Go Ask Aunt Rachel
So, I’m due any day now with Baby #2 and I have a girl name that I LOVE…but other people look at me and say, “What?” whenever they hear it. Then they sit there and say it under their breath several times while looking confused. And? Since I’m 9 months pregnant, it totally pisses me off.
The name is Elodie. (El-oh-dee) Seriously, it’s not that different from Emma or Olivia! It’s French! It’s not like I snagged the name of some random elf from The Lord of the Rings or something. It’s a real name, with a real history and real meaning.
So what is up with the weird looks? And am I dooming my daughter to a lifetime of constantly repeating her name to morons who can’t think outside the name box of Jennifer or Emily?
Oh Momma, you poor thing, when I was nine months pregnant, people breathing near me made want to stab them in the eyeballs with forks, mostly because I was always holding a fork so it was handy as a weapon. Otherwise, I would have thought of something that would cause more damage.
Now Your Aunt Becky thinks that Elodie is a lovely name for a wee baby girl, but I’m afraid that your summation is correct: you are dooming yourself to a lifetime of repeating her name to hapless morons. I say this because my name is Becky and people call me Rachel. CONSTANTLY.
Elodie is an exotic for the US and exotic names are full of The Awesome, but they’re also not common enough that people are going to–off the cuff–say, OH RIGHT!
That said, if you love it, you’ll just have to get used to spelling it and then sounding it out and then spelling it for people. Your daughter will have to do the same. People aren’t always very bright.
Funky names are getting more common, so she won’t be alone in spelling out her name and having people butcher it. Maybe you can make up cards to hand people who don’t get it. Just try to be patient with them.
And remember that people with even the most common names get it, too (RACHEL? I mean, really?).
Good luck, Momma.
Something strange has been going on in my head. I’ve been chewing on a little nugget of an idea for awhile now. I’ve been thinking about nominating my child for Make A Wish.
Anyway, one day, I was reading a community blog for my child’s condition and an older child had mentioned she had recently been granted a wish from the make a wish foundation. She was excited to get a wish because she didn’t think her condition would qualify her for anything special. (Her condition won’t kill her, just require yearly medical examinations by a few ‘ologists’, and treatment as they see fit. And I thought to myself, wow, I was just thinking about Make A Wish.
A few days later, I was thinking about approaching my husband with the idea of starting the Make A Wish nomination process, but I chickened out thinking that he’d think I was dumb for thinking we should do Make A Wish cause our child is only 3 (will be 3 VERY soon).
The very next day, we got a Make A Wish packet in the mail (fund raising thing asking us for money) So, I used that as a starting point and mentioned to my husband how I was wanting to tell him about what I had been thinking about and asked what he thought. He said “The Kid is too young and won’t remember the trip anyway, besides, it’s not like the kid will talk and say anything to the people if they come out”
So, I left it at that….but yesterday, we got something from the grocery store that we normally buy, and it was labeled with Make A Wish advertisement.
Is this a sign that I should just donate to Make A Wish, or nominate my child?
My child was born with a few problems. It seems that more problems are on the horizon. Nothing that will kill the kiddo, but will definitely make life quite difficult for awhile. It’s also pretty much a lifelong problem(s).
You know what? I’d say if it’s something that you think you want to do for your kid, I’d say that you should. The worst that the Make A Wish Foundation will do is turn you down, and in that case, well, you’re out nothing.
So I’d say onward, Prankster, ONWARD. And let us know what happens.
Dear Aunt Becky,
I’ve been blogging for about a year and a half, and most of the time I really love it. But right now? I am completely. burnt. out. I spend way too many hours (hours I should be using to tame the laundry pile, clear the toxic waste out of the fridge and tear my hub away from his internet porn) brainstorming, blogging, commenting, and otherwise pimping my virtual self out, trying to attract more eyeballs (because, let’s face it, I am nothing without comments), and feel like I’m getting nowhere fast.
Have you, in all your awesomeness, ever found yourself at this crossroads? How do I get past it? I am not a quitter, and do not want to become one now, but the thought of writing another post right now makes me want to light a match and burn my blog back into binary code.
