Spelling and Pronunciation

My kiddos are going to be just like me - doomed to have their names either misspelled or mispronounced for the rest of their lives. I've cursed them! Since some of you have been asking about Imogen's name, here is a little background on the names of both kiddos.

Elliot's name (not spelled like Elliott from E.T., or like Eliot Hall of our Reed days, or T.S. Eliot, or Elliott Smith) is Hebrew and means "My god is the lord". Which has exactly nothing to do with why we picked it - we just liked it. His middle name is Mitchell, named for his uncle who died in 1999. Mitchell is also Hebrew and means "Who is like god?". Maybe Elliot will be a priest when he grows up. Or an atheist. Here's the trouble maker himself, snuggling with Mama a few days before his little sister was born.

Imogen's name is pronounced ihm-uh-gene and does not have an "e" on the end. It's a Gaelic name and means "maiden". Her middle name, Norah, is in honor of Thomas's aunt Honora who died this past year. It is an English name meaning "woman of honor". I'm sure she'll be an absolute angel, no trouble at all, as a teenager. We're calling her by the nickname "Idgie", which we shamelessly stole from the movie Fried Green Tomatoes. Here she is having an herbal bath with Mama a few days after coming home.


Now I'm going to get back to making sure no one spells my name like a spaniel, or a province in France, or, heaven forbid, a certain pop star.