What's in a name?

I have decided, there are few things that can leave a marriage as divided as the process of naming your unborn child, probably ranking second only to finances. Some couples get lucky and come away unscathed, landing on a name almost immediately (and although this was the case when we picked Ella's name, I think it more of the exception). Some couples know they will use certain family names, and whether they particularly like the name is of no matter; it's a family name, it's a done deal, and there are no qualms.

Thankfully, we had a boy name already left over from when I had first gotten pregnant with Ella and we wanted to have both options. So, I have to admit, I prayed that this child would be a boy. Not because I was against having another girl- I could see Ella having a sister and always thought two little girls would be so much fun. As a matter of fact, I was pretty convinced that we were, in fact, having another girl, from the very beginning. But I prayed for a boy because I knew there was a good chance that if it was another girl, our daughter would be nameless. As in, "Nameless Seward." Because her mother and father couldn't actually agree on any name. "Nameless" would at least be unique.

Thank God that he put a stem on this apple and saved us from what was sure to be another several months of struggle and debate. And although I have no idea what to do with little penises (a topic for which I'll need a few separate posts to cover), I'm sure I'll adjust and at least my son has a name. So Milo Ryan will be joining us in the first week of February. :-) We get a few eyebrow raises every now and then when we mention his name, but we like that it's unique (and yes, I do know that was the name of the cat in the movie "Milo and Otis" and hell no, that is not where we got the name from). Seriously, people.

And then it occurred to me this morning that I had absolutely no idea what my son's name means. Not that it matters. If I looked it up and discovered that it meant, "a homely child; one that possesses a single, lonely eye in the middle of the forehead," we would still roll with it (and pray that he isn't born a cyclops) because we are not, under any circumstances, reconsidering another name. Done deal. Fortunately for us, although the exact derivation is unclear, his name is most likely derived from Germanic origin meaning, "mild, peaceful and calm." Hah. Jake's kid?? I think not. As a little boy, my sweet husband was tested for ADHD, however, it was instead determined that he was just "hyper." He was not allowed to have any soda, but apparently, his Dad liked to give him a Coke every now and then just to watch his reaction (think Tazmanian devil-like antics). Of course, you would never know this about him- now, he's the most chilled out and laid back guy you would ever meet. Regardless, something tells me our kids are most likely destined to run the same course. However, Ella was already delivering some swift sucker-punches at this stage in my pregnancy with her, so it does seem to me that little Milo is already a tiny bit more calm in there. Fine with me. I'll take whatever little bit of peace and serenity I can get before February.