A name is not just a name....

When my husband and I first found out we were having a baby, we stared at each other in shock, and hugged, and almost immediately started talking about names. Since we were convinced we were having a boy, and we had picked out a boy name long before we were even married it was a short conversation. At the same time that we were weighing the merits of giving our child a family versus on that was all their own, my parents began thinking of names as well... Not names for our child but names for themselves. My father in law has 16 grandkids including our daughter so he has been "Poppy" for many many years. My mother in law is "Grammy" But for my parents this was a monumental first! My mom stated that she is NOT a nana, and would like to be just grandma. My dad also decided he would be grandpa. My grandparents were always Grandma and Grandpa with their last names at the end. Well guess what... picking a name is not always so easy. Our little Kyle dreams were changed when we discovered we were having a girl! A girl!?! We were not prepared for this. Every old wives tale said Boy. We even bought one of those Intelligender Tests and it said Boy! It took quite a while and systematically crossing off each others picks before we finally decided on a name. My parents have found that they also did not really get to decide what they would be called. My mom realized that Grandma is really too difficult for a toddler and decided it would be cool to shorten her name to "g-ma". Just like in 4th grade, when I decided that everyone who has ever known me should now refer to me as Josie, "g-ma" did not stick. My parents have now learned that you do not choose what your grandchildren call you. Your grandchildren name you. My mother is now "gram gram" and my dad is "Papa". After 15 children calling my father in law "Poppy" my daughter has invented her own name and calls him "Pop Pop." I'm already preparing myself for when she decides she doesn't want to be Ashlyn anymore and instead wants to be called something along the lines of Rainbow Sprinkles (which was in fact a suggestion from a niece when we were looking for names).