Baby Names

Thanks to everyone who has participated in the baby naming poll.  You can still vote if you want to, but I thought for fun that maybe I should share some of my thoughts on names.

I think my first choice right now is Sebastian Scott Nicholson.  I have been researching possible nick names (since Sebastian is so long) and I have found Seb, Sebby, Ian, and Bastian.  I actually kind of like Ian. He will have an "S" name like everyone else, but will also be a bit unique and won't get lost in the "Sssss" when I am trying to call for one of my children. Opinions on nicknames?  Maybe I will start another poll, or just go with whatever feels right after he is born.

I thought at one point that my second choice would be Seth.  Obviously it is winning the poll, it the favorite of two of my children and my mother-in-law.  I guess there is nothing wrong with it, but it just has never felt right in my mind. So unless my heart changes when I see the child in my arms, sorry "Seth" fans, my vote is what counts the most. :)

So maybe my second choice is Skyler.  The thing I guess I am not sure about with Skyler is a middle name. I have always thought it would be nice to pass Scott's name on as a middle name for one of our children. I guess there is nothing that says we have to, I just have been sad that we had never done that. But Skyler Scott is just too much "sc" for me, if you know what I mean.

I was suprised in my poll that Silas has been neck-in-neck with Sebastian.  It is not a name I had ever considered, just one that a moho friend mentioned as a possibility. I might actually kind of like it, but I worry that the beginning of "Silas" sounds too much like "Simon" and would make things even more confusing around our house.  We already have a serious problem with "Simon" and "Sam" or "Samuel" because even though the vowel is different, it is still "S_m" and so they always think I am calling to the other child. In fact, it often comes out "Salmon" when I start saying the wrong name and end up combining them together. :)

It has been strange this time to feel as though I am making this decision on my own, since Scott won't give any opinions (other than a few strong "no's" to some suggestions we have received). One night when I was frustrated with someone in the family when she said, "Sebastian? Don't name him Sebastian!", at least Scott told me later that he had no problem with it and I could go with that one if I wanted to.

Sebastian means "venerable" or "honorable", and I have the feeling that these meanings will have to fit a child that is thrown into the chaos of our family right now. I really loved the movie "Never Ending Story" as a child, and the name of  one of the main characters is Sebastian. Scott and I have actually discussed the name before as a possibility for the other 3 boys, but it has always seemed too long or just not the right fit at the time. My favorite Sebastian from a more recent movie, though, is an adorable little boy in "Nanny McFee".  Awesome movie, and that particular child really touched my heart from the first time I saw it.

I have students that are afraid he would be called a crab, being named for a character in the well-known movie "A Little Mermaid." But even that character is honorable and cute.

I don't know what is best. I just hope and pray that I will be able to choose something that fits him, that he will like and accept as his identity as he grows older. Meanwhile, it's not like there is any birth certificate yet, so all of these thoughts could change.