How Ezra Got His Name

I was just talking about this with some ladies this week, so I figured it was time for the rest of you to know how Ezra got his name.

But let's start this story with how Ocean and Peace got their names. When I was newly pregnant with Ocean, I could feel that she was a girl. And then I felt that she should be named Ocean. End of story. Before I got pregnant with Peace, I could feel that she was a girl. And I felt that she should be named Peace. End of story.

Okay, so, now, with Ezra, when I was pregnant with him, for the majority of the pregnancy, I didn't know what gender he was. It wasn't until about the seventh month when I could feel that he was a boy. And then I felt that he should be named... Yes.

That's right. I wanted him to be named Yes.

It's inspired by the story of how John Lennon met Yoko Ono... They were at this art exhibition where Ono had a piece of art where you had to climb a ladder and look through a spyglass to read this word printed in tiny letters on the ceiling. And the word was... YES.

And I thought that was beautiful and lovely and full of possibilities and imagination. I loved it.

But, as this story goes, Vernon said "NO". (This is the part where everybody who hears this story starts cheering for Vernon.)

And, ultimately, (unlike with Peace and Ocean), I wasn't 100% sold on the name anyway (even though I did love it), so I was open to other suggestions.

So, when Ezra was born, he didn't have a name.

Vern and I started talking about it and Vern had mentioned the name of a little boy we had seen playing around at this Natural Health gathering two weeks prior: Ezra. We both liked the name, and even though I peripherally knew this other Ezra and his family, at the time we weren't living in the Twin Cities (where they lived), and I figured that I would never see them again anyway, so they would never know that I copied her son's name.

But, fast forward to 8 months later when we DO end up moving back to the Twin Cities (because Vern decided he wants to become a chiropractor), and I eventually get to know the other Ezra and his family pretty well. I tell the mom straight-out that I stole her son's name because I thought I'd never see them again. And she's okay with it. I think.

So, that's how our Ezra got his name.

On a sidenote: Remember on that season of Road Rules where there was someone named Yes and his mom named him after the band Yes? (Those people on Road Rules and The Real World always have the coolest names.)

On another sidenote: Our next child is going to be a boy (and, no, we're not pregnant now). And I told Vern that he can pick out the name.