Friend gave birth to their daughter a week ago. Announces name at birth, the name is beautiful but not overly common: Paloma MoreOriginalMiddleName.
Lol, today her sister announced the name of their upcoming baby and it's the exact same as my friend's kid name. Friend discloses that middle name is a surname from her H's family, so it's even weirder that her sister and her H decided to use it.
Friend finds out this morning on FB, and her mother calls Friend upset because she thinks the sister's move is in poor taste. Apparently, the mother tried to explain this to the sister and the sister responded that they've recently ordered monogramming so it can't change, but Friend can always change the birth certificate.
FTR, Friend isn't upset, she's more eyerolly and thinks it's weird. Her sister has always been weirdly competitive, so it's not completely out of the blue. She does wish her mom would calm down about it because she just wants to have zen right now with the new baby and doesn't want to get wrapped up in drama about something that's not going to change.
Also - this is the second time her sister announced the name for this baby, originally the name was Candice.
I think in hindsight I would be ok with it, because you can't claim names and all that jazz, but I'm pretty sure 1 week pp I would have probably cried over this or would have had some other sort of drama llama reaction.
My thoughts are that this is really fucking weird. I'm trying to imagine my reaction if my sister announced that her baby, due in December, would be named L's name. I don't even know. What can you do? I guess nothing, but really, how bizarre.
At least friend's baby was born first? Sister will always look like the idiot she is.
ETA- Also, I sound pretty breezay about this, but I wouldn't be, not at all, especially one week PP. Friends of ours used the name we were planning on giving a boy as their son's middle name, and now I'm not even sure I still want to use it if we ever have a boy because it makes me feel weird. I cannot comprehend this level of nutty imitation.
the mother tried to explain this to the sister and the sister responded that they've recently ordered monogramming so it can't change, but Friend can always change the birth certificate.
LOL.
This makes the sister look like a total nutjob, TBH. I'm all in the "you can't claim names" camp and I don't think it's the end of the world for cousins to have the same name. BUT. Still. Especially with the middle name.
I just cannot understand why the sister would want to name her kid the exact same name. How does she not see how weird that is. Of all the names you can possibly pick, you pick an identical name to your sister's kid? Wtf?
I think it's really weird, and I would probably casually comment that "since the cousins will have the same name, we'll have to come up with a cute nickname so they'll know who we're talking to. I know! Mine will be Paloma and yours will be Paloma 2."
And I am eye rolling and WTFing that sister saying that friend can just change her kid's birth certificate since that is easier than just ordering new monogrammed stuff.
That is just bizarre. I can imagine when Paloma the Second is older - "Mom, how did you decide on my name?" "Well, honey, we 100% straight up stole it from your cousin. No significance for us whatsoever. But don't you love it?"
I'd be really surprised and probably more than a little hurt because it seems so aggressive. But with nicknames and such, it might end up a moo point, especially since middle names are rarely used. (I'm not sure I even know my nephew's). It makes the second sister just look weird in the end.
I would probably be upset but then be feeling really smug when I pictured all our mutual friends and family realizing what a nutcase she was to use the exact same name.
I would find a way to post pictures or bring them to the next family gathering and make a point of saying "oh look, it's H's great grandpa name, wouldn't he be so thrilled that his great great granddaughter was named after him? oh, and gggranddaughter's cousin."
Your friend is handling it well, I'd probably laugh it off as well.
I already feel sorry for the sister's child. ALREADY. Poor second Paloma. She's going to spend her entire life being forced by her psycho mother to compete with first Paloma over everything.