Nico's Name

A lot of folks keep asking about Nico's name, so let me explain how it came to be:

Nicholas won out because we liked it's meaning--victory of the people--because we're total socialists (haha). But seriously, we do like the meaning, and it couples well with Alexandra (defender of the people). And yes, we do know that Alexandra and Nicholas were the last great Czars of Russia. I had to muddle through if I thought this was incestuous, but I decided that (1) nobody really knows who the last Czars of Russia were and (2) Alexandra was gettin' freaky with Rasputin (the Russian philosopher) most of the time so it's not like her and Nicholas were really into each other. Yes, I overthought this.

I also liked the name Nico and I like names with nickname options, as Lori is truly lacking in them. That was a prerequisite for all my kids' names--professional option, nickname option. I often wish I was Lora and Lori was my nickname. Sometimes Lori is a bit too perky (albeit I am a very perky gal) for academic/professional circles.

But the overthinking really played into the middle name.

I wanted to name him after my dad, but I was pained b/c after deciding on Nicholas I didn't like my dad's two names (Douglas Frank) with Nicholas. My sister had already used Douglas, and the meaning of Douglas (dark water) I found ominous. Frank I liked as a name, but it wasn't working with Nicholas for me. No flow. I was in knots over this, and then, en route to our anniversary dinner date, Adam suggested that I find a name that's more symbolic of something my dad loved or something that reminds me of my dad that makes me happy.

And here's where it all clicked. As much as I loved my dad, we didn't have a close relationship, something that haunts me constantly. Using his literal name conjured this up a bit too much. When I think of my dad and happy stuff, a lot comes to mind. People watching, his wry humor, and Japanese Maples, which he loved and taught me to spot a mile away. I pause at every Japanese Maple I see, noting the leaf delicacy, the color, if it's tall or short and sprawling. When he died we planted three Japanese maples for him and put his ashes under them. The Japanese maple isn't my favorite tree (it's the Weeping Willow), but it's a close second because of my dad.

After this conversation I got online and looked up Japanese Maple. The genus name for maple is "acer"--the Japanese maple is acer palmatum. I liked "acer," emailed it to Adam, and he writes back that his little sister called him "Ace" when he was growing up. Perfect.

I think my dad would be tickled by the fact that his love for Japanese maples left such an impression on me that I named my son after a tree that reminds me of him. I hope so.

(photo of Alexandra kissing a Japanese maple at the beach this summer)