What's In A Name ?

When a woman is pregnant people often ask her if she's already chosen names for her unborn child. Having been pregnant 3 times I can't even count how many times I myself have been asked that very question. I don't feel that it is an invasive question at all but where I come from it's just not that simple.

It is within Jewish custom to name a baby after someone. While the Eastern European jews (Ashkenazim) name only for the dead, the Sephardic jews, who spread all over the Middle East after they were exiled from Spain, name for the living or the dead respectively. As a Sephardic jew your choices are limited. The 1st son/daughter born is named for the paternal grandparents & the next after the mother's side. There are exceptions however they are far & few between.

Most of the time the names involved are pretty generic. Like my oldest son, Joseph who is named for my father in law. Great name. Done.
Then there are the times where the names are, lets just say, a little more difficult to swallow. Either way though you do whatcha gotta do.

Which brings me to the point of this post.

July 2003
I was pregnant for the 2nd time. Joe, my oldest, was about to turn 2 in August & I had just been told I was having another boy. Not gonna lie. Was hoping it was a girl but being an only child I was elated at the thought of giving Joe a brother aka a best friend. My husband, on the other hand, had other things on his mind - the baby's name which would be named for my father, Uzi.


The Uzi (Hebrew: עוזי‎, officially cased as UZI) is a related family of open bolt, blowback-operated submachine guns. Smaller variants are considered to be machine pistols. The Uzi was one of the first weapons to use a telescoping bolt design which allows for the magazine to be housed in the pistol grip for a shorter weapon, a design not seen since the Japanese Type II machine pistol.
The first Uzi submachine gun was designed by Major Uziel Gal in the late 1940s.

Now I admit my father's name is not an easy one to live with, especially in this country. He has said this himself many a time & even suggested that I name my future son after my grandfather, Abraham, who never had a namesake. My husband loved the idea! I wouldn't hear of it. My father has one child. One chance for his legacy to be passed on. I would name the baby for him & that was my final answer.

December 14, 2003
After a 14hr, induced, labor at 4:03am Uziel Abraham Heaney was born & he was perfection. I was amazed at what a magnificent baby he was. It was at that moment that my husband admitted to me that I made the right choice. The name would stay.

If you've ever heard someone say that a name suits someone well boy oh boy does that apply here. I describe him as a pistol. Pun intended. He is an extremely intelligent, quick witted child & funny is an understatement. I can't even begin to describe how he brings me to tears of laughter time & time again. He is the clown at our dinner table. The kid everyone wants to be friends with. The boy the girls faint for. His name precedes him & he wears it well.

Oh & he's still magnificent!!