congrats to the winners!

Good work Jill and Kendra!

OT - just learned of a friend of a friend's name:

Antoniett@ Clutterbuck (@ = a).

What a terrible mouthful.

Congrats, Jill and Kendra! Great work!

Okay, I'm going to drive you all crazy. DH and I decided to add 3 more names to the list of names we're considering in the mn spot for Mabel. So I'm wondering if you can look at all 6 of the names we're considering, and tell me what you think. I'm having an impossible time choosing a favorite b/c I love all the names we added, plus one or two of our original 3.

Mabel Caroline
Mabel Eloise
Mabel Emeline/Emmeline (emma-line, which spelling is correct?)
Mabel Josephine
Mabel Susannah (sound too country bumpkin or homespun?)
Mabel Violet

Thanks for all your feedback. You are helping me tremendously!

empathy-My original choices stand: Mabel Josephine or Mabel Violet. Both fn and mn fit the same style to me. Mabel Caroline doesn't do that, nor does Mabel Eloise for me. Mabel Emmeline (prefer 2m's) is a bit of a mouthful and too much "el/em" for me. Mabel Susannah is okay but just not my favorite.

I love, love, love Eloise, but am not loving the double "L" sound in the Mabel Eloise combo.

I might not have gone the country bumpkin route with Mabel Susannah had you not mentioned it, but now that you did....

I am with Zoerhenne---Mabel Violet or Mabel Josephine.

Congratulations Kendra & Jill !

Thank you everyone for helping me in the previous thread ! I really appreciate it

Calum/Callum.Both are legit spellings. I think it's pretty much a preference thing

@Empathy
My top 3 are:
Mabel Eloise ( the sounds are contrasting in my accent) I do honestly think it's perfection. Even though Eloise is the same style, I don't find it an over-powering combo.

Mabel Violet
Violet adds a lot of spunk & sweetness to Mabel. Violet is becoming more popular as a middle in the US, which could be a deterrent to some ( I've got Arden Violet on my list - so it's really a matter of preference)

Mabel Caroline
I prefer the softness & contrasting soundof the -caro before the line, as opposed to Emmeline

Josephine sounds lovely with it, but it's a bit predictable for me... ( I know, I'm ridiculous).Susannah doesn't work as well as the others, though I'm a bit biased as it's not really my type of thing. If it was Mabel Emme-LEEN ,then I'd be all over it. The extra syllable of Caro as opposed to Emme just breaks the two names, where EmmeLINE sounds a bit too close with the one 'l' for me.It's a weird accent thing for me sorry !

Larksong, in reference to your accent, do you mind if I ask if you're from the U.S.?

larksong,
what makes you think violet is rising as a middle name in the states?

empathy,
i *think* the standard is emeline with one /m/.

my favorites are mabel eloise (the two /el/ sounds are quite different to me and don't bother me), mabel violet, and mabel josephine (in no particular order).
i didn't get a rural vibe from mabel susannah until you said it. even so, it isn't *bad.* it's not like you're naming her betty-lou or something. so i don't see any reason to avoid this one if it's the one you love.
and caroline and emeline are probably my least favorite choices, but i still like them: really all of your choices are lovely.

@Empathy

I'm from South Africa. I tend to pronounce things like Brits do, as opposed to the US.I tend to have longer, harsher vowel sounds.

My accent is a hybrid between the two of these. I'm more like the first one, then the latter
http://accent.gmu.edu/searchsaa.php?function=detail&speakerid=496
and
http://accent.gmu.edu/searchsaa.php?function=detail&speakerid=903

Hope that helps :)

Yay for the smart NE's around here!

And congrats to all the new parents finding out more about their babies:).