Help me.
Sincerely,
Considering Committing an Act of Bloggy Arson
Are you kidding, Prankster? Of course you are teasing Your Aunt Becky, because anyone who has been blogging for more than six months has experienced blogging burnout. If they haven’t, they’re delusional, or they haven’t actually felt The Pressure yet.
This is what I do when I feel The Pressure is to remind myself not to take myself so seriously. It’s hard because I’m supposed to be funny, and when I’m not feeling particularly FUNNY it makes for a post like dressing up a turd in a tutu. Not everything in my life is for public consumption.
Then I take a step back and remind myself not to take it all so seriously. If I miss a couple weeks of keeping up with everyone, well, I’m only one person. I cannot possibly do it all and make myself happy at the same time. Anyone who drops me because I need some time to myself isn’t exactly a friend, are they?
So don’t be so hard on yourself, Prankster, and remember it’s okay to need your space. Take the time you need and come back to your blog if you want. Anyone who loves you for you and not for the comments you leave on THEIR blog will keep you in their reader and welcome you back with open arms. Like Your Aunt Becky.
———————
As always, Pranksters, please feel free to fill in where I left off in the comments.
To the pregnant lady ~
Don’t EVER tell people the name you have chosen for your child if you don’t want to hear negative commentary about it. If someone asks, “What are you naming her,” you smile & say in a noncommittal voice, “Oh, we’re tossing a few names around still.” Before a child is born, ANY name you are planning to use for your child is still up for debate in other people’s minds. Everyone has an opinion & they will feel free to say exactly what they think, even if it’s a “boring” name like Emily (which, as the mother of an Emily, I don’t find her name boring nor do I think of myself as a moron who can’t think outside the name box. I just prefer people to know what gender my kids are & how to say their names when they see ’em on paper, that’s all. I also use traditional spellings for all 7 of my kids, but again, it’s not because I’m a moron ~ grin).
If you wait to share the name once it is attached to a baby they can see, people may still think it’s a weird name, but they are not going to say it. They’ll smile when they hear “Elodie” and say, “What a pretty name!” or “I’ve never heard that name before!” or whatever. And the people you see on a regular basis will get used to her name & it won’t take long before her unique name doesn’t seem different at all and they won’t be able to imagine her named anything else.
By keeping the name to yourself, you save yourself a lot of headaches & frustration. Never ask what other people think of a name you absolutely love. It shouldn’t matter ~ if you love it, then use it proudly. 🙂
I LOVE the name Elodie. I think it’s beautiful.
I just have to weigh in on the baby name. My daughter’s name came from a character in a book I read that most people aren’t familiar with. Her name is different and unique however, it is phonetically close enough to Marilyn or Carolyn that it doesn’t seem too unusual (and using that analogy works wonders). I think that the mom-to-be should just say “Her name is Elodie! Like “Melody”, but it’s French. We really wanted a beautiful name full of character and culture.” (I bet it’s true, too!)
I think there must be some link between the name Rachael and Rebecca. My name is Rachael and I always get called Rebecca. Some people’s mistakes I can excuse because my sister’s name is Rebecca, however even people who do not know anything about me (let alone my sister’s name) still call me Rebecca!
I LOVE the name Elodie….but yes, you’ll be forever explaining yourself. I have a friend who gave her daughter that name (sort of) & spelled it EllaDee. Name your child what YOU want to name her!
My friend’s daughter is named Elodie, and no one I ever met had any problems understanding it. Everyone thought it was adorable and unique. and yes, worst case scenario, she can explain,”it;s like melody, but without the ‘m’ and with and ‘ie’ instead of a ‘y’.” plus as soon as the kid starts talking, she can start explaining it herself! 🙂
I think Kate said everything I wanted to say!
Elodie is beautiful! The great part of being 9 months pregnant (I imagine) is being able to tell everyone to stuff it so far up their ass they taste it and then later, blame it on hormones.
