Baby Naming - Simchat Bat

[mamadeb]

jonbaker put together a nice little ceremony, adapting things from the Sphardi tradition and shul namings. We tried to make it as little like a brit as possible (the point of a brit is, besides the minor surgery, to welcome the boy into the covenant. Girls enter the covenant when they are born.)

As I said, her English name is Winifred Celia (Wynn). Instead of trying to figure out a Hebrew equivalent for her first name, they just went with Tzivia, which was the original Celia's Hebrew name. Tzivia bat Melech Baruch v'Nechama Shifra. (We also had a discussion about her big sister Zoe, who was never named, but it turns out her middle name is Alonit, which is Hebrew name enough. Jocelyn comes from a completely non-religious family, none of whom were present, and was basically named at her wedding.)

All of us played some part, even me - I got to read a longish blessing in English over both Wynn and Zoe. We offered a part to a cousin who happens to be a rabbi, but she turned it down. And I got to hold Wynn for a long time - letting her wiggle in my arms. *smile*



Mitchell couldn't figure out what they needed. I made a cardigan for Zoe as a big sister gift, and a pair of baby socks for Wynn. Zoe loved getting a gift just for her. It's not perfect - the buttonholes are a mess - but Jocelyn was impressed. And baby socks are always cute.

And. Well. There's always this thing about baby events - all the women who have had or are having babies stand around and talk about babies. And childbirth - lots about childbirth. And every woman in that room was a mother, except for the one expecting her first child.

And me.

I sort of avoided the living room for a bit - which meant I saw Zoe going into the bedroom and curling up, completely overwhelmed by a house full of near-strangers, a baby sister taking all of her parents' attention and crying a lot, the end of kindergarten and an impending trip to spend all summer at the farm. So I played with her and that seemed to help.

Comments

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

I'm glad Zoe had you to play with her. And that you had her to play with.

[aunt-becca.livejournal.com]

you sound like a wondeful aunt- homemade gifts, bonding with your neices-they're lucky to have you!

[lomedet.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you and Zoe had each other. Speaking as a big sister, having adults around who were excited to hang with *me* and not the baby was always a big deal. And my relationships with some of those adults were deep, impactful, and long-lasting. Your nieces are lucky girls.

[sollersuk.livejournal.com]

Oh, if she is actually going to be referred to/addressed as Wynn, that makes me even more happy, since that's Welsh-ish (my elder daughter was given the second name Gwynneth after her grandmother, who was sometimes called Gwynn and someteimes called Wynn)

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Zoe is a wonderful little girl. I'm glad she's in our lives.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

I'm the lucky one. :)

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

I just wanted her to know that her feelings counted, too.

Too much is happening too fast, you know?

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Yes. Parental word is that her callname will be Wynn, and spelled that way. However, they are spelling Winifred properly (thank goodness. Wynnifred? Just. No.)

They do NOT want a Winnie, you see. Or a Fred.