Saturday, September 20, 2008

The Name Game

Scott Scott bo-bot, banana fanna fo fot.....Do you all remember the old name game? Have to admit that names have been on our minds lately, specifically as we struggle to give our little man a first name!
It should be easy, right? Lots of folks I know have beloved names selected for their children long before they even begin their families and those names somehow just seem to be right for the child in question. Then there are the families that debate name selections, tossing out potential selections with crazy zeal & agonizing over the right moniker. In their quest they might seek out advice from trusted family/friends, purchase a baby name book with over 5,001 available names (and their meanings) or they might even, in a dark and desperate hour, take to their computers to post ( er, I mean research) their dilemma. Naturally this latter family is purely hypothetical and I feel for that family, wandering through their days with a sweet baby known only as B.B. ( Baby Brother ) or even fondly, Little Man. Its these poor creatures whose extended family members are forced to take drastic steps (and) often at their own risk. Imagine the poor Mimi ( Grandma ) who must, with great stealth, wedge a copy of a popular baby name book into the cupboards of the indecisive couple, hoping it might spark a winner from between its covers. Picture the pure desperation of an Aunt being reduced to taking aside the older sibling of said unnamed baby and planting names choices. I know......I know, oh gentle souls....I should have given this post a PG 13 rating!
So what is an undecided couple to do? Close their eyes, open a page in the name book and point? I think not! Imagine the discomfort of finding that same finger tip resting smugly on the name Herndon ( which actually has a beautiful meaning....nature loving...ummm...not that I would know! ) or Montague, which may only be fitting for a baby featured in a classical epic tale. But in a sea ( or classroom ) of Ryan's, Max's, Logan's, Ben's, Sam's & Colin's, how would such a child fair?
So, undecided couples must continue to seek advice, scour the pages of name books and test out each potential option for possible nicknames, hidden spelling/pronunciation issues, and the dreaded other kids on the playground rhyming schemes.( Course I don't think girls actually do this? Do they? Maybe its a guy thing. ) Its a lot to consider, especially when one member of said undecided couple is capable of plucking from an unlimited number of offensive movie characters ( even B movies! ), silly rhymes or potential pitfalls for every name put forth, relegating that name to the, "most likely not" pile. And the quest goes on.
Yours Truly,
Lisa Lisa bo bisa, banana fana fo fisa.... me my momisa....Lisa

Disclaimer: The above post is purely fictional & intended for mature audiences only; no Herndon's or Montague's were injured in the making of this post.

13 comments:

Lisa said...

Lisa
You crack me up. Hmmm a real dilemma... Go for the unusual but classy for a boy...Give us a hint at at least some of the names. Seriously the right name will fall into your lap for your little man...
LOL
Lisa R.

Lisa said...

Lisa....lol...thank you, that is good advice! I had intended to list our favorites ( all 3 of us have different faves! ) and somehow it morphed into this post! :) Its that late night posting again AND trying to keep myself distracted from waiting for those updates and referral announcements, rulings..etc..! :)
I like all the boy names I used in the "sea or classroom" example, but I seem to be the most flexible in our little family! ( at least name wise) :) I'll keep ya all posted and thanks!
Lisa C.
P.S. Lauren still LOVES "Hawk" but Logan is running a close second! ;)

rachel said...

oh lisa, i have SO been there! you are a real hoot! this post was so well written... and funny! i wish you luck, sista! i think you might be needing it! ;)

rachel

Anne Marie said...

Lisa, your post is hilarious! Really, I think you could publish it! Something tells me you are not the one able to reel off the offensive movie characters?

I am relieved you are not choosing Montague! lol!

I would throw out some suggestions, but there's nothing more annoying than someone who quite possibly doesn't share your taste throwing names you would never pick at you!

Tish said...

well, nothing really rhymes with purple so you could name him "Purple Pei"

Lisa said...

Welllll...purple is the color of royalty :) AND it would give him a leg up on learning his basic colors....AND "Pei" means abundance...an abundance of purple or royalty...lol... course y'all know what Scott will say....his initials would be: P.P.
(sigh...he has trained me well! )
Seriously though, thanks everyone, this has been a fun diversion as we await those past due updates!! :)

Angel said...

Wow! I think you're going crazy over this name picking!! One will seem right and you'll know when it does. I look at the meaning too, I've taken some names out of the running just b/c they have horrible meanings. And then if I can find a decent middle name to go with it with a good meaning...and then I check to see how it all sounds put together!!! I would spend months of course and Ronnie would never want to decide until the baby was actually born to see if the baby looked like the names we were deciding on...he was silly like that. We always had two in mind and chose the day the boys were born. That's just how we did it.

Gwen Oatsvall said...

I love the name game ... I am always the pick out the name day one ... hee hee

I would love for you to email me about writing your story ... I have currently have 42 and would love to make it 50 ... s.oatsvall@comcast.net

Missy said...

This is too funny. Some of the little girls in my class started randomly singing this today!

R... said...

This post was such fun to read! I have a friend who waited for a week or so after her baby was home from the hospital before she decided on his name (it wasn't even exotic!!). We all figured she had had nine months to think about it, but sometimes what you have in mind just doesn't fit when you meet the little guy, so you need to be ready with something else, just in case. Good luck with your decision process, however it evolves!!

R...

Sarah and Dan Sullivan said...

Lisa, I feel your pain! We have always had a hard time with the name thing for all the reasons you mentioned. We ended up with a "Sam" and a "Luke", but I really wanted a Sam and a Max. Love the name Max, but sadly, my hubby did not. = ( Good luck and, of course, keep us posted. Sarah = )

QingLu Mama said...

Hi Lisa. Thanks for checking out my blog. I enjoyed reading yours! You have a beautiful family and must be thrilled to be so close to bringing the next little wonder home! I got a real kick out of your name game post, very funny. I really look forward to keeping in touch through this process...I am so glad to have found JOH & all the great PAP's there!
Jennifer

Kerry said...

Hi Lisa,
Thank you so much for stopping by. Your daughter is absolutely beautiful. And congratulations on your baby boy. He is so tiny and adorable. You must be beside yourself with excitment.
I will have to pick your brain about the Taiwan program and your experiences. I will be following your journey- for sure!
Hugs. Can't wait for you to post an update. And a conclusion to your name decision so hard to say- he looks like a. . . from a picture!