I catch crap all the time for being named Cynthia and it’s not uncommon at all. Spelling the short version Cyndi is more logical than Cindy when you look at it being short for Cynthia.
No matter what, people are going to say stuff because it’s obvious and Elodie is not even on the richter scale of strange names. <3
I had to comment on the baby name question. My name, Yvonne, pronounced ‘E-von’, not ‘why-von’ ;-), always misprounced, misspelled and misread. Not so unusual now – but I was a child in the 60’s and a teen in the 70’s – not an Yvonne in the crowd or in school. I was the only one. People knew who I was and didn’t forget me.
My Mom heard that name in France when she was 14, and decided she would name her daughter that when she had one. She stuck to it. She loved it and so do I.
Now my daughter is having her second girl, due next month, and picking a girls name has been impossible. When I saw Elodie, I thought, ‘beautiful’ – my daughter had picked Elani as a choice, along with Emma, Hannah and Ella. I’m going to tell her about your choice.
You name your baby what you want – everyone will get used to it and she’ll love having a unique name.
While I was writing this, my daughter called and told me she had decided to name the baby after me – but with a variation – Evoni. !!!
So, congrats and welcome Elodie and Evoni!
Thank you! I have been calling Yvonne’s YAVON for forever.
Why do I feel like belting out “And he shall be Levon”. Actually my question should be WHY I just belted out “And he shall be Levon”
To the mommy-to-be…Elodie is a beautiful name! Our son is named “Joshua” (you know, like the book in the Bible?) and I have had, on more than one occasion, someone say, “huh…how do you spell that?”. My husband once gave the spelling of “Joschuwa” and the girl writing it down didn’t even bat an eye. My point is, that (just in case you weren’t aware) people are – by and large – stupid fucking idiots. Name her what YOU want and do so proudly and without regret. Because, even if you decide to name her “Ann” someone, somewhere, is ALWAYS going to fuck it up.
Elodie is a gorgeous name! Its sweet and charming, I love it!
I have a 3 nephews, Joshua, Wyatt & Riley. Josh constantly gets his name written down wrong, Wyatt is forever saying “Wyatt, as in Earp” or lord knows how it would get spelled, Riley gets the comment “that’s a girls name”.
I’ve always thought that their names were pretty straight forward.
mine is too. I’ve told people, my name is not Missy, or Misty or Melanie.
My roommates name is Anna – easy, right? Apparently not. She often gets mail addressed to Ana, Anne, even Amy.
People ARE stupid! I truely think that inbreeding is rampant.
Okay, to the new mommy to be… I agree with everyone else!! We gave our baby girl an incredibly unusual name and people still have issues with it. But hey, the rest also have unusual names and I have people call my son by his last name (using it as his first) ALL the time. To be really honest, one of the best things about unusual names is the inability of ignorant people to come up with stupid nicknames to go with your kid.
To the burnt out blogger- you are preaching to the choir, lol!! I get excited if I have 6 comments and I’ve been blogging for almost a year. I may have already past the year mark, but I haven’t checked it recently. Ooops! 🙂
I like the Beckster also have a common name, not saying people dont fuck it up anyway. I answer to Melanie, Marissa, MaryBeth<(WTF) etc. Just dont get all uppity if people fuck up your kids name, because in the end, she will probably be called Ellie (or something) by her friends.
As for Make a Wish…. That is one of my orgs of the month. (last month was March of Dimes). While typing out may be harsh, and it sounded harsh coming from your husband in type, I happen to agree. I think the child should be old enough to HAVE a wish other than "I really miss my binky damn it". Because really, the people that are giving, are giving to give a kid a wish, not the Mommy who is feeling overwhelmed. (not that I dont feel for you).
I wanted to comment on the name issue. I think it is a very pretty name and you should name her what YOU want, not something to make other people happy.
My son has a normal name, but not a common spelling. It is the normal spelling in other parts of the world, but not the US. Most people here would spell my son’s name Luke, and have even tried to convince him that HE was spelling it wrong. We named him Luc, and we have to spell it out EVERY time his name is written anywhere. It is kind of annoying, but we understood that it was different when we decided that was the name we wanted.