Guest author-
What fun naming your characters!
My first thought for the boy is
Cooper.
Of the others suggested he sounds like any of these to me:
Hunter
Theodore (Theo)
Graham
Everett (Rett)
Raphael (Rafe)
Sebastian
Carter
Wesley
Clinton
Roderick
Frederick
Myles
Brooks
Henry
Sawyer

For the girl's middle name with Emily Kelly:
Scarlett
Giselle
Beatrix
Antoinette
Genevieve
Genevra
Autumn
Laurel
Arden

Definitely let us know what you decide!

Oh and welcome back J and H's mom, always good to see familiar names returning!

copied and pasted from previous thread -

@Guest, re: character names - for the girl I like:
Elizabeth
Cassandra
Alexandra
Roxanne
Vanessa

I really feel that the mn should start with "M" for some reason, but I can't think of that perfect match! Also thinking that a surname would world well there - say it's the mother's maiden name.

for the boy, I think A Rose and EVie are spot on with:
Carter
Montgomery
Clinton
Worth(ington)
Myles
Brooks
Lawrence (Lance)
Clayton (Clay)
Everett (Rett)
Lincoln (Link)
Pierce or Piers
Corwin

I particularly like Worthington, Clayton, Lincoln, and Corwin off this list - Link is such a great nn!

Sidenote: If Emily is called Scarlett, and the love interest is Everett, but goes by Rett... that could be a "Gone With The Wind" reference, almost. Rett/Rhett, same difference, right?

And Empathy-
I still love Mabel Violet, but I think Mabel Caroline is really nice too. It seems we all have different tastes when it comes to what we like with Mabel! I like the contrasting sounds more I think so the v and the hard c. Mabel Susannah doesn't seem overly country to me, but I don't love the flow. Really though any of them would be lovely!

@emilyrae

I've seen it mentioned on a lot of the top name blogs, as well as seeing some of the name analysts mentioning this.I actually think I read a blog post about this.There are some sites I visit every now & again, which list the names of newborns from different countries & Violet has been appearing quite often as a middle in the US

This is one of the sites
http://names4real.wordpress.com/

Hope that helps

How rude of me not to congratulate the winners in my previous post-please do accept my apologies jill and kendra!

Larksong-How about Mabel Juliet? It's got spunk and repeated l's also. Or Mabel Simone to repeat the m?

For the Asher pairing, also thought of Montgomery. Asher Montgomery sounds very dashing.

Guest author- Oh I must second Rachel Dana's Cassandra suggestion, I feel like Cassandra/Cassie hits a lot of the different sides your character might have!

Zoerhenne, Gee thanks! Now I also like Mabel Juliet. :D Ha! It's one I said in my mind many a time and liked the sound of it, but I wasn't sure if Juliet matched Mabel in style. And then when I saw the name written out in your post, it looked nice.

@zoerhenne

It sounds great & I agree that it is dashing. It's a bit too 'upper-class' British for me. I'm not classy enough for that combo lol
I do really appreciate all of the help, though. You definitely have a knack for combining names with complementary sounds

EDIT
Zoerhenne, I remember you mentioned Brennan from the last post. I actually have Rory Brennan on my list ;)

Empathy:
I like them all, but I'll put in my vote for Mabel Caroline. I think that combination gives you the most style contrast. Caroline to me is serious and timeless, while Mabel is sweet and whimsical. So I love them together.

I had a great aunt Mabel who died before I was born. She made a very intricate lace crocheted tablecloth that must have taken YEARS. It is gorgeous and that is my association with Mabel. Perfect example of the great-grandma rule. :-)

Congrats to the winners!

I was the poster who several weeks ago asked about first names Lila versus Claire. Our beautiful baby was born April 28, and I wanted to let you all know we decided to go with Claire, mn Josephine (family name) (brother is 0wen Grant). Basically we felt that you guys were right - the 'la' sound is everywhere (eg, Isla).

I bring this up on this post because I was pretty surprised how Lila hasn't risen that much from 2008 to 2009 (180 to 168), but Lyla has shot up from 224 to 152. If you consider Lilah, Lylah and also Delilah, there were 6861 girls with these names in 2009, which makes it rank #27! So, in the end I'm really happy with our choice for this reason as well.

