That's MY name too!

[caption id="attachment_478" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Getting the giggles"][/caption]

One day when Ellie was maybe 3 or possibly 4, she announced that she no longer wanted to be called, "Betsi".  It was a "sad" name she informed us.  I had read in Mutant Messenger Down Under how the aboriginal people often chose a new name when they were entering a new era of their lives.  We were hopeful that Ellie was signifying that she was entering a whole new possibly less medically oriented era.  (It worked for awhile.)

When I named my daughter, Elisabeth, part of the reason I loved this classic, strong, beautiful name was because there are so many options for nicknames.  Beth, Elisa, Elsbeth, Lisa, Liz, Betsi, Ellie, Zeba.  So, Ellie took it as free reign to come up

[caption id="attachment_477" align="alignright" width="300" caption="More giggles"][/caption]

with a different name all of the time.  For example, one day we were in the grocery store and Ellie asked someone her name.  The woman responded that her name was Donna, to which Ellie, with much enthusiasm and excitement responded, "That's MY name too!"  Both Ellie and Donna were so excited by their mutual name, that I couldn't break it to Donna that Ellie's name was NOT actually Donna.

Every time we would go to the hospital, Ellie would arrive with a different name.  Then the name began to grow.  First, Zeba (means "beautiful" in Persian according to our friend Sezgi).  Then Zeba Beba Donna Sandy.  (Donna was from the Grease song line "as for you Troy Donnahue" and Sandy was after the main character.)  To this day, some of the doctors check in to see what Ellie's most recent name is so they will address her correctly.

[caption id="attachment_131" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Falling over laughing"][/caption]

Here is a poem, written by Ellie's granddad (my dad) about her love of changing names.  It's entitled, "Granddaughter's Name"

When she was born we called her "Betsi" at first.  But soon for a new name she began to thirst.  Should she be limited to just one name?  Or have it changed or leave it the same?

She decide that "Zeba" was what she wanted to be.   A name she felt was happy and filled her with glee.

When she asks people "What's your name?"  They respond and ask her the same.  Granddaughter tells them its Mary or Betty Lou.  The name she gives is always one that is new.

Inventing new names becomes quite a game.  What's her name?  It's never quite the same.  Whatever her name is, I want her to know, she's my sweet granddaughter and I love her so.

When Ellie was undergoing chemotherapy, we ordered a song for her which included much mention of her changing names from "Songs of Love" (www.songsoflove.com)  Here is her song lyrics and you can click on the link to hear it http://njoybooks.com/huggle/sol.htm.

[caption id="attachment_487" align="alignright" width="300" caption="serious giggles"][/caption]

At the end of the namechanging era, Ellie asked if she could be "Trisha".  Now I went to high school with a Trisha who apparently had a sordid reputation.  My friend Kelly Kitchen told me that I should not under any circumstances befriend Trisha because I might get a reputation by association (that kind of thing happens in Kearney, Missouri, home of Jesse James.)  That was when I finally said that Trisha was not any variation of Elisabeth and maybe just maybe we could find a name that was a true nickname of Elisabeth. 

First, we decided on the name "Ella", which lasted for maybe a few months.  Then, when Besti Zeba Beba Donna Sandy Ella realized that her name could rhyme with her friend, Kelly, she decided she really wanted to be Ellie.  Then, when we suggested "Ellie" could stand for LE or Love Extraordinaire (what she truly is to us), Ellie was committed.  Although when we are around family or friends who have known Ellie all her life, they have no heck baby fire* idea what to call her.  Not to worry, Ellie is not afraid to kindly remind the individual of her most recent and most lasting name since the Betsi era.

Recently the topic of the day at school was what name the children would like to have if they could be called anything.  Ellie decided that she did not want to change her name, she liked Ellie.  She's already been there and done that, many many many times.

*an Ellie term created several years ago