The history of Sadie's name

Those of you who know me well, or have known me for a long time, know that I'm not a big fan of doing what everybody else does. I have always wanted to be different, even if it was just a little bit different. So, naturally, when it came to naming my baby, I didn't want a popular name. When she got to school I didn't want her to have to go by her first name and last initial, or last name, just to distinguish her from 2 or 3 other girls in the class. Therefore names like Sophie, Lily, or Emma were out...as beautiful as they are.

Sadie was the perfect name (after many weeks of deliberation) because nobody would think it's odd or strange, nobody would spell it wrong (well, most people don't anyway), but probably nobody else in her class would be named Sadie either. It's like the name Simon. You don't think of Simon as an uncommon name... but how many people do you know personally with that name? Probably not many.

Also... when Brian and I were first married we talked (somewhat jokingly) about naming our children after Beatles songs. So, we were trying to decide between Jolie (Jo-Jo) or Sadie. Sexy Sadie was the winner, even though that song is weird and totally about the Maharishi. Still, it's a good name!

And for her middle name? Mae. Because it's my middle name. Because it was my great-grandma's name. Because it's a family name.

You can imagine my disappointment lately when I've realized that a lot of little girls born in 2010 and 2011 have the middle name Mae. It's like girls my age whose middle names are Lynne, or Ann.

But I stick by my little girl's name; Sadie Mae, because it's a good name. It's a pretty name, it somehow exudes royalty, while still maintaining some hill-billiness. And I love that her grandpa calls her Sadie-Mae (like it's all one name) the way my family members call me Christie-Mae.

It's tradition, and it's awesome...and it's still somewhat different, because a lot of people are spelling Mae with a Y (May). And I still love people's reactions when I tell them my daughter's name. I love the look of surprise and delight, and every once in a while, I can tell that they wish they had thought of that name for their daughter.

PS. Dear Prudence is a sweeter song, but...