Thursday, May 31, 2012

Writer's Workshop: What's in a Name?

2.) I almost named my child _______, but chose _______ instead because...

     Last week, in honor of my boys' birthday, I told you my boys' birth story. One of the big concerns the Hubby and I had when we discovered we were expecting twins, was whether we would be able to tell them apart after they were born. (Our biggest fear was that we would birth identical twin girls. You know like something out of every great horror movie?) It's a pretty common fear, and one we got over as soon as the boys were moved into the same NICU room. But one doubt has lingered to this day. Did we match the right kid to the right name? It might be easier to answer that question if either the Hubby or I had actually named either of our boys after they were born....

      You see I had a scheduled C-section and my boys were delivered 6 weeks premature, which meant that as soon they were delivered they were quickly whisked away to the NICU. I was given only a cursory glance at each of them as they were carried out of the OR.

The hospital photographer couldn't get any of their info right! I had the photos reprinted 3 times and finally gave up. First photo is of both boys, not just Porter and he weighed 7 lbs 2 oz. Second picture is of Porter RILEY and the birth weight is still wrong. Third picture is of Logan MILES and his birth weight was 7 lbs 1 oz.
I couldn't find the photos where they have the wrong names entirely and the wrong birth date.
Click on the picture to enlarge the image.

    As one of the nurses walked my first (?) born son out the door, she asked me and the Hubby if we had names picked out for our babies and from the operating table I said that we had chosen Logan and Porter for their names but we didn't know which would be which. The nurse smiled broadly and said of the wailing, baby boy she held, "Well, this is one is Logan because he's LOUD!" And with that, she took "Logan" out to the waiting isolette.
     By the time I was wheeled--bed and all, into the NICU to spend a few minutes with my babies, they had been cleaned, diapered and hooked up to a bazillion monitors and machines and each had a little paper star with their respective names taped carefully to their isolettes. It was a couple of days later, after the anesthesia and the really good drugs had worn off, that I was left wondering, if Logan SHOULD have been Porter and vise versa. So many questions were left unanswered as that "first" baby left the OR.

Was "Logan" the first born?
Who really was Baby A or B?
Would anything have changed had we decided to switch names?
Does birth order really play a part in the child's personality?
Does a letter designation, a baby make?

Peace Out!
Photobucket
This post was inspired by Mama Kat's Pretty Much World Famous Writing Workshop.
All images and written work, found herein, is the sole property of Rebecca Burton and may not be used in any capacity without express written consent.