Baby Names

To say people are "funny" about baby names is an understatement. I know people who refuse to tell you their baby name in fear that you will steal it or dislike it. There are people who honestly don't have a clue what the name will be until the baby is born, and then there are people who will tell you every name they have ever imagined. I always thought that I would be one of the secretive types, but as it turns out, I enjoy talking about anything baby, and that includes baby names.

I have always had two names I liked for a girl. In high school I loved the name Chloe and I can vividly remember telling Paul that someday we would get married and have a baby girl named Chloe (We were the only ones who thought we'd make it this far!). Then in college I fell in love with the name Eliana, or Ellie for short. When we first found out I was pregnant I looked up the meaning of both names. Eliana meant "The Lord answers our prayers." I thought that was the coolest thing in the world, and I was even more sure we were going to have a baby girl. Lately, though, I have been thinking more about both names. When it comes to Eliana I envision a really well behaved, proper, brunette. But I just see our daughter having wild, curly, blond hair with a big Kool Aid mustache, and to me Chloe just fits her better. So after we found out baby girl was a girl we started calling her Chloe.

I do realize that this is both a popular human and dog name. I do know three dogs by the name of Chloe, but they are nice dogs and so the name doesn't have a negative connotation for me :o) Chloe is also the 10th most popular baby name. I never wanted to pick a popular name because I have five close friends and relatives named Kelly. I don't want her to have to be Chloe T. or Chloe #5 or anything like that when she goes to school. So do me a favor when the next person tells you they are thinking of the name Chloe and do that weird, slow head nod thing with a really slow, high pitched "ooooh, I like that" that so obviously means you hate it. Chloe will be eternally grateful!