The Name Game

I received another "I'm pregnant" text from a friend the other day... this time it hit a little closer to home because it came from my friend EL, who I grew up with and who was my roommate my freshman year of college. The only person I have lived in a room with longer than in a summer camp situation. The guy she married was her high school sweetheart, and they have been married for more than two years now.

I would be sitting at my desk, studying late at night, while she would be in bed talking to him on the phone. More than once I remember sitting there thinking that they had a great deal of their lives planned out for being 18-years-old, and I recall a specific conversation involving what they wanted to name their children.

I know, how do I remember this stuff?

So after receiving that text, I replied with my congrats and asked if she was still naming her baby [firstname middlename] if it is a girl. She was completely shocked that I would remember that, and confirmed that yes, that would be their daughter's name, but that they were stuck on boy names.

I had dinner with my family the night after I found out, my brother was home at the time for Spring Break, and when I told them about EL's pregnancy, it sparked a conversation of the other names which were in contention when he and I were born.

My parents apparently also liked Haley and Halle for me, either of which would have been a mouthful with my last name, but could not choose either. Why? Because the wife of one of my dad's lifelong friends, who was only dating my dad's friend at the time I was born, found out that my mom was considering the name Haley and said "I've always wanted to name my daughter Haley." My parents wanted to be surprised when I was born, so they didn't find out my gender until I was out of the womb. I think that's awesome, by the way, and if I am fortunate enough to have more than one kid then I want to do that with at least one of them. Let God do his thing. My mom, being the peacekeeper that she is, decided I would not be named Haley for this reason, named me Amy, and eventually that friend ended up having two boys. Two sons and zero daughters. Watch out for karma in the delivery room.

So with my brother they learned a thing or two about names, found out they were having a boy, then kept their names closely guarded. My Dad has four boys in his family, only one who goes by his given name (he and the others go by their middle names) and they knew that whatever his first name was, that's what he was going to go by.

My brother, we found out, was almost named Sam or Heath. I think Sam is an adorable name, but Heath does not suit him at all. Heath is the topping on a DQ Blizzard- Heath is not my brother. Like Haley and Halle, it would have been too much with our last name.

It's funny to think of how my life would have been different had I been named something else. How would a different name have altered my life experience? There actually ended up being a Haley H. (my last name) because one of my cousins and his wife named their daughter that. I can live vicariously through her, if need be. I will also mention that five of my friends from college are named Haley (spelled three different ways).

I think I'll stick with Amy... it suits me.

"Any child can tell you that the sole purpose of a middle name is so he can tell when he's really in trouble."
-Dennis Frakes