Otis
Footballguy
I'm still negotiating hard against this. Baby was born almost 12hours ago and remains nameless as a result.
I started getting traction when I told Mrs. O, "honey, when we say her name, nobody is gonna know what the hell we are saying, and for all our lives and all hers, that's a communication gap we are going to have to navigate each and every time she is introduced." I told her I was ok with it if she really wants it, but that I was going to play a game where I record with a little check mark each time this issue arises.
While in the hospital, when asked what names we were considering (by the armada of nurses etc.), a number of times it was met with a quizzical look and "Marla?? Oh uh that's pretty," "oh like Trump's ex," and we would have to then repeat the name and people would be like "OHHHH MarLOWE. Got it." (At which point a couple of rare folks would say "oh I love that," others would sort of politely suggest a different name, but in each and every instance I would look at Mrs. O and smile and make a little check mark in the air). On the last such occasion, a nurse asked, "Milo??" Ever since then Mrs. O has been scrambling for alternatives. Which I have told her is a good idea as it will save her a lifetime of having to negotiate this madness. Just no reason to add this kind of complication to her life.
Leading favorite now is our 1B, Margaux. While susceptible to all sorts of spelling traps, at least it's not the kind of thing that is easily mispronounced by anyone with half a brain and more importantly, when you hear it, you don't mistake it for eleven different dog names and don't end up having to navigate an issue every time you introduce yourself.
