The Name Game

Dear Minnow,
            Naming a baby is a big decision. It's funny how the baby names I have had in my head have evolved over time. When I was in first grade we had to pick a pilgrim that had lived at Plymouth Rock to study and dress up as. I chose Oceanus, the first baby born on the Mayflower, I chose him simply because I liked the name. Then for years I thought I'd name my first daughter Oceaniana, then it became Oceanianaly (pronounced oci-anna-lee), then I decided I liked Gracie Anna, then Grace-Anne, then I realized how absurd all of those names were and stopped thinking about baby names all together. That is, until one high school sleepover when your Auntie Kailyn and your Auntie Gina decided that I was going to have 26 kids and started a list where people could pay to name my children (just an fyi, if you were number 26 your name would have to be Hoobastank, you'd have your Auntie Kai to thank for that.) Around that time my cousin on my father's side started having kids, and wouldn't you know they came up with the most vanilla names imaginable, James, Benjamin and Rachel...blah. So Gina and I started making a list of any names, weird, cool, pretty, that we heard in hopes that when we all had kids of our own we could look at the list and come up with something a little less white bread. The names I liked off the list were Weatherly, Torrent, Bowen, and Regan. In college I read the play Under Milkwood by Dylan Thomas, I instantly fell in love with the name Gossamer after one of the characters. Your daddy does not like that name. I still love it. Then one night your dad and I were watching Bones, and I said I liked the name Temperance. He said he liked it too then said what about the characters last name, Brennan. I fell in love with that name. It has nothing to do with the character or the tv show I just like the name, I had always liked it for a boy but had never thought about it for a girl. So we agreed if your a girl your name will be Brennan Esther, Esther after a dear dear friend of mine, family really from Church who died the week before I met your dad. I have always thought that she sent him to me, to take care of me since she couldn't anymore. I love her and miss her very much. I hope your girl so that her husband Sunny will still be alive to meet you. Your father and I had decided on the name Easton if your a boy. I love that name! It reminds me of home and the ocean and life back on the island in New England, but your dad changed his mind and now likes Peyton-James more...I don't love that name it reminds me of Peyton Manning the football player, yuck! I have also thought about the name Merson if you are a boy, that is your Great Grandfather's last name, he had five daughters so the Merson name will end with him so I think it might be nice if it lived on in you. Here's hoping we can convince daddy to pick Easton or Merson :-). I love you minnow, sorry to babble on so much!
                               Love,
                            Fish