Spirit of Pregnancy Assignment 8

What does naming mean to you? Reflect on your own name.

I don't name many things. Some of my friends name everything that has character, I only name things that have breath. Bryce and I both enjoy our names, they are unique enough that not everyone has them, but they are not out of the ordinary. One thing I like about both of our names is that they were first names of natural wonders, Bryce Canyon and the Shannon River. It would be nice to continue this pattern, but I am not sure we will. I like thinking of names because it almost like an art project. Names can be tricky because they can sometimes cause negative effects. Because I was never able to successfully nick name myself from my name I like names that have nick names. I also like names that unite siblings, names that reflect our families, names that reflect our interests, names that are of the earth, names that relate to a middle name. Bryce and I already have favorites for our child. For years we have been set on Lincoln (Link) for a boy, and this year we have leaned torward Willamina (Willa) after my dad, for a girl, although we do like some other names. I am still glad we still like Link because we had Liz and Lewis rename there dog when they took our idea and applied it to the little pup. I want to have a name ready that is non gendered in case we have a child with both genders. I know it seems ridiculous, but I have a strong place in my heart for mixed gendered people and their struggle. If it happened to us, which it does to one in every 22,000, I want to be prepared. Another thing that I have thought about is naming the child in a Native American fashion, either adding or naming the child when they are ready, something that describes them. It is somewhat silly to name something before it tells you its name, but that is also sometimes hard for many people to understand.