I think you should go with Elodie. She will be beautiful and unique with a beautiful and unique name.
Name your child what you want to name her. The people that have a problem with it now will get over it.
I have 2 daughters, named Delaney and Lillian, and I still have to repeat their names to 1 in 10 people. After a while, it starts to become a game, where I say a different name every time I’m asked to repeat.
Btw, when my wife was pregnant, nobody liked the names we had picked out. Now everyone loves the names.
I love Elodie. It sounds so pretty. Don’t listen to other people. They’re just jealous they didn’t come up with it first. My daughter’s name is unique too. No one wanted me to name her what I did (I have to keep her anonymous, if you’re that curious or care, email me!!) But I couldn’t imagine her name being anything else. It fits her.
At one point I had a ‘lovely’ girl’s name picked out for my oldest (who turned out to be a boy). Upon hearing it my BFF declared “It sounds like a veneral disease!” I cried for 2 days. Pregnant people are delicate effers. Keep your opinions to yourself.
Speaking of baby names, I am named Eileen, which is basically in the same boat as Elodie. And yes, both are gorgeous names. The bottom line is, you should name your child whatever you wish, without worrying about other people. If it turns out that your daughter has a problem with it, although I don’t think anyone would mind being named “Elodie,” she can change it when she is older.
From experience, it is kind of hard having a name that is unusual. I’m only 18 years old, and I know that for the first 12 or so years of my life, being named Eileen was just a hassle. But as I have been figuring out what I want in life, I have grow to love my name, and being the only one under 70 with that name!
Stay strong–it’s your decision, not anyone elses.
I know tons of people named Eileen. Maybe it’s because I’m Irish Catholic. I think it’s a lovely name. And most if not all of them are under 70. Maybe it’s just not a popular name in your area?
I forgot to add that my oldest sister is saddled with the name Evelyn, after my mom. Now THAT’S an old lady’s name.
Mama- you go right ahead and name her Elodie, it really is a beautiful name, not that my opinion matters in the slightest. But from the perspective of a super-common namer, people even fuck up MY name. Yep, received a piece of mail today spelled Jennipher. Really? The most common name in the history of naming children (except for maybe John and Mary) and you can’t spell it? Happens all the time. And by the way, I hate having such a dirt common name. In my giant graduating class of a whopping 94 students, there were FIVE Jennifers. Seriously. I think names should be unique to highlight each individual’s individuality. Personally, I always felt like my mother never gave naming me more than 10 seconds of thought and that’s why I ended up with Jennifer. Bleh. I named my own daughter Keira Jolie. An Irish-y French combination and people give me all kinds of looks, call her Shakira, and my spanish-speaking in-laws refuse to even try to pronounce it, and call her KiKi. Ugh.
For the record… I also think Make-a-Wish should be for kids old enough to have one.
As a person who speaks both French and English, I think Elodie is a great name. It’s one of the few French names that everyone can pronounce properly. And if your really want to mess with folks, you can use the accented spelling “Élodie”.
Messing with folks comes later, when they call you something other than your name.
For example: Glenn asks Melissa (MaryBeth) to do something for him. She responds: Sure Bob!
Did you just call me Bob? Yes.
Why?
Well you called me MaryBeth!
Glenn walks away still puzzled and then later IM’s you saying OHHH! I get it! And you aren’t funny at ALL!
Elodie is a precious name! I lurve it. Of course, I lived in France and worship at the altar of all things French. I say screw the naysayers and name your child what you want.
I think Elodie is a beautiful name! As some of the others said, it might take time for people to get use to it, but eventually they’ll come around. If you love it, use it! I wanted to name my son “Sterling”, weird I know, but I just loved it. Not sure why we didn’t now, I think hubby didn’t care for it. Go for it!
Make a Wish is a wonderful organization and if it’s important to you then look into it. I don’t know how long the process is, but if you start now, maybe The Kiddo will be old enough to understand what’s going on, as your husband said. Who knows? It’s worth a shot!
