Here at Boco Baby we have the daily pleasure of creating one-of-a-kind clothing and blankets for the adorable  one-of-a-kind children of our customers, and it regularly crosses our mind that each sweet bit of cloth will have the amazing power of sharing a story - the story of that child's name.

 
You see, just like when we named our own children, we know that the names you choose carry so much meaning.  Either because it's a family name, or a name that tells a story that Mom and Dad share, because it's a name that represents a cherished value, or simply a name that Mom and Dad could (finally!) agree on.  

So we thought, how fun would it be to learn about some of these stories?  How amazing to share the journeys that led you to the names of your sweet babes?

But to be fair, we thought we'd start by sharing how we came to choose the names of our little ones!  
So here goes the first story of how my (Ashley's) daughter came to be Eloise Kate...



When my husband and I first learned that we were having a baby girl, we had the added challenge of finding a name that works in two languages - he is French, I am American, and both languages are spoken in our home.  So the first hurdle we had to overcome was finding a name that worked in both - without sounding funny or being impossible to pronounce in one of the two languages.   

I'll give you some examples: Bérénice sounds elegant and sweet in French, but in English?  Well, I think it sounds like a French person saying "very nice" with a strong accent.  So, no go.  Or, I really liked Hazel in English, but the French?  Pronouncing an "h" is not their specialty!  Not an easy task finding a multilingual name.

We did finally settle on a few that would allow our daughter to live in either France or the US without having to constantly help those around her correctly pronounce her name, and "Eloise" was one of three Fran-glish names that made the final cut.  Then, when she was born, my husband and I both looked at each other and knew immediately that she'd be Eloise (which wasn't the case for our son... story to come later)!  I can't even really say why, but it was simply meant to be.

 

Although, it wasn't that easy - we purposely chose to spell "Eloise" without the traditional silent "h" in the French form, because the problem goes the other way.  We wouldn't want unsuspecting English speakers to accidentally pronounce the "h" in "Héloïse"!  And in French, we have to include the accented "i" (Eloïse) to avoid her from being called "Elwas".  Complicated, you see!

As for her middle name, Kate, that was decided long ago (by me)!  My family has a tradition of the name Kate, going back to my great grandmother.  We've had KC "Kate", Dorothy Kate, Gloria Kay (short for Kate), my sister Chandler Kay, and then me, who my dad has never failed to call "Ashley Kate"!  So it was only natural that my daughter would also share the legacy.

 

The name fits her perfectly, and we get great pleasure sharing our "name" story any time someone asks.  Which means that every time she sports her custom Boco Baby gear, we get to proudly share the story of her special name, with special meaning, that we chose for our incredibly special girl.

If you'd like to share the story of your one of a kind babe's name for our blog, please email us at contact@boco-baby.com.  We can't wait to read and share!