What's in a Name?

"So," said that doctor, "What are we calling this gorgeous girl?"

Choosing Abby's name was not easy. There are just so many options! Some of them got thrown out quickly, and others quickly rose to the top of the list. We had a top three or four list all along that was pretty consistent, and we had middle names picked out right away.  We never really certain about her name though, until we saw her for the first time.

For her first name, we wanted something that wasn't currently being used by somebody in our lives. I always envisioned naming my daughter Lillie, but Abby and Jonas's cousin claimed it first, so to the baby name books we went.

Both Steve and I liked the name Abby from the outset, but thought Abigail sounded a little old fashioned for us, so Abigail moved on and off the list, as we seemed to change our minds every time we thought about it. And then Jonas suggested Gabrielle about a week before she was born. We realized that it would be shortened to Gabby, and had reservations about combing that nickname with her genetic predisposition to be a talker. The more we considered Gabby, the more Abby shone through. When she was born, Abby just felt right. No formal Abigail, just Abby.

Abby's middle names were chosen quite easily. We wanted to name her after our Grandmothers, so we chose Mae and Lillie, after my Grandmas Symonds, Martin and Gertie. (I tried but Gertie got four thumbs down from Steve and Jonas every time I suggested it.)  Of course, her last name is Blanchard, so she nests nicely into Steven's family tree.

So Abby Mae Lillie Blanchard it is. She hasn't complained about it yet but I'm sure that day will come. I'll smile and nod, kiss her forehead, and then tell her to be glad that we didn't keep calling her Esmerelda after she was born.

Cheers!