I’ve come to the blogging crossroads before and I always remind myself that it’s for ME. If I don’t have time to write or comment, I don’t stress over it. I use to, but I realize my blog is just for me and nobody else. Personally, blogging should never feel like a chore, it should be something you enjoy. Good luck!
*HUGS* to all!
I LOVE Elodie. I might steal it if I ever have another baby girl. My name is Clair. Without an “e” on the end. Always misspelled. My daughter is Ciara (pronounced like Tiara) everyone pronounces is like Sierra.
Name her a name that you love and forget about everyone else. My dad always says it doesn’t seem like the name fits until they have owned it for a couple of days.
Dear #1…prepapre your child early for the lifelong misspellings and for people calling her Melodie, but name her whatever you want.
Dear #2…I’m with Aunt Rachel, go for it. What’s the worst thing that can happen?
And #3…I have been in bloggy block for weeks now. The earth is still spinning on its axis. Kind of an ego stab, but noone seems to care.
I took a six (okay, maybe 8) month hiatus on blogging. I just couldn’t think of what to write. Turns out, it was fine. I’m back, well, I’ve written one post, and I and posting comments again. I forgot how much I missed this and decided to keep it up but at a smaller volume. 🙂
That 1st smiley face should be an 8… I’m a little confused as to why it became a smiley with glasses. oooppps
I have a new niece named Gwendolyn Larke. You’re right Aunt Becky. Names are getting pretty F’d up!
Wither thou goest Gwendolyn Larke? To singeth the poetry frome the toppes of thine tree? Love it! That is a cool name, but I bet she’ll be a doctor or a dentist and not a poet.
My name is Jennifer, one of the most common names for my generation, and people screw it up. All the time. I get Jenifer, Jenafer, Jane, god it’s annoying. It would be LESS annoying if I at least had an interesting name! Like Elodie, which is lovely.
For firsties, I love the name Elodie. I’ve never heard it before, which makes me happy since I am a Sara-no-H, and there are about 8,456,287 of us who are all 27 years old. Also, my daughter’s name is Zephina. Which is a name we thought we made up, but then discovered it was a popular name in the 1800s.
At 9 months preggers, it is well within your right to tell people to kiss your ass if they don’t like the name you want. Also, I think that you could get out of any criminal charges because being pregnant and being postpartum totally work as an insanity defense…
For the Make a Wish girlie, I say do both. Make a donation if you are able, AND nominate your child. And I agree with the person above me, I don’t know how long the process is, so maybe it’ll take long enough for your child to understand a little more. Even if it doesn’t, photo documenting is awesome, and my kids LOVE looking at pictures of stuff they did that they don’t really remember.
And as far as blogging goes, I’m in so much of a slump I’ve thought about never blogging again. This too shall pass.
Coming from someone with an extremely unusual name (Angelique … NOT ANGELA, assholes!), I can tell you that I hated it as a kid. I got mad if people called me by it and insisted on Angie or Ang. But you know what … then I grew up. I learned to appreciate it for the fact that it was beautiful and it made me unique. My husband (who has known me since grade school) always called me Angie right up until the time we started dating and then it mysteriously changed to Angelique. I think it’s a romantic thing for him, I don’t know. I smile a little every time he introduces me to someone with such formality. As it turns out, when it came time to name our daughter, I wanted something equally poetic and unusual. Her name is Piper and it never fails to get a double take or a request for spelling or a “What was that?” every time I say it. I knew that would be her name 10 years before she got here, and I have never once regretted it. I hope she never will either. I think Elodie is beautiful and you should name your daughter with pride!
Angelique is my daughters name and we insisted from the time she was born, no Angie, Angel or other variations. The only nick-name she has is Leaky (her middle name is Elaine and ran together the middle sounds like Leaky). Only close family call here that though.
1. Elodie is awesome! You won’t find it on the popular list. Just do it!
2. Donate to Make a Wish Foundation and wait a year or two to nominate your little one.
3. Blogging burnout over here! I’m going to start cutting down my blog posts because it is consuming too much of my reality. Going to try to just do 3 a week. We’ll see how it goes. So that would be my advice. Just cut back a little.
