Baby Names

When I was younger, I must say I had really...unique...taste in baby names. When Jake and I met, I wanted to name my daughter Azuraye, and my son Carrick. These ARE real names, mind you. Usually I catch strange and unique names in the most unlikely of situations, like reading names of crew members in movies...the little people behind the scenes. Oh yeah, they have some interesting names.

When Jake and I discussed baby names, we had two names for each gender picked out. We knew there might be a time where we would possibly face twins, so we wanted to be prepared. Of course of the two names each, we had a top pick.

For boys, in order of preference, we had Gabriel Marks and Abram Daniel.

Gabriel was a name I've always liked, as Jake did as well. Marks is my father's middle name.

Abram was the original Hebrew pronunciation of Abraham from the Bible. Daniel is Jake's middle name as it is also his grandfather's first name.

For girls, we had Scarlett Leigh and Avery Mariah.

Avery was just a name Jake and I liked. Mariah is my great-grandmother's middle name.

Now for the name we chose...Scarlett Leigh.

When people hear the name Scarlett, they automatically say "like Scarlett O'Hara?" Well...yes, actually. Let me explain.

When I was little, I grew up on classic black and white movies: Rebecca, Jane Eyre (with Olivia DeHallivand and Orson Wells), Gaslight, old Shirley Temple movies, and (though not black and white) Gone With the Wind. When I was young, I loved the big beautiful dresses and the grandeur of the cinematography. I was always a fan.

When I got older, I always loved Gone With the Wind. When the movie came out in an anniversary edition, I had to have it. I watched it over and over, and fell in love with it all over again. Most people would say that Scarlett O'Hara is a selfish, mean-spirited, bitter girl who turns into a hateful person as she grows. I disagree. Scarlett is fiery (she IS Irish afterall), she's determined, ambitious, smart, and never gives up. She rebuilds her family's almost torn down plantation (due to the Civil War) to it's (almost) former glory when everyone else is accusing her of horrible things like cheating on her husband. She beats the odds and becomes a powerful person. Sure she starts out as naive and yes, even a bit selfish, but when everyone else is calling her "hateful" (like her own sister), she presses on and refuses to let down. I love it.

I find Scarlett O'Hara to be one of the brightest and most wonderful females written for the English language. She's a strong woman. That is something I would love my daughter to aspire to be. Smart, determined, unwavering in what she wants.

Leigh is her middle name, after my cousin, Megan. Megan is not much different than Scarlett herself. Megan refused to give up after some really tough trials in life. She's smart, determined and an admirable person. She does whatever she can for her family no matter who says what. She's one of my best friends. She and I have (of course) had our differences in the past, but one thing has always remained the same...we love each other. Sure we're family, but I consider myself lucky to have family such as her. No matter her opinion of people's actions (and Lord knows I have been on the receiving end in my day), she appreciates the person and not the action. Believe me, I speak from experience.

So that's how we came to choose our daughter's name. Scarlett Leigh...and I can't wait to see our wonderful little girl grow up before our eyes and become a beautiful woman.