We welcomed [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] Ivaloo just minutes before sunrise on [name_u]June[/name_u] 13th. Big sister [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] [name_f]Maeve[/name_f] is already obsessed, asking “what’s wrong with my baby?” every time her little sister makes a peep.
[name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] is pulling double/triple duty, named for my SO’s grandmother ([name_f]Bette[/name_f]) and great aunt ([name_f]Beverly[/name_f]) and grandfather ([name_m]Irvin[/name_m]) (and we have since learned that her great grandmother was officially named [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f], but only went by the nickname [name_f]Baila[/name_f]). We landed on [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] pretty quickly since it hit almost all of the things we wanted in a name: familiar but not popular, three syllables, lots of nickname potential ([name_f]Bea[/name_f], [name_f]Trixie[/name_f], [name_m]Bix[/name_m], Beats), and a lovely meaning (“she who brings happiness” or “blessed voyager” depending on your source). We think it goes pretty well with [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] as well (in addition to the above, both names have been used by various royals for centuries). So far it fits her perfectly, though we did not anticipate so many people confusing it for [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f].
Ivaloo is inspired by a song of the same name by The Submarines. As described by the band, the song imagines the future of a friend’s young daughter, named after the street on which they all once lived near [name_m]Boston[/name_m]. My wife walked down the aisle at our wedding to another song by the same band (Swimming Pool). Ivaloo doesn’t have its own entry on Nameberry (maybe it should!), but [name_f]Ivalo[/name_f] does. When we learned that [name_f]Princess[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] of Denmark had middle names of both [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] and [name_f]Ivalo[/name_f], it felt pre-ordained. Lots of people have had questions about Ivaloo already, including an administrator at the hospital who called both my wife and me individually to confirm the spelling and make sure we wanted to go with that name on the birth certificate!
We’re feeling particularly fortunate that the baby emerged as a [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f]; we still hadn’t decided on a boy’s name at the time of her birth!
