When picking out names for my kids, I had one major criteria. It had to be easy to pronounce. For reasons unknown to me, a lot of people struggle with my name, Krisha. It’s pronounced like Trisha. Over the years, I’ve been called Kristy, Patricia, Krishna, Kristina, and my personal fave, Kareem. Really? Recently, I had a lady ask me if “Krisha” was my real name or was it short for something? Sigh. Growing up, I always knew I would change my name when I was old enough. Why did my sister get the cool, normal name, Melissa? You know those cool vanity plates everyone had for their bicycle? Yeah, not me. Still to this day, I will search racks of personalized whatevers, looking for Krisha.
Though most people think Jackson and Savannah were named after cities, they were not. Jackson {Jacks} was named from a character in Steel Magnolias. My husband wanted to talk names, but I could not be persuaded. His name was picked out long before the name was ever popular. Savannah was a compromise. My husband was whining because I named Jacks, so he wanted to pick out the name for Savannah. I reluctantly agreed. I was in love with the name Georgia Kate. He, not so much. We would call her Georgie for short. Squeal!!! He was unmoved. So, I examined his list of circa 1970 names and only one was acceptable. Savannah. Only because, one of my favorite movies growing up was, Savannah Smiles. And so she was named, Savannah Kate {Silla}…
When I found out I was pregnant with a 2nd girl, only two names were contenders. Austin or Annabelle. Austin, for obvious reasons {even though they weren’t named for cities} and Annabelle, because it fit perfectly with Jackson and Savannah. Also, it’s one of my favorite names next to Georgia and Clementine. If I were to ever have another baby, which I’m not, and it was a girl, Clementine would be her name. I guess, I’ll have to settle for a dog. Oh, I do love a southern name. When it came down to it, I chose Annabelle Louise {Annie, Lulu, Lou, Lupita,} after my great-grandmother Annabelle, and my grandma, Louise. Perfect.
So…for the past week, I’ve been asking Annie to say her name. Her full name, Annabelle Louise Hinkle. It’s a bit of a mouthful for a two year old.
Me to Annie: What’s your name?
Annie: Addabelle Wheeze Tickle
Gasp! I just love her.
