If we aren’t using one for our other children? My first 3 kids have names that didn’t really nickname - [name]Paul[/name], [name]Clare[/name], [name]Mark[/name]. They were also informal enough to work on a daily basis. Sure they had ever-changing pet names but with the exception of a -y tagged on the end from time to time their names were left alone. Then we had [name]Katharine[/name] whom we planned on calling [name]Kate[/name]. That -y habit meant she became [name]Katie[/name]. [name]Paul[/name]'s, [name]Clare[/name]'s, and [name]Mark[/name]'s names hadn’t been too popular, but I had a hard time with all the Katies/Kates of all ages that we ran into. So when she was around 3 I started calling her by her full name and encouraged my older kids to do the same; around that time dh started calling her [name]Kat[/name]. Now a year and half-later, she calls herself [name]Katharine[/name] and loves her name. The other kids do as well with occasional slip-ups to [name]Katie[/name] but she is happy to correct them =) DH still calls her [name]Kat[/name] as a pet name but even he now uses [name]Katharine[/name] some, but it’s not something he would have picked – this makes picking another name difficult as I want it to work with her name and dh needs to love it too. (Our baby is [name]James[/name] and we use his full name.)
So when picking our next girls name I’ve run into a snag. DH likes to use nicknames but I feel like it would be strange to use one now. For example, we both like [name]Elizabeth[/name]. DH loves the idea of [name]Libby[/name] and thinks using the full name for [name]Elizabeth[/name] all the time is odd. I love the full name but do think it would be strange to tell dh not to use a nickname for a 4-syllable name so rich in nicknames and [name]Libby[/name] is a nice nickname. But, I’m imaging it’d be easy for her to be a fulltime [name]Libby[/name]. Also [name]Libby[/name] doesn’t seem as interchangeable with [name]Elizabeth[/name] as [name]Kat[/name] is with [name]Katharine[/name]. Does that makes the clash between sisters [name]Libby[/name] and [name]Katharine[/name] strange? DH doesn’t see any issues with this as her name will be [name]Elizabeth[/name].
The other option is to pick a name like [name]Grace[/name] or [name]Sarah[/name] that don’t shorten as easily but dh finds them a bit plain compared to [name]Elizabeth[/name] nn [name]Libby[/name]. He does like the name [name]Lucy[/name] but then I run into similar issues as it sounds a bit nicknamey next to Katharine’s name. And visually [name]Elizabeth[/name] does provide balance when writing out their names on cards, etc.
I would go with [name]Laura[/name] [name]Elizabeth[/name] as [name]Laura[/name] is a brilliant match with [name]Clare[/name], [name]Paul[/name] and [name]Mark[/name]. Dad gets his [name]Libby[/name] as a nn just because he likes it a lot, and everyone else can nn her [name]Lori[/name].
rollo
PS We had a [name]Margaret[/name] who was [name]Jane[/name], [name]Margot[/name], [name]Gert[/name] and [name]Jodie[/name] and there was no problem about having different nn’s in the family for the same person.
We’re using [name]Laura[/name] as a middle name because it’s my name. I’ve wanted to give it as a middle name to one of my girls because [name]Laura[/name]/[name]Lawrence[/name] is all over both of our family trees and I’ve liked it so much. But, [name]Laura[/name] is really difficult to use as a middle name especially with our two-syllable last name. [name]One[/name] of the big advantages to [name]Elizabeth[/name] is that it sounds nice with [name]Laura[/name].
I actually was never called my [name]Lori[/name] or any other nickname until I met my husband and he calls me Lo.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with [name]Elizabeth[/name]. [name]Andrew[/name] is longer than [name]Paul[/name], [name]Clare[/name], [name]Mark[/name], and [name]James[/name]. Maybe [name]Libby[/name] could be a nickname just dad calls her. [name]Just[/name] like [name]Katharine[/name] she’ll make up her mind what she wants to be called when she’s older. I don’t see it as that strange for one family member to go by a child’s whole name and another use a nickname. I think a long name like [name]Elizabeth[/name] goes well with your other children’s names.
[name]Andrew[/name] has seemed so perfect. I know dh will call him [name]Drew[/name] but [name]Andrew[/name] and [name]Drew[/name] seem really interchangable and I can imagine him being called both.
I’m glad to see a vote of confidence as I think dh will be bummed if I take [name]Elizabeth[/name] out of the top spot. [name]Grace[/name] is our next mutual favorite and it doesn’t excite him too much.
I think it’s fine and that you’re over thinking it a bit… each person is an individual and shouldn’t bee seen as a set anyway, so go with the name you love
I think it’s perfectly fine, and [name]Elizabeth[/name] [name]Laura[/name] is lovely. I’m one of four kids and only my one sister has an official middle name, since her first name is really long. We never thought it was weird
[name]Elizabeth[/name] and [name]Andrew[/name] are wonderful names. I don’t see [name]Libby[/name] for [name]Elizabeth[/name] being that big of a stretch. [name]Don[/name]'t worry, she won’t get confused.
[name]Beth[/name] is actually one of my favorites. I made the “mistake” of telling dh about [name]Libby[/name] and he loves it.
I know I’m overthinking! I’ve been trying to find the perfect girl’s name for the past 6 months and I’m still not pregnant. I think I just find our boy name perfect that I want the girl’s name to be awesome as well – both on it’s own and with her sibling’s names. The name is more important to me than the set. I just don’t want to repeat the scenario with Katharine where I “change” what we called her after the fact.
