Baby Names

I don't usually watch Oprah. To be honest, I think she is quite overrated. But I do think it's nice that she is rich and knows how to share her wealth.

There really aren't any good reasons why I don't particularly like her. Maybe it isn't so much that I don't like Oprah...I just feel sort of "meh" where she is concerned. Last week, I had to watch her show because she was featuring Helen and Ellen...the two sweet ladies who founded The Love Kitchen in Knoxville, Tennessee 25 years ago. I met these ladies in October and they were absolutely delightful! Helen and Ellen are twin sisters born five minutes apart and are in their 80's, still running the kitchen that reaches out to the community, feeding hungry stomachs and souls with food cooked along with plenty of love. Oprah's show was not a disappointment. She blessed The Love Kitchen with enough money to provide new appliances and coordinated with Kroger to donate LOTS of food for their cause. The show was a blessing! And then I saw the promo for another show that peaked my interest...so I watched yet again.

From my hometown, Columbus, Ohio, a couple with sextuplets were on Oprah's show. They looked adorable as their parents rolled them out in a giant stroller onto the stage in Chicago. The six babies - Olivia, Madison, Rozonno Jr., Josiah, Elijah, and Isaac - were born to Mia and Rozonno McGhee in June of 2010. The babies came after Mia had taken fertility drugs. Watching that show helped me to admire the mom and dad who prepare 24 bottles and change 36 diapers each day! "That's a lot of dung!" to quote one of my favorite SNL commercials for Oops! I Crapped My Pants Adult Diapers.

Some people have a terrible time picking out a name for one baby...much less six of them! I've known parents who take so much time picking out a name that the kid has popped out and is ready to go home from the hospital before it has a name! Some baby names are from the Bible...some from family names...some from celebrities. I heard just today that a couple recently named their first child "facebook" and figure they must have a problem leaving social networking behind. I wonder if the kid's name will be all lower case letters to stay true to it's namesake.

When our daughter was born, we named her Hannah Elizabeth. Her father chose that name five years before her birth because of the barrenness I had experienced early in our marriage, knowing that God would be faithful to give us a child. A son would be named after him. He would have had Joe's middle name "Sturm"...and a daughter would have my middle name "Elizabeth." This beautiful girl is known as Hannah to most, but also by Hannah Beth, which I think sounds rather lyrical.

Seeing the babies on Oprah this week made me think about the time I was on fertility drugs and our doctor explained to us the possibility of multiple births. He was from China and had a thick accent, which made it all the more difficult for my hard-of-hearing hubby to understand.


Dr. Lin: Fertility drugs can result in multiple births.

Hubby: Multiple births?

Dr. Lin: Yes, for instance twins...

Hubby: You mean two babies?!?

Dr. Lin: That's what twins are.


Maybe you had to be there. Anyway, it made for a giggle or two during my fertility treatment. Then my hubby decided that maybe we should pick names for more than one baby. He said he'd pick first and was certain I would love the names he chose: Winter, Ever and Forest. Winter Green, Ever Green, Forest Green.

And if we had quadruplets? Gang. Gang Green.

Maybe that's the reason God let us have only one child. He didn't like the names either.



Always remember: if you have a pulse, you have a purpose...so make your life count!