Thanks again for your input!

Congrats to Jill and Kendra O.!

Empathy - I think that Emmeline is the traditional spelling. There's an 18th-century novel by this name:

http://www.amazon.com/Emmeline-Charlotte-Smith/dp/1551113597/ref=sr_1_2?...

And that is also the spelling used by the British suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst.

I honestly like all your choices. Maybe Josephine feels a little more old-lady with Mabel than the rest of them, and maybe Susannah is a bit country, but I'm really nit-picking--they all sound great. Are you intentionally picking mostly 3-syllable names? I think that's a good strategy, they all sound good metrically, especially with a 1-syllable LN (that's you, right?)

EVie, yes, we have a 1-syllable last name. DH doesn't like 1-syllable mn's with Mabel, and he says if it's 2 syllables, the emphasis should be on the second syllable. (It's nice to have a DH who thinks about these things!) But since so many of those 2-syllable mn's are French, it tends to turn me off b/c I just don't think a French name and Mabel go together all that well. Thus, our list consists of 3-syllable mn's. We are a picky pair!

What do you all classify as 'whimsical' names.

I've seen the term used to describe very different name styles.Can you maybe list some names that you view as whimsical? Sorry for being a pain.

Empathy - my favorites are Mabel Violet and Mabel Eloise.

Congrats to Jill and Kendra for winning!

Yay ssr for Claire Josephine! So happy for you!

From the last post, thanks for the continued congratulations, I've talked about my favorites here before in passing, but we're still torn between worries of soon-to-be big booming populars like Lucy and Annabelle (+Dh's fave Penelope), and classics that are a few years past their prime but still used plenty like Natalie, Samantha, and Julia. And middle names are totally throwing us for a loop, torn between nice flows with not great last name and honoring family members. :)

Can't wait to see if you come over to the girl side later this month, Chimu!

EVie, empathy,
hmm. maybe they are both traditional spellings. emeline is the only one bnw2 lists and if you check name voyager, emeline was in the top 1000 back in the 1800s, but emmeline is nowhere to be found at all. maybe one tended to be used more in the uk and one more in the us...? but i'm just guessing here.

ssr, congratulations on your new baby girl!

re: whimsical names -- I'd say
Felicity ;)
Paisley
Electra
Poppy, Daisy, Petal (I'd say Jamie Oliver has a "whimsical" naming style!)
Annabelle
Pippa
Hyacinth
Dahlia
Juniper
And, of course, Caprice

Apparently, I consider "whimsical" and flower names to be synonymous. I couldn't come up with any boys' names I'd consider whimsical...

whimsical boys' names:
linus and casper are good examples for me.

congratulations to Jill and Kendra--nice picks!

And congratulations to ssr on the lovely Cl@ire Josephine! Very classic and beautiful, I think.

Empathy, my favorites, in this order, are
Mabel Eloise
Mabel Caroline
Mabel Josephine
Mabel Susannah
Mabel Violet
Mabel Juliet
Mabel Emmeline

I personally think Mabel Eloise strikes the very nicest balance between quirky and classic, has both spunk and class, and flows beautifully--so that's my favorite. I really do prefer Mabel paired with something a little more proper and timeless--I think it emphasizes Mabel's vintage charm rather than its cuteness or possible "hipsterness"--so the first 3 above are all really lovely for me. I love the name Susannah, and I love homespun, but I can see that maybe the pair (Mabel + Susannah) could be a little too far that way, if it's not what you're going for. Violet, as I mentioned before, seems like it makes the whole name too whimsical modern (hipster?) for me. Juliet is sort of ho hum for me at the moment, but if I felt more excited about the name, I'd have put it up top with the first three for general feel (I go back and forth between loving it and feeling unmoved by it, probably because of its similarity to Julia, which I like a lot less than Juliet). Emmeline I just don't love for some reason, so I put it last. Oh, and the only real life Emmeline I knew is a 60+ year old woman who spelled it like so, and pronounced it EM-uh-leen (NOT "line"), but went by Emmie. So there may be pronunciation issues with that choice, as well.

