out especially for that child.

We were like any other parents when it came to naming our daughter. In fact, I think we took it one step further & kept it a secret because we were afraid if we told people they'd say, "Oh, we knew a (insert name here) in high school", and then they'd get this disgusted look on their face, as if to say, "why on earth would you choose that name?"

December 2005 Kyra (pronounced KEAR-ah) Diane was born, and she was just as beautiful as her name.

Now fast forward to today. This same little girl is talking up a storm, and has recently learned how to say her name. Are you ready? Remember, endless hours of agonizing over names...

Me to Kyra: "And who are you?"
Kyra: "Kah-kah"

Now, I know eventually she'll be able to say it correctly, and she's totally innocent when she says it, but kaka???? Let me tell you, that never made our Top 100 list!!!

Oh well. I guess there are worse things she could have come up with.

Loving our daughter's zest for life,
K~