What’s in a name?

A whole lot actually and more than some of you would care to believe.

When it came to naming the twins we really were not prepared for the minefield of trying to come up with two boys names, two girls names and a boy &girl’s name!

Hours were spent as all excited parents to be partake in trawling through online forums, top baby names searches on Google, books are bought. Trying desperately to name your ever growing bump, flitting between names on a daily basis at the start, discounting them off the list and then putting them back on. Checking most and least popular baby names lists. Dying out names. Old fashioned names. “Unique names”. Mythical names. The lists go on and on and on…….

 

Secretly holding onto your “favourite” name in your head, afraid to mention it too early incase the other half doesn’t like it and pulls the “That’s definitely being vetoed” card. As long as you wanted a baby you have imagined calling them this.

 I wonder how many people actually end up naming their babies the name they had thought of all those years ago?

So sorry guys Ashley and Dylan whilst lovely names didn’t make the cut and to be honest I will admit now as soon as I became pregnant those names didn’t “suit” my bump , so I may have exaggerated slightly their presence in my top five to get rid of the veto early on.

 

Who honestly knew how difficult it would be to pick six names combos and commit!

 

 

 

 

 

For some reason I imagine naming multiples to be a lot harder than naming individual babies. Do they match without being too matchy, the stress of choosing all the combos. Why this actually even entered our thought process I am not sure but then again I had a lot of bed rest hours to fill so it kept me busy. God bless my triplet and quad mammy friends because two days after A was born we were still dithering on her name so I can imagine the back and forths in naming more than two babies.

 

And then finally they are here (Boy& Girl -yey ) and you have made a decision, happy days…. You check with your brother in law who is a teacher on the spelling and pronunciation of names, you check online baby name lists/dictionaries. You are happy, delighted twin one and two are officially little people now with their own identities and send off your messages announcing the births of B & A to the world.

And all is well, you go home, they meet everyone and the crazy world of constant feeds and newborn blur has officially begun but your family is complete. Off you go to the registry office a few days later, all dressed up for their first official outing( it’s an important day !) Certs are handed over ,once spelling is checked and their little identities are documented forever.

 

And then you venture outside your bubble.

But the random stranger is not happy. The random stranger seems a bit too eager to educate you in your choice of names and how they should be pronounced and spelt. They seemed offended that you don’t take their corrections seriously when you alert them to the fact that you won’t be rushing back to the births office to change the spelling of your childs’ name. Or better still call them by a new name.  I know you are thinking she’s not serious is she? I have literally had someone argue with me over how we choose to pronounce our daughters name and how our sons name is missing a letter.  Strange one that, they must have missed the previous discussions on when we decided what the kids would be called…

 

The PC in every doctors’/consultants office you visit brings a whole new set of challenges. You are unsure whether it is the person sitting at the PC who is not aware of the control alt and holding down of the letter to insert a fada or whether the fault lies with the system they are inputting the data that rebirths your child with a new name!  But of course that is our problem for deciding to choose Irish names for our twins. It also means when someone is trying to get a hold of one of the twins attention and calls them by the wrong name they are not actively ignoring them. Well they are toddlers so more than likely they are operating selective hearing mode but maybe it works in my favour to then explain the “ computer error”.

 

 

And how cruel are we also on that matter of giving B &A “ As Gaeilge” names ,sure they won’t be ever able to leave Ireland and explore the world for fear someone can’t pronounce their name. I have a sneaking suspicion their names won’t be top of their list for things they want to torment us over when they reach adulthood.

 

 

Try being named after one of the most successful female singers in recent times and see how many times you laugh when upon picking up the phone “Hello, can you hear me” is sung down the line to you.  The gags never get old, I swear…..