The Best Part About Having a Baby

When it comes to baby-having, let’s be real: it’s not the most glamorous time of your life. There’s the first trimester nausea and exhaustion, the weird aches and pains, the feeling like a blimp and the actual pushing out of a not-so-tiny-as-one-might-imagine-human at the end of it all. It’s definitely no day at the spa. But amidst those 9 months of not-so-fun things there is a little silver lining…the naming of your very own human! I mean, OK…meeting your very own human is even better than naming them of course, but the naming part is a close second in my personal opinion.

 

{letterboard c/o letterfolk}

My little one’s names are a mix of family names and serendipity.

My oldest daughter, Fern Winter, bears the first name of her great grandmother Fern and her middle name came about in a twist of pure magic. Her middle name had become a point of contention between my husband and I since we couldn’t seem to agree on anything. But then, on the way to the birthing center while trying to distract me from painful contractions, my husband said, “Hey! What about Winter for her middle name?” It had just started snowing in the early hours of that Sunday morning – the first snowfall of the year. Serendipitously my husband and I had gotten married on the first snowfall four years prior…also on a Sunday. It was pretty magical.

Clive’s name came about long before I was ever pregnant with him. My husband was reading “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis (also known as Clive Staples Lewis) while we were on a family trip to Vancouver B.C. and said, “What do you think about Clive if we ever have a boy someday?”  My husband literally NEVER suggests baby names and I thought it was a nice strong name, so I was immediately sold. Once we found out we were having a little boy it was already decided: Clive it was. Interestingly enough, when I finally thought to go look up the meaning of his name, we realized it meant almost the exact same thing as my husband Craig’s name. Totally meant to be. His middle name Clarke is the maiden name of Craig’s much-loved grandmother.

This time around it felt a little trickier. I’ve always loved that my kids have pretty unique names. Aside from seeing the rare Fern or Clive via the internet/Instagram, we don’t come across their names often. Only once have we met another Fern in real-life and the same with Clive. When it came to names we were really fond of Alice. It is my husband’s grandma’s middle name and we really wanted to use it. I was slightly hesitant simply for the fact that it’s a bit more popular…and by popular I mean it’s actually made it into the top 100 baby names list (I think it’s somewhere around 70 popularity-wise). Fern and Clive’s names have never been on that list. In the end though, we decided that we really loved it and it’s still off-the-beaten-path enough that there likely won’t be 5 other Alice’s running around in her Kindergarten classroom. When it comes to middle names we have one in mind, but are leaving room just in case fate brings us something too perfect to pass up.

For some people the prospect of choosing a name that their child will have to carry for the rest of their lives can feel a bit daunting and a lot less fun than I’m making it out to be, but I swear it can be great. Here are a few things that have helped me in my process with choosing names over the years…

1. Start with your family tree

Sometimes your family tree can be chock full of baby name gems that you hadn’t even thought of! Clearly I’m a fan of the family name, but don’t feel like you have to stick with the ones that are expected and feel free to get creative with variations on the classics. My great grandmother Fern had the middle name Cleophia and I while it’s not the prettiest name, I always thought Cleo would be completely adorable. An aunt Rose could inspire a Rosemary or a Rosie – so many great options!

2. Think of important people/places/things

As much as I think it’s great finding inspiration on a baby name posting board, it definitely doesn’t make for a very special story when you tell your child the story of their name’s origins. Consider important people outside of your family tree…childhood friends, a favorite teacher, a college mentor. Think about places that are important to you…perhaps the place you met your husband or wife, your hometown, a beloved vacation spot, or the city in which your baby-to-be was conceived. Even hobbies can serve as a source of inspiration – for example, my husband is an avid soccer fan and loves the Portland Timbers. I rather liked the names Timber or Merritt (after Timber’s owner Merritt Paulson).

3. Get creative with the middle name

Middle names often become an afterthought or a footnote, but it is my humble opinion that they can totally make a name and should be given far more consideration than they are. I use my children’s middle names all the time and I love that they are meaningful and flow well. Often I’ll simply refer to them by their middle names…almost as you would a nickname. Fern will often introduce herself to people as Fern Winter and the fact that we call Clive Clarke by the nickname “Clarkey” half the time means that he has referred to himself that was on more than one occasion. If you’re not quite sure about that off-the-beaten-path baby name that you just can’t shake, perhaps it would be perfect as a middle name!

4. Try the name on for size for a bit

Sometimes you have to live with a name for a little while before deciding if it’s “the one”. Take some time to start referring to your little one in utero by the name you are most smitten with and see if it sticks. Confession: I was really torn between the names Alice and Rose this time around, but in the end little Alice just felt “right” when I started using it.

5. Leave room for the unexpected

Sometimes babies are born and the name you planned on just doesn’t seem well-suited for them for whatever reason. I’m a believer in holding names loosely and leaving room for a name to come to you serendipitously in the final hours…or even days after your baby’s birth!

Love and baby names,

Lauren