Hmm… as a kid, I hated my unusual name and all the teasing that went with it.
Now, as an adult, I really do like my unusual name.
It guess it all evens out….
I was born to answer the question of the unique name. My name is Hilary, which nowadays isn’t so uncommon, but look at the spelling and think about how long you have known the name! My mom gave me an English name 36 years ago, before the Clintons, before Hilary Duff. I can tell you that you yes, you will have to spell it out over and over again. That yes, people will decide her name is Melody. That yes, people will make you actually write it down because they just won’t get it. That your daughter will probably, at some point during childhood, request to change her name and you will tell her no. That it will irritate you and her and all the morons who can’t figure it out. But she will come to love that her name is special one day. That her name is the name of the woman sitting next to her at work. She will love that when she is in public and someone says her name they are talking to her and no one else. Go for it! It is a lovely name and she will one day (far far in the future) love it.
Speaking as one prankster named Krissa, and knowing that my entire life I have had to repeat it numerous times to anyone who I was introduced to, and still having to hear my name with a “k” stuck in it somewhere because no one can remember it, I say for Gawd’s sake, if you are going to name you child something unique, make it unique and not just spelled incorrectly. People naming their kid Bryan and spelling it Briayn because “it makes it different”, really don’t seem to stop and consider that Bryan is NOT different. And spelling it some wonky way is not unique, just desperate when you can’t use enough imagination to actually HAVE a unique name.
Just keep in mind that her entire life she is going to have to explain to people that while she is American, her name is French and then explain again how to say it.
RACHEL………..Aunt Becky we have so much more in common than I ever thought! When I used to hang out at the bars and such, Rachel was my alias. I’d be Rachel all night long and give out a fake number 760-1474. I have no idea who has that number, but it was the number that I gave out for “Rachel”
Bwahahaha! Something about the Rebecca/Rachel thing, I guess. I like the name Rachel, which is good, because if I didn’t, I’d be FURIOUS that I was frequently called it.
Elodie is lovely…and anyway, who the Hell cares what anyone else thinks? Whatever you name her, she’ll answer to it when she’s young, hate it when she’s a teen, and come to love the beauty of it when she’s older. Kids are like that.
Meanwhile (and apropos of nothing), a couple of years ago I named a character in a story “Elodie” because it’s such a lyrical name.
Also, if it makes you feel any better, I have a beloved friend who named her daughter “Elizine”. Everyone calls her “Ellie”, and the kid is just fine.
Shade and Sweetwater,
K
There is totally some kind of Rebecca/ Rachel link- my name is also Rebecca and I get called Rachel all the time (even by people introduced to me as Becca/ Becky or by teachers who are reading my name off of the bloody roster.)
I get called Rachel so much that she is now my alternate persona when I need an alibi or a pseudonym.
More on topic- love the name Elodie. And more and more people are picking unusual names (I’m a sucker for boys’ names for girls, like Charlie and Jasper) so she won’t be alone in getting the occasional puzzled look when she gives her name.
I have to weigh in on the name, just as everyone else seems to be doing! 😀 My daughter’s name is Yvaine (EE-vain). It’s the name o one of King Arthur’s Knights, his nephew actually, and its modern day spelling is Owen. The most recent usage I have heard for Yvaine is in the book (and movie) Stardust (by Neil Gaiman for those who have not read it). Yvaine is the name of the fallen star! How cool is that? Depending on how I am feeling she is either named after a knight or a fallen star! Names change throughout time, and what is unpopular in one time often becomes the new hot name to have. I think Elodie is amazing and had I stumbled across it there is a good chance it would have been a top contender. As some have said before just be prepared to spell it a lot and pronounce it for people. If YOU like the name then you should have no problem with this. It opens up the opportunity to give a bit of a story. If you get the nasty comments just come back with, “oh, I’m sorry you don’t like it, I love it dearly, what did you name your children again?” And when the boring names pop out just give the good ol’ “oh how nice!”
