1.2.3 - How they got their names

Everyone has been wondering how my sons got their name...esp the middle name.

Bernard and I haven't quite selected the boys' name just coz they are the 'names of the moments' or coz they sound nice. For every name we shortlisted, we actually go look at the meaning of the names to see if that's something we like.

Bernard had other criterias too...the initials..how they add up with the surnames. No names starting with F. No names starting with B (even though his own name starts with a B!).

Other restrictions apply. No names similar to people whom we don't like. Or try as much as we can not to name our kids the same as our friends.

We must have shortlisted and then delisted many names as a result. Eg James. Aaron. Ewan.

Ethan - Strong and Firm. In a way, traits that i see lacking in myself. So i give to him. Looking at him now, perhaps a little too firm for my liking.

Oliver - By then, I thought I will be as lucky as my mum to have a boy followed by a girl. Well, turned out I was wrong. And I didn't come across any names that I like enough. I still remember post finding out of baby's gender - i scanned through all the names website and called Bernard up really upset - there are no names left for your second son! Well, I did like Benedict. But Bernard didn't like it coz it starts with a B. And of course a friend had to joke about bended dicks. I actually was still fairly insistent on it till my best friend said : no way, think Benedict Goh. Okay...so out of the window. Oliver was a name suggested by Benny and Audrey. I didn't quite like it initially coz it just meant Olive Tree. Why would I want my son to be like a tree. In the end, I looked beyond the literal meaning and that it really has something to do with Peace.

Jonathan - God's gift. This boy is special. He came so easily for us...and yet caused me a lot of stress with the staining and the triple blood test results. He's a gift and a blessing to us. And I broke my own rule about not naming my sons the same as our friends. Of cos, by the third son - the list of names left is really SHORT.

Why Lucas...coz Bern thought it's nice to have a middle name for the kids...and we really needed something to make Ethan's name a little more unique. We realised after deciding on Ethan that there were little Ethans everywhere! But we liked the name enough not to drop it. So how to make it more unique - add a middle name. Ethan was conceived at the tail end of mum's life journey. I can still remember how happy she looked when I announced to her that I"m pregnant. We were sitting at the dinning room in her house. She clasped her hands to her chest. Very very happy. Lucas - Bringer of light. And that's exactly what Ethan was to her. He brought so much joy to her at a time when she needed it most. He could lift her out of her cancer pains as she played with him. Subsequently, I guess the name just stuck for the rest. meaningful middle name. created a tradition for the boys to have the same name. But really, I would really like it if my boys can make a difference to someone in this world.

And so a blog is born...

Mid of 2010...i finally got my butt started on creating my own blog to just record thoughts, observations, milestones, happenings around me...in particularly relating to my family.

Female. Working wife and mom. Not too long ago, I've just given birth to my third baby. A boy. My third boy. As my gynae would tell me, I can now go around telling everyone " My 3 sons."

My youngest - Jonathan Lucas Ong (Wei-Zhe). My middle child - Oliver Lucas Ong (Ding-Xuan) and lastly, my first born - Ethan Lucas Ong (Kai-Jun).

I've not kept any journal of any sorts for them. or of any of my thoughts for a long long time. Some emails out to friends maybe...but non of the personal journal. So I thought with Jonathan's arrival, I will start this and make up for the lack of journals about the boys.

I had grand plans about kickstarting this during my maternity leave - but never got around to it, till now...when I'm almost at the end of it and going back to work part time. Better late than never...and fingers crossed that i'll keep at it.