What's in a Name?

It's amazing just exactly what a name means to people. 

Seth, Grandma Anna, and Me

I was named after two very special women on my dad's side of the family, Elizabeth after my Great Grandma Catherine Elizabeth Terrell and Ann after my Great Grandma Anna Rose Evans. Unfortunately, I don't have any memories of Grandma Catherine. However, I have very special memories from my childhood of Grandma Evans. She was so frail and her voice was gentle. Her hair was soft and white like cotton and her skin was softer than anything I had ever felt before. She'd tell you stories of how times were when she was young and I don't think I ever heard a story twice. When you got close to hug her, her hearing aid would squeal in your ear. 

I'm sitting here now like a big sappy dork smiling at Grandma's picture on the computer screen. There's never been a time that I've heard her name and did anything other than smile.  

Anywho, I knew from an early age that when/if I were able to have children of my own, and if I was blessed to have a daughter, she'd carry Anna's name. I would share with my daughter something that I cherished dearly. Sadly, I missed the opportunity to do so. An older cousin, who's daughter was born while I was pregnant, named her daughter after Grandma. I couldn't blame her, she loved her as much as I did. A part of me wanted to just go ahead and name my daughter Anna too because it's something that I always wanted but I decided against it in the end. I chose to pass on my first name, Elizabeth

Harleigh Elizabeth: I know Harleigh is a little unconventional but her dad was a huge fan of the movie Pure Country and fell in love with the name Harleigh. Paired with my grandmother's name Elizabeth, it seemed pretty safe.

Abigail Grace: Abby's name was another story. I wish I could say that it was an heirloom name passed down through the family because it's beautiful but the truth is, Abigail Grace just seemed to roll off my tongue so easily. Both her first and middle names are solid good names.

Quillia Max. Well, that was most definitely a struggle. My husband wanted to name our son Quillia and call him Quilly. It was his great (maybe great great) grandfather's name. I was instantly against it. I didn't like the way it sounded at all. Plus, I thought that he might be teased.. Quilly the Queer- well, you get it. I was dead set on the name Max. I'd loved that named forever and Tyler's family found a million reasons we shouldn't use it. Our decision was put on hold when our son was diagnosed with Anencephaly. Suddenly, it didn't matter. When we lost him, we both conceded our war and compromised on his name. Quillia, something Tyler loved and Max, something I loved.  Nothing fit him more.

My mom is the youngest of 11 children. She was named Billie after her father (William) and Louise after her mother. I kind of wonder sometimes if they knew she was their last child and just ran out of name ideas (I'm kidding, Mom).

Tyler's mom. Oh, my. Don't ask the woman what her name is because she's likely to tell you her name is Ginnie and to mind your business. Her real name is Virginia Helen though. Virginia came from her maternal grandmother and Helen was her paternal grandmother's middle name. She's not a fan but understands that she was named after two people who were important to her parents.

Names used to be traditional or part of a family's heritage. Now people name their children after foods and cities. So many people these days are naming kids things that don't translate well into adult names. Gwenyth Paltrow has a daughter named Apple and Tea Leoni has a son named Kyd. I mean, really? Did either of these ladies think about their future? Mamaw Apple and Papaw Kyd?I'm not saying that it's wrong by any means, it is most definitely your choice on what you name your children. I say this as a mother to a child named Harleigh. While I went a little outside the box with Harleigh's first name, keeping the name Elizabeth gave her a little piece of her family history to carry on.