Larksong-That's a great question. I used the word "whimsical" without really thinking about why so I'll give it a shot.

I looked up whimsical and it's defined as "lightly fanciful." In my opinion that phrase is close but doesn't quite capture the meaning. If a name is "lightly fanciful," to me that's a bad thing, like silly or frivilous. "Whimisical" is close but (I think) has a much more positive connotation.

Whimsical names for me are softer, and lighter, but not necessarily feminine because boys' names can be whimsical too. They are not currently very popular, and thus sort of unexpected, but also tied to the past. Thus, Mabel. :-)

Other names I would describe as whimsical: Juliet, Luna, Geneveive, Winifred
Jasper, Sebastian, Hugh

Also, hyz's summary of reasons for preferring Mabel Caroline (and her other top two, Eloise and Josephine) is exactly what I meant but she said it better.

larksong,
i agree with what has been said about whimsical names--they're light and bright and friendly to me, but also a bit unusual (so charlie and sam may be bright and friendly, but they're not whimsical), but also traditional (so kaylee and kylee may be light and friendly, but they're not whimsical). i agree with minnesota kate that by calling them "lighter", i don't mean that they are childish or feminine. i'm sure what everyone feels are whimsical names differs (which is what prompted you to ask the question), but to me some good examples are...

beatrix
luna
pippa
juniper

casper
linus
felix
milo

Congratulations, Jill and Kendra! Nice work!

@ssr, congrats to you and your family. Clair3 Josephine is really lovely.

@Empathy, I still really like Mabel Violet, but after reading it so much, Mabel Eloise has grown on me. I like hyz's comment about the balance between whimsy and seriousness (athough she may have phrased it differently). That said, I don't read Mabel Violet as *too* whimsical.

I don't like the flow of Caroline, Emmeline, Josephine, or Susannah with Mabel. Somehow it feels like they overwhelm a short, sweet name with their "too many" letters. ;)

Slightly related to whimsical names...

I like portmanteaus, and combining names. The celebrity power couples probably jump started this for me. You know, Brad + Angelina = Brangelina etc. I've started a list of names I created this way, particularly for the purpose of combining parents' names, because I wanted to make a masculine name more feminine, or just to come up with something more original.

I don't really want to share the entire list as some of these are actually possible choices for me in eventuality... You may recall me lamenting how Felix gets an "x" but Felicity doesn't - my first solution is, and feel free to laugh, Felixabeth. It's supposed to be Felix + Elizabeth. And I literally just came up with this on the fly, Felixandra = Felix + Alexandra. Which, come to think of it, probably flows better, as the emphasis matches the source names.

Just food for thought =]

Empathy- Mabel is a name that has been on my mind for a few years now. It is my good friends top name. Good choice! I really am drawn towards Mabel Violet. The rest are just too much of a mouth full for me.

Have any of you read the Betsy-Tacy series? I am reading them to my girls and it is so interesting how many of the names in the book are really in right now. I am getting such a kick out of it.

Also....
I have been wondering why the name Caroline is pronounced Carol-LINE but Emmeline is pronounced Emme-LEEN? Any thoughts?

rjoy,
actually, i pronounce emeline/emmeline as emma-line, not leen...i think that's normal, although obviously both pronunciations exist (hyz knows one of the "leen" variety).

@Empathy-LOL! I have changed my mind. Now that I have said Mabel Violet over and over the L and the V seem to bump in to each other. I guess I would pick Mabel Eloise, though I would still be concerned about he el -EL running together.

@emilyrae-Thanks for your input. It's a very pretty name and though the name itself is not around too much it still sounds to close to the other top names.

