M is for Mama 7: Failing at Coronavirus

[anachronistic]

Actual conversations my family and I have had during vacation with a 1 year old recently

”I think Xe needs to come out of the water. Xe’s turning blue.”

”yes but look how much fun ex’s having! Xe loves it!”

Look at kid, whose lips are indeed blue. Listen to the utterly joyful belly laughs as kid is lifted in and out of the waves. Stay in water longer.

Later:

”Why does Xe have that?”

”well, Xe pointed to it, which means Xe wanted it, so I gave it to xir.”

This is a perfectly reasonable explanation because who the heck denies a baby anything? (Well, I did take away the screwdriver Xe got hold,of,later,that thing is sharp.)  They’re *babies*! They are tiny little bundles of delight and wonder who sit on your lap and drink bottles and think that peekaboo is a genuinely hilarious game. Abbys kids all seem like your average, wonderful children but she genuinely doesn’t see that. She only sees the work that they do or how they look in a photograph of her. In terms of too much self esteem and self promotion she’s almost as bad as JRod. She’s just much wealthier so it looks nicer.

[danvillebelle]

They changed one of the upcoming babies' names.  Not what Shaun said he wanted, nope....can't have that.  Must have what Braggie wants.  Still not spilling till they're born.

On vacation with family BUT mustn't miss a chance to talk incessantly about herself, so of course her what do you want to know Wednesday is still on.  Spoiler alert: she doesn't enjoy being pregnant!  

[TuringMachine]

1 hour ago, danvillebelle said:

They changed one of the upcoming babies' names.  Not what Shaun said he wanted, nope....can't have that.  Must have what Braggie wants.  Still not spilling till they're born.

Well she seems to have hinted that they will now have the same first letter, so I'm going back to my original guess of Zion and Zeal.

[feministxtian]

2 hours ago, anachronistic said:

They’re *babies*! They are tiny little bundles of delight and wonder who sit on your lap and drink bottles and think that peekaboo is a genuinely hilarious game

YES!!!! Babies are a wonderful way to get new humans. Headed back to CO in less 3 weeks...get my paws on baby A. Tiny humans who cuddle up with their sweet smelling little heads tucked up under your chin, feeling their weight and warmth on your chest...the way your hand fits around their little diaper covered butts...

What's not to love? But then again, I stopped at 3 because I knew I didn't want to deal with any more tweens or teens. Now I have the best gig ever in the "parenthood sweepstakes"...grandma. Spoil them rotten, send them home. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

56 minutes ago, TuringMachine said:

Well she seems to have hinted that they will now have the same first letter, so I'm going back to my original guess of Zion and Zeal.

Hmm. Well my guesses must be wrong then. I guessed Gideon and Phineas. If they have the same first letter, I will have to think on that. Maybe Gideon and Gabriel? Phineas and Phillip? 

Now I just don’t know. I don’t like matching twin names. I hope they aren’t too matchy.

[Red Hair, Black Dress]

Worst matching twin names of which I have actual eyes-on knowledge = Eric and Erica. The mom thought it was soooooo cute and creative she could give them the boy/ girl version of the same name.

2nd worst set  = Lana ad Dana. Pronounced to rhyme Lay-na and Day-na.

3rd worst set = Kim and Kandy -- identical, so identical even their mother had serious trouble telling them apart. Bright, bright red curly hair, ton of freckles, always dressed in matching outfits.

[JermajestyDuggar]

3 minutes ago, Red Hair, Black Dress said:

Worst matching twin names of which I have actual eyes-on knowledge = Eric and Erica. The mom thought it was soooooo cute and creative she could give them the boy/ girl version of the same name.

2nd worst set  = Lana ad Dana. Pronounced to rhyme Lay-na and Day-na.

3rd worst set = Kim and Kandy -- identical, so identical even their mother had serious trouble telling them apart. Bright, bright red curly hair, ton of freckles, always dressed in matching outfits.

If you look up the most popular twin names, almost all of them match in some way. I hate it.

[medimus]

9 minutes ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

If you look up the most popular twin names, almost all of them match in some way. I hate it.

This gets me every time. WHy, why do people do this and so many people too that they are the most popular twin names!

[JermajestyDuggar]

59 minutes ago, medimus said:

This gets me every time. WHy, why do people do this and so many people too that they are the most popular twin names!

