My Joy is Bright

I believe that names are important, whether naming people, pets, entities, etc. I'm always interested in the origins and I am intentional about correct pronunciations. What we call something is what it is and what it becomes. My mother told me the origin of my name when I was  a small child and it has always been a symbol of pride for me. I was named after the mother of John the Baptist, Jesus's cousin, and my name means, "consecrated to God" or "oath of God". Anytime someone says my name, they are declaring my dedication to God. My dog, Isis, was named after the Egyptian goddess, and she represents the royal throne.

Throughout my pregnancy, people asked me the baby's name, and I kept it a secret.  Some people made assumptions. One friend said I would probably honor someone close to me. Another friend said that the name would be meaningful based on how much thought I put into naming my dog and other entities. My mother said if I had a girl, her name should be LaVerne because that's her middle name. I kept telling her my baby would not have that old lady name. The funny thing is that they were all on the right track.

I've had baby names in my head since I was a kid playing MASH. The names have changed many times over the years, but they were always there ready to be called into action. In the latest iteration, I knew that I wanted a name meaning light, and if I had a girl, her middle name would be Abigail in tribute to my mother. Abigail means "My father's joy", which is how I arrived at the nickname Baby Joy. While preparing for IVF, I had an idea for a girl's name, which would mean, "Radiant Joy". The boy's name came to me later in the process as I searched for names with a similar meaning.

My joys

After the unwanted gender reveal, I knew I wouldn't be using the girl name on my list. My doctor asked if I said the name when talking to the baby in private, and I said no. I would either say "little one" or "my joy".

I always wanted my baby to be the first to hear their name, so I didn't say his name until we were alone a few hours after birth. I told him he is Ayomi Zavier, which means "My joy is bright". Days later, after we arrived home, I held him up under the night sky for a private naming ceremony and told him he will shine like the stars.

Ayomi
Meaning: My joy
Pronunciation: ah-yo-mee
Origin: Yoruba (Nigeria/west Africa)

Zavier
Meaning: Bright
Pronunciation: ZAY-vEE-Er
Origin: Arabic