Ok...I need all of your opinions. I have a serious name crush and it isn't really a name to my knowledge. I am not one for made up names. I am usually drawn to the exotic-traditionalist section. The name is...Maven. (for a girl)
I think I like it because I have really wanted to find a name that starts with an M but doesn't have the roots from Mary because the meaning of 'bitter". It has the trendy V and the trendy N ending. I know, I know....I am the first to eye-roll here but I can't help it. LOL!. I have liked the name Marin but the R just seemed to harsh so when I came across Maven it just clicked. (and I really like the meaning and background of it)

Ok..I need your honest feed back. Is it TOO crazy to name a child this? Thanks!

Loved the Betsy Tacy series!! Obviously I didn't have a lot of books that had my name in them growing up, so that was an awesome series!

Rjoy, I could get on board with Maven. I don't consider it in the same category as made-up names since it is a real word (as opposed to, say, Jazzlyn). And she could always use the nn Maeve/Mave.

Personally, I enjoy November as a girl's name, which led me to wonder whether anyone actually uses it. Of course, 25 little Novembers were born in 2009. (17 Mavens were born in 2009 -- strangely, all boys.) While I was at it, I had to pull the other months, too:

2009 Girls Boys
January 15 0
February 0 0
March 0 0
April 907 0
May 77 0
June 438 14
July 18 12
August 109 639
September 29 0
October 59 0
November 25 0
December 44 0

Why is no one called February or March? Why are boys only named summer months?

rjoy,
i'm with jillc. it's a nice sound, and it's a different sort of name than jazzlyn or brylee. i don't know why...maybe because it *sounds* like it ought to be real? maybe becuase of the name maeve? i wouldn't personally use it, but i definitely see the appeal.

jill c,
thanks for posting those month names! i have a secret thing for month names. i like october for a girl. :] i was pretty shocked to see boys named june and girls named august though. to me those are very...gender specific.

Those month names are very interesting. I'm kind of surprised at the boys named June and July too. I would think that if any month name other than August were to be given to a boy, it would be March.

Interesting factoids about month names: July and August are the only months that are named after people--Julius Caesar (who was born in July) and the emperor Augustus (who was born in September, so why he picked August, I don't know--the change was during his lifetime). These months were originally named Quintilis and Sextilis, in accordance with the other number-names (September, October, November, December). They're all off by 2 because the Roman year began in March. January, March, May and June are named after the gods Janus, Mars, Maia and Juno, respectively (although there is some ambiguity about May and June). February and April are named for the Latin words for "purification" and "to open" (though again, April is ambiguous and may also be named for a god).

The Emperor Domitian tried to changed the names of September and October to Germanicus and Domitianus, in his own honor (September was the month he became emperor, October the month he was born). But clearly that didn't stick.

I guess since July was originally Julius, a male name, it makes a bit more sense that it might be used for boys. But June *really* doesn't make sense, if it is named for a goddess. I wonder if those are just a handful of mistakes that added up? It happens; I came across Amanda surprisingly high on the boys' list for 1985.

Hmmmm... I think "whimsical" might be my naming style. In that Beatrix, Juliet, and Casper are favorites. I am extremely interested to hear others list of whimsical names for boys, in particular.

As an update to our little boy's name... Nicholas is out because of a sad story I heard recently about an acquaintance named Nicholas, and which I am too pregnant/hormonal to separate emotionally from the name itself. Also, Edmund is probably a no-go, as DH really dislikes the nicknames. We are strongly considering Joshua __ after DH, but even if we do this, the baby may well go by his middle name, which has yet to be determined. Joshua doesn't really go with the other children's names, *but* it is the name that makes me happiest, so we might go with it anyway. As to the middle... our other favorite, Isaac, strikes me as too Old Testament/Amish when paired with Joshua. Gilbert is out because I don't like the J and G sounds together. I have finally vetoed Henry all together, even though it was DH's favorite. So... well, we're sort of back to square one. I wonder if, on some level, I don't want to commit because this might be our last baby...

