Just recently I told Ava that when I was pregnant with her, I wanted to name her Grace. Daddy wasn’t crazy about that name, and we eventually agreed on Ava. I also told her that I had first wanted Maxine to be named Leah, but that name was vetoed too.
Ava is often correcting me when I call her Ava saying “No, my name is _______”. Where _______ might be Zaza, Zandrea, Zander, Priscilla, and more recently, Leah. All sorts of stuffed cats, ponies and Barbies have recently taken on the name Leah as well.
On my bike ride this morning I was thinking that when I was little, I had wished my name was April. When playing with friends my “play name” would be April. We actually would fight over who got to be April, and often all ended up being April so we could get on with it.
But what I didn’t remember until the whole Leah scenario was that I started liking the name April when my mom told me as a child that April was one of the names she considered for me. (I also happened to be born in April.) One of the best things about having your own kids is your own fun childhood memories they dig up.
Today I’m a grown woman who is perfectly content with the name Alison. I think secretly wish Ava would let me call her Grace instead of Zaza or Leah though.
When you were little, did you ever wish your name was something else?
Zak had to be to work early this morning, but he also wanted to swim laps, so that gave me just over a half hour squeeze in a quick bike ride before he had to leave for work. I told him I would be back before 7:30, and when I got back in the house the clock on the stove said 7:29. Rock on.
8 miles in 31 minutes. I’ll take what I can get!
Chocolate overnight oats were on the menu for breakfast this morning.
1/2 c rolled oats mixed with about a 1/4 c Stonyfield Farm vanilla LF yogurt, 1/2 c unsweetened chocolate almond milk and tsp of unsweetened cocoa powder.
Soaked overnight.
Topped this morning with ground flax, sliced banana, a scoop of Almond Butter
and coconut.
You can call me April, just don’t call me late for dinner breakfast.
i’m very happy with my name, but in the 90’s i used to pretend my name was “mercedes” or “alexis” (for lexus) when trying to pick up boys. sooooo sleazy. why was i so car obsessed?!?!?
I used to want my name to be Melissa. I remember telling my mom this and she got really offended. Whenever I think about that I laugh to myself because her insecurity was so obvious even then. But then I’d be a little upset if any of my kids truly hated their name well into adulthood so there you have it.
Great post Alison 😉
My Parents said they picked out my name Linda right away to name me if I were a girl, and picked out Rodney to name me if I were a boy. Back then, nobody knew what they were having till the big day…lol
But I remember that I had a cousin that lived in another town and once I got to go to her school for the day as a visitor (they let you do that back then) and since nobody knew me, we told all the kids that my name was Andrea just for fun. That was a name I really liked at that time. Funny!
Your breaky this morning looked utterly devine delish!!!!!! And high five on your amazing run girl!
I used to want to be called Monique
I wanted a unique/weird name, not Emily.
My son told me the other day he wishes we had named him John, which i find hilarious because we tried to pick unique but not too weird names for both our children and he wishes he had the MOST common name in the whole world. Kids are funny.
I don’t remember every wishing my name was different or anything specific…. but my son (teen) tells me he gets a lot of flack over his gender neutral name… (KYLE) and I have told him repeatedly to change it if he wishes …
it’s HIS name and just because I love it doesn’t mean he has to forever keep it. (doesn’t mean I will ever call him anything different HAHAHA)
his father has other feelings on the matter (my ex) but it’s up to my son what he does ! it’s HIS life, I think!
I did like Leah too (princess leah) but my identity issues change with the wind (or movies) LOL
wow your chocolate oats sound so goo! I bet the coconut added lots of delicious flavor too
Hey April!! When I was younger I was obsessed with the name Daisy. I didn’t call myself that, but I would name every play character Daisy. haha. Or Jenny. But now I really love love love my name!
Love chocolate oats!! Hated my name when I was little because everyone would miss read it and call me Justin. Grrr, I hated that. Cant remember what I wanted to be called though. My little one is always renaming the cats all these wild names as well as herself but more so the cats. It is wild to see the little things she does that remind me so much of myself when I was little. I am actually starting to think she is my carbon copy, which is a little scary!!
~Justine
I distinctly remember that I wanted my full name to be Melanie Rivers. Now, I’m perfectly content with my name, but I wanted something more melodious! It’s cracking me up how everyone remembers their “play names.” Great topic!
I went through so many “name phases” as a kid. I remember wanting Jessica because that seemed to be the name of all the cool girls. ha…And Jennifer was at the top too. Anything that started with “J”, really.
Now I’m happy with Sarah.
hahaha – you always tie up your posts so perfectly at the end april…i mean alison. i love it – do you have a writing background? i do, and i feel like you might too, but i could totally be off.
i wanted a new name every week – there was the rachel phase, the samantha phase (during the american girl obsession)…ultimately, i actually really like my name. its not super weird, but not everyone has it.
happy humpday!
Hey lady! I’ve been horribly busy and haven’t been able to write on my blog but today I’m stopping at all my favorite bloggs and saying hello. So sorry about jillian and lovin….
Maybe YOU should start a radio show!!! Anyway, I too wished I had other names growing up. You’re right…. it’s funny how having kids brings back all sorts of memories!!!!