I often step away from the blog but I still feel guilt. Then again, I feel guilt for vegetables that have to be thrown out because they rotted.
I feel guilt when I Mark All As Read and don’t respond to my comments properly. I feel guilt when I don’t get enough sleep. And I absolutely feel guilt when my vegetables rot.
You and I are clearly twins.
Oh, Rachel. Thank you so much for that last little tidbit of advice which makes me feel like SO much less of an asshole
Bwahahahaha! Rachel. Bwahahahahaha!
Blogging burnout sucks balls. I’ve been working on trying to stay happy and optimistic when really, I’m kinda low. But it’s just not worth talking about, because honestly there’s not like a THIS IS WHY reason.
To the first caller I say, look at my name. That is my real name. You cannot even imagine the things I have been called and the nonsense I have had to endure. And yet? I love it. Plus, it is becoming more common now, although often spelled differently (my spelling is Korean) so I get slightly less of the “whaaaat?”. I think Elodie is beautiful. Really.
I have a stepson named Gerek. The parents made it up and liked it. It looks cool written, sounds cool said, but to every single person you introduce him to you MUST say “like Derek with a G” and I’m not sure this was a great idea, He is a profoundly shy child, with speech issues, and never wants to speak up for himself. I think the fact that he has to explain his name or have it done for him causes him endless grief and social pain. Should he become a confidant self assured adult, I think it will be an awesome manly name. If not, well . . . no.
Blogging burnout sucks. I am just rebounding from one myself. Seems to hit me every 6-8 months. It’s like a wave, you’ve just gotta ride it out.
Exactly, burnout happens all the time. The smarmy people who are all “it NEVER happens to me” are clearly robots.
‘C my name is Caron’ and for most of my life people couldn’t get that right. I am still called Carol, Sharon, Carolyn and Carson. I live on Melanie Street and you would think NO ONE has ever heard of the name Melanie in my lifetime. Not one person can handle it – ask for spelling, guess incorrectly or stutter in stupidity, “Mel a what?”
I liked the name Emily back in the 80s and every. single. person. laughed at me for wanting to use an old lady’s name. I am not kidding. I would say, so Emily is crazy, but being one Jennifer in a sea of a million Jennifers is not crazy? Parents. Is it pregnancy that does this? What about all the times I hear young mothers say they had NO idea it was such a popular name until the baby was born and named!
Anyway, go with Elodie. My name wasn’t even popular when my father chose it. So people ask. It’s not a big deal and it starts a lot of conversations and I am still called “Caron with a C” by some people.
This from the woman who now likes the name Aoifa. It’s Irish and pronounced EE-FA. Spell that for a lifetime, right?
It is a beautiful name! But coming from a woman named Arniece (I go by Arnie) I know the pain of being a boy named Sue! I DREADED the first day of school every stinking year. Having to explain my name and how to spell it, I grew up wishing my name was Jill. But now?? I couldn’t think of a another name that would fit me. Now I say “It’s german hill-billy for Girl with BIG feet” that usually gets a laugh! Happy Baby!
The name issue stirred me up too. Could it be that momma is thinking too much about momma and not enough about child? I grew up having to spell and explain my last name (it’s an unorthodox spelling of a name people think they can spell) and I’ve always wished my last name was something simple like Smith.
I wish parents would think more carefully about the effect on the child of their name. I used to know a man whose father’s first and middle names were Eugene Aloysius. Guaranteed to spell “dork” in school. And yet didn’t that man and his wife pass on both those names to their poor son?
My first reaction to Elodie is “I think she said Melody.” If she doesn’t like explaining it, imagine how many millions more times her poor daughter wll have to explain it. And since when was being French sufficient to recommend something? I say, if you like it so much, take it as your own and give the child something easier.
Just my rant…
Name your kid whatever you want.
I told my dear MIL I was going to name my daughter TEREN, and her response “TEREN,like tearing a piece of paper?”
I knew I had the right name cause it pissed her off.
