Thursday, May 6, 2010

How I Got My Name

Mommy and Daddy think one of the earliest challenges faced by parents is picking a name for the new life they have created.  Apparently, choosing one name that will follow this human being throughout infancy, childhood, the teen years, and adulthood can be quite daunting.

They did have it easy when it came to the middle name, though. Elizabeth is Mommy's middle name, and they really wanted to pass that down.

Here are the criteria Mommy and Daddy agreed on for my first name:
Must have a strong meaning.
Be nicknameable.
Contain more than one syllable.
Not send Mommy into a teacher coma by reminding her of any of the behaviorally challenged students she was priveleged to teach.

When Mommy was 5 or 6 months pregnant, the list of possible first names had been narrowed down to:

Hannah was the first to be crossed off the list.  Mommy had a Hannah in her classroom last year, and she didn't want any of her other students/parents to be offended by that name choice.  There was also already a Hannah in Mommy and Daddy's social circle, so it made since to go with one of the other names.

Mommy and Daddy were having a really tough time choosing between Abigail and Katelyn.  They were both asking the Holy Spirit for wisdom to know which name was the right name for the little baby they were about to have. 

  Then, one Sunday morning, our Pastor asked a member of our congregation to share about how God had recently brought her family through an especially difficult time.  Almost exactly one year before I was due, her son and daughter-in-law (who also attend our church) lost the twin babies they were expecting.  When she said the babies were named Ethan and Abigail, Mommy and Daddy looked at each other and whispered, "We can't name her Abigail."  They didn't want their joy to cause this family any more pain.

  So, that's how it was made clear to Mommy and Daddy that I was to be named

And now, they can't imagine their lives without their little Katie Bug.
It really is the perfect name for me!

7 comments:

Bradshaw's Buzz said...

I love this blog post. We're bad parents because Scott and I, for the life of us, can't remember how we came about naming Austin, Austin! :-/ We know we always loved Abigail (Abby) for a girl and somehow Austin came up. This was long before we were married too. Now for baby number too if it's a boy we are unsure ;)

Brooklynn said...

That's so very cool!! I always wonder how parents choose names!

Havard Family said...

I love hearing how people pick children's names. Adrian and I had such a hard time picking ours.

When Adrian and I went on our first date it was a double date and the other girl's name was Athena. Adrian wanted her first name to be Athena and although I think it's beautiful I wasn't feeling it as the first name. We went through so many girl's names and he really liked Destiny but Destiny's Child was big then and I didn't want her to be associated with that. Along the same line of names (Faith, Hope, Joy, Grace) when I heard Faith I knew that was it! We didn't have her named picked out until a week before she was born! LOL

About a year before Ryder was born Adrian heard Kate Hudson's son's name (Ryder) and said if we ever have a boy that's his name. So when I got pregnant that was already picked out. I struggled with the middle name, there were so many boy's names I liked. But, I love biblical names so I tried to find one that went with Ryder. Luke was it! Adrian's favorite movie is Cool Hand Luke, so we also say he's named after him! LOL

Britt said...

Awwww, what a nice story!

michelle ellis said...

What a sweet story! I love it!

Beth McC. said...

What a fun post! I love your baby name picks! Cute story! Your blog is to cute! Hope you have a great weekend!

Teresa @ Grammy Girlfriend said...

One of my favorite names....Stopping by to say Happy Mother's Day...
Have a few hours to blog hop and nothing makes me happier.
I have a GREAT GIVEAWAY that I will be drawing for on Sunday night.

http://teresa-grammygirlfriend.blogspot.com/