Finally, may I just throw my vote in for Mabel Susannah? I love it - love both names separately and love them together. And I actually think it doesn't read country at all, since the only people I know considering Susannah these days seem to be urbanites.

Also, I always thought September would be the most enchanting name for a girl... but I probably would never be brave enough to use it.

October! Now *that's* whimsical, and should be a character in a children's book.

Maybe there's another category of whimsy names besides older, lighter names? Names that are fanciful and unexpected because they're not actually names, until someone decides to make it so? Like Apple, or Winter, or Sunshine.

The underlying concept has to be light, though. Thus, Heaven/Nevaeh, or the more unexpected virtue names like Mercy or Honor are very un-whimsical.

P.S. My apologies for just dropping in out of the blue. I'm a regular reader of many of your comments, and a serious lover of names, but I'm usually too busy or shy to comment. Today my commitment to procrastination is HIGH. :-)

Empathy - I like Mabel Susannah too. I think sometimes if the fn and mn are *too* perfectly matched for style, like Mabel Josephine for instance, the name can lose some zing.

Rjoy - A maven is a shrewd shopper, isn't it? I can see the appeal, and I've always liked Raven. I like the nn Mave as opposed to Maeve which feels a bit.. not frilly, but romantic maybe. In either case, it is most definitely not crazy.

emilyrae (was it emilyrae?) - I'm with you, I don't see why the idea of naming a dog should be at all sensitive. You're sitting around talking about dog names, she throws out your favourite kid name, you say Oh God, I want that for my future baby! You both laugh, and she picks something else. And if she doesn't, you both laugh over that too!

Along similar lines, my sister was choosing an author's pseudonym and playing with family names which she was pretty excited about. I sort of gently pointed out (not to avoid offending her, just to avoid her wrath) that hey, what if one of us wants to name our children with those names?? It's sort of a sad door to close on an academic text. She's not planning on having kids though, so I doubt it ever would have occurred to her.

Also, my captcha was "sake States" :)

hi! I am a long-time and very devoted stalker of this blog and I have finally decided to come out in the "open" as I am due with a little girl in about three months and really need some advice!

Me and my dh have narrowed our list down to three names to accompany big sister Will@ Ruth but we are now pretty stuck. Middle name will be either Jane or Louise. here's our three (no particular order):

1. Holly- I know it's dated but I am so drawn to it, I think it just screams "nice" to me

2. Rory- DH's favorite

3. Harriet "Hattie"

I just love them all so much! We like the two MNs equally so now we just need to find the best first-middle name combo

Any thoughts or suggestions would be so appreciated, even on names not on my list!

p.s
@ Empathy- I vote Mabel Eloise

monicaj--I LOVE Holly! It is so cheerful and rosy-cheeked and bold (I think of the bright green holly with its bright red berries that are still strong and vibrant in midwinter, when everything else has a tendency to be dormant and grey and cold). I'm also a big fan of Willa, and I think Will@ Ruth is wonderful. My vote is definitely, definitely for Holly Jane. If it makes you feel any better about Holly's "datedness", I feel like I see it pop up a fair amount in the Daily Telegraph listings--I'm always surprised (but pleasantly so) to see it there among the Archies and Willoughbys and Poppys and Jemimas. I also like Rory, as I have a fond association with it on a female friend, but I think it is more traditionally a boy's name, and many would see it that way. Harriet "Hattie" is cute, a nice choice, and I think it will have fans here, but it doesn't grab me like Holly.

