On Baby Names

When Tim and I were engaged, we made an agreement regarding baby names: he'll name the boys, and I'll name the girls. We actually took this seriously enough to make a rudimentary contract and sign it. Take a look - the notebook got wet, so there was some smudging:



So far, I'm 0 for 2. We have two boys - Jett and Dax. Rarely do I share their names and not receive a comment on their unconventionality or uniqueness. Sometimes, I wish I could actually take some credit for them, but it was all Tim - well, mostly Tim. I begged him to add the second "T" to Jett. I also wanted to call him "JJ", since his middle name begins with a "J" as well, but I traded that for the extra "T".

I believe Tim found the name "Jett" in a baby name book. It means "black gemstone". His middle name, James, is the same as Tim's older brother, who passed away in 2001.

I swore I was having a girl when I was pregnant with Jett. The name "April Rose" was on my short list during that brief time before I had my ultrasound. My due date was in April, and my grandma's maiden name is Rose. With my amazing creativity and originality (note the sarcasm), I crammed them together and came up with a name. I also toyed around with "Jetta Jane", which is basically a feminine version of Jett's name.

When I found out I was pregnant with Dax, I wanted to wait until the birth to find out the sex. Tim said he didn't care, so we waited. He toyed around quite a bit before settling on a name that really felt right to both of us. Despite the fact that we had a signed document granting him the right to name this child whatever he pleased if it was a boy, he was very flexible. My hormone-induced fits of disapproval were probably responsible for that.

When he first brought up the name "Dax", I said no. Actually, it was probably more like "H-E-double-hockey-sticks, no". He brought it up before I even became pregnant again, so I hoped that it would pass by the time we had another baby. Something about the name didn't sit well with me.

Tim toyed with a few other names - Red and Slater were a couple - but he landed on Dax in the end. I still wasn't sold.

So, I Googled it. I found a couple links about the German stock market and a couple about actor-comedian, Dax Shepard (which was somewhat comforting, knowing that there was another person with this name). I found it in a baby name database as well, and I liked the meaning. According to one site, Dax means "leader" in French. Another claims it means "water" (I didn't learn this until later on). I liked the meanings, so I was slowly starting to come around. Then, I came across a Wikipedia link that revealed a little history. Dax was a character on Star Trek.

Okay.

I should've known that much. He came from a family of Star Trek fanatics. I don't have anything against Star Trek, but I never really watched it. I caught a few episodes of Voyager, only because Tim was with me, and he wanted to watch it.

It took some time for me to come to terms with the fact that my next child, if he's a boy, would most likely have a name inspired by the holy grail of geekdom. I'm one to talk, though. I'm a die hard Star Wars fan, which certainly gives me some nerd points.

What ultimately sealed my approval was none other than my favorite red-haired late-night talk show host, Conan O'Brien. I was watching Late Night, as I do every night (I'm a HUGE fan), and I noticed that the aforementioned actor-comedian Dax Shepard was on the show. I was still hesitant about the name, but Tim said "I'll bet you anything that Conan will say how cool the name is. Maybe you'll like it then." I think he was half joking, but Conan had commented on his guests' names before, specifically Chazz Palminteri. I wasn't holding out too much hope, though.

Sure enough, after the opening monologue, he announced the guests, making a point to say "that's a cool name!" after announcing Dax Shepard. Apparently, Conan O'Brien has more control over me than I thought. The instant he declared the name as cool, I then thought it was cool, also. I was like a robot with a Conan O'Brien chip in my brain - not that I'm complaining.

Anyway.

I begged Tim to give Dax his middle name, Spicer, which is his grandmother's maiden name, but he wasn't interested. Instead, he chose to give him his mother's maiden name, Creager. His maternal grandfather passed away around the time we found out I was pregnant, so it really seemed apropos to give Dax his family name.

Had Dax been a girl, "she" would've been Julia Spicer. Julia was my great-grandmother's name, and Spicer, as I said before, is Tim's middle name. I've considered holding onto this name for a future daughter, if we happen to have more children, but I'm not sure I can do that. Somehow, I feel that the name is tied to Dax, in a way. That name is part of him, even though it's not his actual name. I chose it based on the connection I formed with him while he was part of me. The name fit. I feel that it will always be his "girl name", if that makes any sense.

I don't feel as strongly about Jett's girl name possibilities. First of all, I knew he was a boy when I was pregnant. Secondly, I hadn't truly settled on a girls' name, so I didn't form the same connection between the baby and the name.

Now that I've gone on and on, in great detail, about my boys' names, I should probably show some pictures.

Dax in the tub:


Super Jett:


Jett and Dax:


Dax and I:


And that's a wrap.