A Name other than Avacado

Dear Avacado,

Today's post is the last one in which I will call you Avacado because we have selected a name for you.  Over the years I have heard many children ask their parents - "what would you have called me if I was a _____ instead of a ______?" and "what were some of the other names you were thinking of?"

Because of this (and partly to be able to look back and remind myself) before I announce your name I'll share with you the answers to these questions.

1.  What would my name have been if I was a girl instead of a boy? 
ANSWER:  If you were a girl we would have named you Kayleigh Elizabeth.  Kayleigh because it's a name I have loved forever and Elizabeth because (a) it's my middle name and (b) it was liked better than Barbara or Margaret by Josh.

2.  What are some of the other names you thought about before you picked my name?
ANSWER:  Before being pregnant or even married I always said that I would name a little boy Patrick Thomas if I ever had one.  But - I have since learned that coaches, teachers, and peers take it upon themselves to give children nicknames and neither Josh nor I liked the nickname Pat.  So, we had to start thinking of some other names.  Conor and Keegan have always been two of my other favorite Irish names and so those two names became the ones that we talked about.  We also had to talk about how to spell Conor because in Ireland its spelt Conor and here in America it is more often than not spelt "Connor". 

So, without further delay........the name we have chosen for you is:

"Conor Thomas"

Conor was selected because it was the one that Josh and I could agree on (he wasn't a huge fan of Keegan).  We decided on the spelling because Josh said that I am usually right when it comes to many things and this was probably one of those times.  Also, I had spent some time writing out your name both by hand and on the computer and I simply do not like it spelt with two "N"s. 

Thomas was selected as your middle name for a few reasons.  The first is that it is your grandfather's name.  The weekend we were prepared to announce your impending arrival to your grandparents (and before we even knew if you were a boy or girl) your Grandpa Tom became very sick and had to go to the hospital.  It was very scary and at that moment I decided that if you were a boy you would be given his name as your middle name to both honor him and encourage him to get better (which he has!).  The second is that I have always liked the name Thomas and since it sounds good with Conor it was the winner!

As I have said before - naming a child is a huge responsibility and I truly hope that we have given you a name that will serve you well through your lifetime. 

xoxo
Mom