I love Harriet Jane - that "et" ending is so awesome for a girl. Holly is also nice. I just don't think it was ever popular enough to become truly date-stamped. And it does have a cheerful feel. Along the same lines, I am a big fan of Polly, too.

monica j! hattie! i know a lot of people here may not find harriet to their liking, but i think it has great potential, and i think the nickname hattie is adorable, one of my favorites. i think if i met a little hattie, i would just fall to pieces. i have a soft spot for old britishy names in general. and i think it goes great with your daughter's name, too.

so harriet jane, this is my vote!

the others are nice too, by the way. i do like the name rory, but i don't like gender-ambiguous names (or rather...i like some of them, but it's a big minus for me, so i'd probably never use one). and i like holly, but not as much as harriet/hattie. plus harriet just seems to fit better with willa.

Will@ and Hattie sound like a perfect sibset.

I like Rory for either a boy or a girl, but I prefer it as a nn to a more gender-specific full name. (DD's 'name not taken' was Aurelia, nn Rory. At one time, we were throwing around Theodore, nn Rory for a boy.)

Holly is a sweet name, too, but it always makes me think of my SIL's favorite baby name as a child: Holly Jolly Christians0n. Probably not an issue for you, though :).

Congratulations to the winners!

@ Empathy: I like Mabel Caroline and Mabel Violet first, then Mabel Susannah and Mabel Josephine and I don't like Mabel Eloise or Mabel Emmeline as much.

@ monicaj: I think that Holly Jane, Rory Jane Rory Louise, Harriet Louise (Hattie Louise), Harriet Jane (Hattie Jane) are the best. I think Harriet nn Hattie is super cute and I like that one best!

Re. Month names: I too thought March could make a good boys name. I always thought it was interesting that Summer and Autumn were used on girls and I've heard of at least one female Winter, but Spring is never used (Spring is a pretty good association too.) I've only heard it once and that was on Spring Byington who was in the 1941 film "The Devil and Miss Jones" and was born in 1886.

Reposted:
@ Guest: I will definitely tell all my friends to read it! I was thinking (for the love interest):
Carter
Montgomery
Ross
Clinton
Worth
Roderick
Clark
Frederick
Myles
Brooks
Henry

... and for the girl:
Ava
Mara
Naomi
Lana
Angela
Nora
Ella
Kira
Leila
Lila

I posted this on the last thread since it took me so long to read through the comments another entry went up in the meantime! I am reposting here and want to add that I LOVE Hattie! I would go with Harriet Louise or Harriet Jane - either works beautifully and goes very well with Willa Ruth - also wonderful.

Like J&H's mom, I used to post here regularly too. I have been back reading for a while but this is my first post. I remember how much I love the smart, interesting people who post here and that I would spend all my time here if I could!

I tried to read all the comments for this entry of Laura's, and though it seems I have forgotten whatever I did not take good notes on, here goes:

@Becky(?)- Congratulations and I adore the name Ruth Tzipporah. So cute and it matches well with your boys' names.

@Empathy - I love your style. Louisa and Mabel are both great names and I like them even more after reading your description of why YOU like them. I slightly prefer Mabel for you and like it with Eloise. I have a question - how are we pronouncing the nicknames Mab and Mabs? Long a or short?

@hyz - I love your style too. I think Oliver goes well with Ivy. My sister had a baby girl 11 months ago and she is named Ivy Caroline (Ivy was my suggestion.) My brother has a son named Oliver. Great name. I am kind of surprised it is getting so popular. I have heard it a lot lately, especially in urban areas, among the more affluent.

I don't think I have posted here since I had my baby boy 13 months ago! His name is Hugo Thom@s my LN his LN. I get a lot of compliments on it but just as many people seem horrified. My lactation consultant asked his name and when I told her, she asked after his middle name and then suggested he may want to use Tom when he grows up.

Astrid was my name for him if he had been a girl. I still like that best I think. But lately I have an affection for Rosalind. My mother is Linda and it would be in honor of her. Plus, it's literary (Shakespeare). And, I was thinking - could I use the nickname Indie for Rosalind?

Looking forward to chatting with you all!

P.S. When you all refer to BNW2, does that mean the new edition of Laura's book is out? I can't find it online!