Oh, the naming of a child. To me, it was a first realization of the awesome power and responsibility that I wield as a parent. Alicia and I had been working on names for months, years really, but filling out the birth registration forms and giving the babies names that they'll have for the rest of their lives was almost a scary experience. It was the first of many life-defining decisions that we'll make for our children.
Alicia and I agreed very early in the process that we'd like uncommon but classic names. I can't remember the first time that Alicia brought up the name Simon, but we've both liked the name for a long time now. Alicia also liked the middle name of Benjamin, and I certainly wasn't going to complain. The other boy's name took quite a bit longer (boy's names are hard!). We liked Biblical names, so that helped narrow down the search. We both knew a guy in college named Solomon, and while our little boy isn't named after him, he was likable and didn't ruin the name for us (which is very important). The name really grew on us after awhile, and it was promoted to the "let's see if there's a good middle name for it" stage. Well, the name David came to us almost immediately due to the Biblical connection, and the fact that David is my father's name sealed the deal.
It wasn't difficult to decide who was who while they were in the womb. The Biblical Simon was always eager to prove himself and Baby C was always seemed eager to prove himself during the NST. Also, we knew that Baby C would likely be delivered last, so he'd be the youngest just like his dad and the Biblical Benjamin. The Biblical Solomon is primarily known for being wise, and Baby B seemed to be the contemplating thinker. He also liked to show off his head, which was the first body part protruding from Mommy's tummy.
It's a little ironic because as hard as boy's names are, we found two that we really liked and it was the girl's name that we decided on last. (We kept trying to find a backup name in case they didn't look like a Simon or Solomon but never found one, good thing the names fit!) Alicia brought up Illah awhile ago and I thought it was pretty but I wasn't sold on the name. After awhile I brought up Isla (pronounced the same as Illah) like it was a brand new idea. She let me think the name was my idea for awhile but eventually pointed out that she brought up the name first. I really liked the spelling of Isla because it gave the name a little more meaning since it is derived from island and she was the only girl. The name is Scottish, which is pretty close to the Irish that gives some red hair on both sides of the family. (Apologies to the pureblooded Scots and Irishmen that are horribly offended by that last sentence.) We decided that Isla fits the criteria of uncommon but classic name, with a twist by using a rare spelling. We had several middle names, but in the end I voted for Kay and Alicia agreed. Kay is Alicia's middle name and her mother's middle name, and gives all three of the babies a family name.
And thus Isla Kay (4 lbs 9oz 17.5 in), Solomon David (3 lbs 13 oz 17 in), and Simon Benjamin (4 lbs 11 oz 17.75 in) came into this world.
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