Update on Baby Names

I've always had a first name picked out before our babies were born. I can't seem to understand how people can see their baby for the first time and see what it looks like in order to name it. That could never work for me! My babies come out looking like trolls, so there's no way I could look at it and decide it looked more like a Talea than a Kyanna, or a Hyatt more than a Hyrum, or a Kiersa more than a Milly, or a Paisley more than a Layla. I'd have to name my kids names like Rumpelstiltskin or Witherwort or something equally as offensive if I named them according to what they "looked like". I love my kids, but man, they're NOT cute fresh out of the womb. I mean, come on, let's be totally honest here. Just look at these pictures. I DARE you to try to deny that my kids aren't trollish at birth. Even the camera couldn't focus half the time! Isn't that a sign?
Talea at birth:


Talea now:


Hyatt at birth:


Hyatt now:


Kiersa at birth:


Kiersa now:


So now you can see why I have to think of a name beforehand and have it picked at the time of birth. My kids NOW don't look anything like what they looked like THEN.

I'm always reminded of Bill Cosby's comedy sketch where he says that after his baby was born, he asked if it could be put back in because it didn't look done. It was really ugly. If I named my first baby Talea because that's what she looked like at birth, I'd have to rename her now because she looks so different from how she looked at birth. How do people choose the name according to how their baby looks? Are their babies born super cute? Maybe the babies who are named Seth and Matilda look like trolls, so their parents named them those names accordingly. (Um, if you named your child one of those names, I'm sorry. I just don't like those, personally.)

So here's the name verdict:

Hyrum has vetoed Liza because he can't get past Liza Minnelli and her make-up. I like it from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

Lilly is far too common, though it might become a nickname at some point if she wants to match her sisters.

So it's down to Layla or Paisley, which happen to be the two names everyone likes the most, and I love them both equally.

Now, we do NOT like common names for our kids. Besides, how can you put a common name with Johnson? They may get lost in a social security and credit check nightmare or have 3 more kids with the same name at their school. I like the sound of Layla Paisley better than Paisley Layla, but Hyrum likes Paisley far better than Layla and the kids refuse to call the baby anything other than Paisley at this point. Also, I have to admit, Paisley is far less common than Layla. Layla is actually pretty high on the popularity charts, and on my poll.

So, it seems Paisley has won the competition for the first name, and Layla will be the middle name. Sorry Tasha! I know you hate Paisley, but I'll never find a name that EVERYONE likes, and I think it's unique. We'll just have to teach Paisley how to work hard so she can pay for her own college tuition instead of you footing the bill. :) The bribe was tempting though. Maybe it'll grow on you, and you did throw away your paisley shirt from the 80's you hated, didn't you? Paisley is the new fashion in London, so it'll hit the US soon! Great, just in time for a boom of kids being named Paisley. I hope not.

Paisley Layla. I think it's cute. That's her name...for now. I'm still taking suggestions though! Talea didn't have her name down for sure until I was 8 or 9 months pregnant.