If you push them from your crotch, it’s your right to name them whatever you want, as long as it’s not talluladoesthehula (msn article reference for actually bad names)
I personally love it, think it’s classy and beautiful. (Elodie)
I loved the last one – it’s true for me right now and it’s just what I needed. I’ve been in a blogging slump – nothing worth talking about right now. But I like what you said in that if they’re actually a friend they won’t ditch you for not posting daily.
Fair-weather friends aren’t friends and really, it takes a LOT of effort to remove someone from your reader. I never remove someone unless they’re OVER posting and annoying me to death.
When I was pregnant I picked a boy and girl name. Both were from sci-fi books – the boys name – Calonderiel – was the name of an elf with moonbeam hair, blue eyes and pointed ears. The girls name – Kamiguen – was a variation from a book about dragons (my favouritest creatures ever!). Everyone told me you can’t name a kid that!! I said I could and would – and did! I was however, prepared for the fact that it might not suit him when we met. Mind you I had no idea what else I would name him as I had no others picked out!
But when my son was born and they laid him in my arms, I looked into his beautiful big blue eyes, caressed his mop of blonde hair and marvelled at his slightly pointy ears (he was born by emergency c-section) and knew that Calonderiel Alric fitted him perfectly. Alric, whilst also being a Scottish name is a combination of my dad and brother, Allen and Richard.
He’s now 12 and we use his short name of Calon. He often gets called Callum, Calan etc but it doesn’t faze him. When people ask where it came from he can tell them about the books by Katherine Kerr – and there have been the odd times when people even know how to say it as they are familiar with the books.
I loved the name as it was unusual, so had a lovely fresh energy about it, had a Celtic sound to it and shortened to something that was easy as well. And once I gazed into the eyes of my little elf, no other name ever suited him.
And as you can see i took the name Kamiguen as my other persona.
Elodie is such a beautiful melodic name, full of the sound of joy and happiness. So when you meet you daughter and look into her eyes, when you see reflected back at you the mysteries in their depths, and the laughter and joy that dances in them, you will feel the blessing of her love at the name you have chosen.
It doesn’t matter what you name your child…someone will find a way to mispronounce it (purposely or not).
My name is Cara (Care-uh). I get Karen, Carol, Carrie, hell someone even called me Carl once.
Name your child as YOU wish…after all it is your loins from where she springs…do not tell people the name before hand…you never ever never need their imput on names you have chosen!
We named our 20 year old son Kooper and yes he always has to tell people with a K not a C…but when he was in school..or anywhere else for that matter, all I have to do is walk in and say I am Kooper’s mom and that is all it takes…last name is never needed!
Unique names that make sense…not like “vagina” or something like that…are beautiful..and the one you have chosen absolutely is beautiful!!! Congratulations on your new daughter!
Elodie has been my favorite name for years! I love it.
I know I’m late to the game, but I had to comment. The whole reason I named my blog “Fawn. Like a deer.” is because that is the phrase I have uttered more in my life than almost any other – it’s how I explain to people how to spell my name.
That said, I gave my oldest daughter an unusual name (Farren Abriana) and she has the same problem….well other than she can’t liken it to an animal. She usually says it’s like Karen with an “F.” BUT she loves that her name is cool and unusual.
I say go with Elodie. I picture an adorable baby girl. 🙂
Dear Elodie’s Mama,
You have picked a lovely name for your little girl. It’s soft and melodic and all kinds of beautiful. To me it says sunset down the boulevard as street cafes are opening for evening, and a whisper of a woman’s silk dress. It’s a name that she can be proud of and and value for its originality here in the US.
To everyone who questions you? Fuck em. They considered naming their kids McDouble or Twinkie. 😉
Elodie is a beautiful name–you just need a saying for the dumb people. For example, since my last name is an animal, I say XXXXX like the animal. Elodie could be Melody with i e instead of m y. People are going to be dumb no matter what you name your daughter.
[…] Go Ask Aunt Rachel | Mommy Wants VodkaSo, I'm due any day now with Baby #2 and I have a girl name that I LOVE…but other people look at me and say, What? whenever they hear it. […]