About names Saw on Seth Godin's blog that "[a]ccording to the latest government data, [Justin and Ashley] are the two most common names given to children of Hispanic parents in NY last year. For Asian parents the story is different: name number one is Emily."
Oh yes, a rose by any other name may smell just as sweet .. but if you call somebody and say you'll send them a bouquet of zmellykats, they may not even give them a chance.
Anyway. We were talking about names yesterday again. How important is it really that the name is pronounced the same way in Finnish and Swedish, the two languages in our household? Like, say, Klara. Does it matter if people in Finland say it with a short "a", and the Swedes with a long one?
Well, I do think it matters. I think Klara and Klaara are two different people. Or...?
Mowgli Most of the times I am Baloo and Jessica is Bagheera. Sometimes, I get to be King Louie, but not very often. Only if he's funny and goofy, and Baloo is nowhere to be seen. Hannes is always, always Mowgli.
Unless I am Moominpappa in which case Hannes is Snufkin. The guy that plays the harmonica and wanders around with a backpack.
It gets tricky when Moominpappa and Snufkin bump into Baloo in the jungle.
Why don't you wait until the baby is born and then choose the name? Of course you will have to have a name for the hospital register, but wouldn't it be fair to your baby to be around with him/her a little before you decide what you should call him/her?
Actually, as far as I know, we don't even have to have a name for the hospital. And with Hannes, we had booked airline tickets before he was born - heh - so in his first ticket it just says "Baby Arhammar."
Traditionally, in Finland, the name is kept under wraps until the baptizing of the baby. Now, that somehow seems ridiculous, too, expecially since the baby is referred to "baby," "their baby," or "Shmo" (or any other nickname you can think of) until That Day.
Now, I am one of those people who was called something else until that Day. All my family - with the exception of my mom and dad - thought I was Kalle. Until the priest said, "forget Kalle, this guy is something else ... Risto." Or something like that. I was too busy screaming that I didn't hear him.
My parents made a last minute change, and so will we, should the baby not be anything like the name we choose. But if the name fits...
I also think that the baby will make the name whatever she chooses to. The "meaning" of the name will simply change.
The List We talked a little about the original list this weekend. There are names on that list that we couldn't even imagine giving to our baby now. Like - and here's the disclaimer: what follows is just a personal view and by no means meant as an insult to the readers who may have a name that will be disclosed shortly - Oliver.
Somehow, we aren't an Oliver family. We're more of a Hannes thing, you know. A nice, jokey, running around kind of a family.
Oh, that's about all we talked about. We haven't really reached that point yet. Nor have "we" reached the point where complete strangers want to touch Jessica's belly.
It'll all be different this time, though. Different country, different baby, different situation.
Here we go again Oh yes, yes we do. Hannes, the original Name that baby baby will turn three in November, and while I was reading some of the earlier entries here, I can't believe how fast three years can just swish by. Unreal.
Anyway, in March, Hannes will go from being The One to being Big Brother.
