The three people who changed my world…

Introducing (from youngest to oldest, left to right)…Megan, Noah and Emily…otherwise known on my blog as Bones, Spiderman and The Tall Blonde. The three people who changed my world…

Six years ago when I began this blog, I wasn’t quite sure how my words were going to unfold…and how those words would affect my children. So, in order to protect them, I used nicknames and didn’t show their faces (early posts will show my children in helmets or with their backs turned.) As time went on, things changed. This blog has made me a kinder person and quite likely a better mother…I’ve grown.

And so have they.

Last week, I was writing a post about Memorial University (on the blog in the next few days) and as I started to use Noah’s nickname of “Spiderman,” I realized it didn’t quite fit…and in a few month’s time as he packs his bags to go to university, it might not be a name he’s interested in bringing with him.

My children have embraced the names on this blog and turn their heads to answer when people use them. Many a times Emily has been asked “Are you the Tall Blonde?” At volleyball, Megan can often hear “GO BONES” being called from the sideline by parents and even her coach uses it to get her attention. And Noah…he’s been called “Spiderman” his entire life…so it’s no surprise for him to hear it.

So…where did their names come from…

Emily Rebecca was named after my Aunt Mary Lou Eady. Yeah…that makes no sense does it! Well, Mary Lou signs all of her letters, emails and cards with her initials, mle! The Rebecca part…I went to Catholic School in Newfoundland with a young girl by the name of Rebecca Sherman…she was feisty, independent, tough, bold…she spoke her mind…all things I wanted for my daughter when I named her. The nickname, The Tall Blonde…Emily was about 13 years old when there was a knock on our front door and two young boys stood there and asked, “Does the tall blonde live here?”

Noah became Spiderman before he was born. I wrote about the story of loss and love a few years back…you can read about it here. His real name, Noah, to be 100% honest…he was named after the guy who drove the ark! His middle name is Christopher…named after a wonderful man from Chester, Christopher Walker, who passed away before Noah was born…the greatest sailor there ever was. So, essentially, Noah is named after two awesome sailors!

Megan Kate was named after no one and I think that sometimes bothers her. However, I put great thought into her name…more thought than I did with the other two. I wanted her to be unique…to have her own name…all hers and no one else’s and believe me, with a large family, it was tough to find a name that was just for her. As a toddler, she thought her name was “Baking Cake!” Her nickname, Bones, that came from her ultrasound when all I could see was a bunch of bones and for my entire pregnancy, she was lovingly referred to as Bones. Ironically, she should probably be called The Tall Blonde as it turns out, she has a good inch on her older sister!

I will likely continue to use their nicknames as they’re part of this blog and part of our lives now…but also, I want to be able to use the names I gave them when they were born. So, this is the big reveal! I started to show their faces a few years ago and you’ve read multiple stories from childhood through the teen years and into adulthood…with more to come! You’ve been part of our lives…part of watching my children grow…and now, you know their names.

I am incredibly proud of my children, Emily, Noah and Megan. It is my greatest joy in life…that they call me Mom.