I assume they think it’s cute. But it sucks that people are already treating twins like a unit before they are even born. I don’t think parents do this to be mean or hurtful. But it is treating them like a unit before they are even outside of your body. I’m sure most twin parents try to treat their twin children like two separate people. But naming them with matching names encourages others to treat them like a unit. Especially if they are the same sex like Braggie’s. Look at Jana and JD. Since they are male and female, they are treated much less like a unit that Jeremiah and Jedidiah. Even though they are all fraternal. Braggie already treats Evie and Nola like a unit. I’m sure she will treat these boys the same way. 

[SuperNova]

Worst twin names I've heard are Albert and Delbert. Delbert is awful.

39 minutes ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

Braggie already treats Evie and Nola like a unit. I’m sure she will treat these boys the same way. 

I have a raging narc brother who doesn't actually see anyone as an individual separate from how he sees them. He's been reconnecting with some out of state family members on FB and found some cousins who are twins. He immediately struck up a friendship with them based solely on that fact. The last time I saw him he brought them up every chance he got and only referred to them as "the twins". I asked what their names were and he couldn't remember because its simply an unimportant detail to him. They are "the twins", nevermind that they're grown women who live in different cities with families of their own.

People like my brother and Abbie don't see people for what actually makes them special, rather they like collecting people like toys. Abbie's poor multiples will always be "the twins" or twinbies or twunks or twirlies, or whatever other stupid name she's dreamed up.

[catlady]

I don’t know anyone IRL with poorly chosen twin names, but I did have an old friend with two non-twin kids and named them Michelle and Michael; I think they were a year apart.
 
Ann Landers and Dear Abby’s real names were Esther Pauline and Pauline Esther.  

[JermajestyDuggar]

4 minutes ago, catlady said:

I don’t know anyone IRL with poorly chosen twin names, but I did have an old friend with two non-twin kids and named them Michelle and Michael; I think they were a year apart.
 
Ann Landers and Dear Abby’s real names were Esther Pauline and Pauline Esther.  

Let’s hope they didn’t call her Polly Esther. 

I always talk about my twin extended family members who were treated like a unit and had a controlling father. Therefore they never married and always lived at home until their parents died. And then they still lived together and even slept in the same bed into their 80s. Their names were extremely similar. Similar to Emma Kathleen and Emily Katherine. They are the reason I would never treat twins like a unit. They were lovely women and I wish they could have led separate lives. 

[So-Virgin-It-Hurts]

Over the years I've come across several twin sets with an A and a B name; think Adam and Brian or Ashley and Britney. I always assumed that the parents chose names to go with 'twin A' and twin B.'

Edited August 12, 2020 by So-Virgin-It-Hurts
extra letter

[JanasTattooParlor]

1 hour ago, catlady said:

I don’t know anyone IRL with poorly chosen twin names, but I did have an old friend with two non-twin kids and named them Michelle and Michael; I think they were a year apart.

I’ve known someone like this too! My friend was part of a twin pair with matchy names for her and her brother but her two older siblings were Michael and Michelle. Braggie is going on an on in the comments to multiple people about how she hates matchy names usually but really loves the two names she picked and is making an exception. 

[Zommom]

For goodness sake, Abby. Wear clothes that fit your ever expanding pregnant body! My pregnant body cringed so hard for you. We know you refuse to wear supportive leggings for your varicose veins. At least wear loosely fitted pants (if you must wear pants.) I’m sure Martyr Abby is getting aaalllll the love now, and that’s what she likes. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

I had all the usual pregnancy issues. Except I didn’t swell a ton. I swelled some, but it never got crazy. I already felt like a beached whale. Major swelling would have made it so much worse.

[SuperNova]

3 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

Let’s hope they didn’t call her Polly Esther. 

Me and Mr Nova had a good laugh at this. 

What is it with Abbie and showing off her legs? I can't imagine that anyone really cares. Stop the presses. A pregnant woman has swollen legs. Whoopdee doo. 

[SassyPants]

2 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

I had all the usual pregnancy issues. Except I didn’t swell a ton. I swelled some, but it never got crazy. I already felt like a beached whale. Major swelling would have made it so much worse.

