Naming the Baby, part 3

Paloma's suggestions in the last couple of weeks were entertaining, including baby Porcupine. We explained to her that this wouldn't be a nice thing to call a person because it meant prickly. She seemed to understand.

The next day, she said, "How about calling the baby Buenas Dias? Would that be a good name?"

She would tell people, "Daddy likes Eloise, but Mommy likes Esperanza. "

(Which is true, but Mommy had lots of names she liked, what she liked was hearing how cute it was when Paloma pronounced Esperanza.)

But, she continued, "I like Barney Baby."

At one point she defended the "Barney Baby" name, saying, "Barney is a good dinosaur!" with an intense and serious sincerity.

The name debate/ discussion went down to the wire. We were still discussing it on the baby's birthday, during labor, and we decided her middle name after she was born, still in the LDR.

David says it wasn't his first choice, so I feel a little bad about that. I would have gotten used to Eloise. But I was having trouble getting past the book & movie character whose favorite expressions are offensive, who will supposedly have a show on the Disney channel later this year.

In addition to the family namesake (Abuela's older sister who died very young), David liked that inside Evangeline or Evangelina are parts of my middle name (Angilyn) and his mom's middle name (Angelica). We were discussing whether to go with Evangeline, as in the Longfellow poem I think I have Grandmommie reciting on video from the year she died, or Evangelina, and we finally decided to go with the "a" because it has a song. We knew we'd probably call the baby Eva since 10 letters and 5 syllables is a lot for a baby or small child to learn to say or spell. I would have been fine with Eve or Evie, too, but David doesn't want to bring in the serpent or apple connotation of original sin. Interesting coming from a person who is named David, as if he were perfect in the Bible.

The middle name Elise was a two-fer, getting us the Beethoven musical connection (Carmen's first recital piece that she taught herself by ear) as well as the initials EE, as in ee cummings, whose words we used in our wedding vows.

The first day we were home, Paloma told Hidy & Gigi, "Her big long name is 'Bangelina Elise, but we call her Eva!"