You don't really need to know all this stuff, but it occurred to me that I might not remember all the details of how we chose their names years from now. I've also considered writing down their birth stories, but don't worry---I won't publish those if I do!! :-)
Flora Nell
By all rights, Flora should have been named Tatum. As I went into labor for the very first time, Tatum was #1 on our short list of favorite girl names. However, we weren't ready to commit to the name and packed our book of baby names in our hospital bag. As I tried to relax after receiving my epidural, Chris thumbed through the book and read off potential names. I was intrigued when he suggested Flora, but more interested in the name Farris. Things got crazy at that point and before we knew it we had a new baby girl with no name. Baby Girl Borkert spent most of her hospital stay in the neonatal intensive care unit because of jaundice and the amused NICU nurses offered their opinions and suggestions. When the time came to choose a name (they brought me the birth certificate paperwork and said we couldn't check out of the hospital until I filled it out) we agreed on Flora. And I love it. Flora is a Flora, not a Tatum or any of the other names we had picked out. We just didn't know it until we'd met her. Of course, there is a small population of those in the medical field who might have less than flowery associations with the name, but that doesn't bother me.
The only thing we knew for sure before Flora was born was that her middle name would be Nell. Nell was my grandmother's middle name, my mom's middle name, and part of my middle name (my middle name, Janelle, is a combination of my paternal grandmother's middle name, Jane, and my maternal grandmother's middle name, Nell). Nell is cute, quaint, and goes perfect with the name Flora.
Scout Emerson
Scout was always Scout. We went through the motions of pouring over baby books and making lists of favorite names, but I think we both knew that this baby didn't have a chance of being anything other than Scout. The debate rages as to who actually suggested the name first. The points on which Chris and I can agree are 1) the name was inspired by the old Scout International jeep-like vehicles (NOT the book To Kill a Mockingbird --- I didn't even like that book) and 2) we talked about the name LONG before we ever had kids. Maybe even before we got married. Shane also has a friend named Scout, and while I don't like to admit being influenced by others, it probably helped to solidify the name in our minds. All I know is that my little boy has always been Scout. He's not a dog (although that mistake is understandable) and he's not a girl (this mistake is NOT understandable --- all Scouts should be boys). He's just our cute little red-headed, blue-eyed, left-handed Scout.
It's a good thing we had Scout's name picked out before leaving for the hospital because there was no leisurely, pain-free wait for him to be born. With no time for an epidural, the baby name book stayed in the suitcase during labor and delivery. We knew he was Scout and had his middle name narrowed down to either Gideon or Emerson. Gideon, a nice strong Biblical character, or Emerson, a 19th century American Transcendentalist writer with questionable theology. Chris liked both names and let me make the final decision. In the end, phrases like "hitch your wagon to a star" and "envy is ignorance; imitation is suicide" made me choose the name Emerson. He became one of my favorite writers in high school and I still love to read his essays. It may sound like I chose Self-Reliance over the Bible, but not really. I just like the name. It works better with Scout than Gideon does, and it comes with the advantage of some inspiring quotes to hang on Scout's wall someday. Anyway, it's better than saying I named him after my VCR, which is also an Emerson.
Flora Nell and Scout Emerson. Chris and I are very happy with their names and since we are the parents, that's all that really matters!
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