My kids were both Summer babies, and both overdue. I remember with my first the only shoes I owned that still fit, no longer fit on my right foot. I literally wore it as a flip flop, with only my toes in the shoe itself. At about the 42.5 week mark, I actually kicked the car door with that partially clad foot, that’s how tired I was of being PG. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

37 minutes ago, SassyPants said:

My kids were both Summer babies, and both overdue. I remember with my first the only shoes I owned that still fit, no longer fit on my right foot. I literally wore it as a flip flop, with only my toes in the shoe itself. At about the 42.5 week mark, I actually kicked the car door with that partially clad foot, that’s how tired I was of being PG. 

Before I had kids, I could squeeze into size 10 shoes. Now they are officially size 11 feet. 

[Red Hair, Black Dress]

I actually know someone who named his daughter Polly Esther (truth I swear). Polly Esther was his beloved grandmother's name.  She was always known as Polly Esther.

Several of us tried and tried and tried to get him to understand "polyester."  He did not. He truly could not see it as anything other than his grandmother's name.  Thank Rufus the child was just called Polly. 

I knew someone else who did the name after grandmothers thing. Her daughter was Hattie Mattie after 2 grandmothers (truth I swear). Fortunately called Hattie.

Then there was a years ago co-worker named for her father. Not a feminized version of his name like Robertine or Earletta  (girls I knew in high school).

Nope. My co-worker wasn't so lucky. She was literally named for her father who wanted a boy in the worst way. She was Frank MaleMiddleName LastName, Jr. Known as Frankie to her friends and Frank Junior to her family

My co-worker told us her family insisted on calling her Frank Jr because she was Frank Jr and they needed to distinguish between her and her father. She said it never occurred to them they could call her something (anything) else.  Because it was so so so so important to her father that he have a Frank Jr and she was it.

I'm telling ya, you can't make this stuff up..

[Peaches-n-Beans]

2 hours ago, Red Hair, Black Dress said:

I actually know someone who named his daughter Polly Esther (truth I swear). Polly Esther was his beloved grandmother's name.  She was always known as Polly Esther.

Several of us tried and tried and tried to get him to understand "polyester."  He did not. He truly could not see it as anything other than his grandmother's name.  Thank Rufus the child was just called Polly. 

I knew someone else who did the name after grandmothers thing. Her daughter was Hattie Mattie after 2 grandmothers (truth I swear). Fortunately called Hattie.

Then there was a years ago co-worker named for her father. Not a feminized version of his name like Robertine or Earletta  (girls I knew in high school).

Nope. My co-worker wasn't so lucky. She was literally named for her father who wanted a boy in the worst way. She was Frank MaleMiddleName LastName, Jr. Known as Frankie to her friends and Frank Junior to her family

My co-worker told us her family insisted on calling her Frank Jr because she was Frank Jr and they needed to distinguish between her and her father. She said it never occurred to them they could call her something (anything) else.  Because it was so so so so important to her father that he have a Frank Jr and she was it.

I'm telling ya, you can't make this stuff up..

Personally I see myself as only having one child and for some reason in my mind that child is always a boy but he would be Hershel James, after no one in particular. If i had a girl i have no names picked out but I don't see myself going for the grandmothers thing cause that would be either Robin Florence or Florence Robin, neither of which I much care for. 

And yes, I'm at least 10 years away from a baby (I want to get into and through med school first and then finish my residency before i even consider it) but I have already thought about names XD

[Snarkasarus Rex]

I know a Jeffica...yes her dad’s name is Jeff. I thought he had a speech impediment the first time he told me her name?.

[Hane]

In my local paper, a woman wrote a sweet piece about how happy she was to be a mother and how much she loved her twin girls she named...wait for it...Lynn and Linda.

[Alisamer]

19 hours ago, Red Hair, Black Dress said:

Worst matching twin names of which I have actual eyes-on knowledge = Eric and Erica. The mom thought it was soooooo cute and creative she could give them the boy/ girl version of the same name.

I work with a Donald whose twin sister is named Donna. So creative. I also know a Timothy and Anthony pair, and an Angela and Allison pair, which I think work OK, match but not TOO matchy. I know that the parents of the girls didn't know there were twins until they were born and thought it was just one boy, so they get a little slack I think for picking names with a matching initial. 

I like coordinating but not too matchy twin names, personally. 

I'm past the option of having kids but if I had I'd have used names from my grandparents and great grandparents. There were a few great ones there to choose from (despite my favorite - True - recently being used by a Kardashian or something).

[danvillebelle]

I went to school with a Mitchell and Michelle, and a Stacy and Tracy (both boys).  If I had twins they would NOT have matching names in any way shape or form.