Katherine September 15, 2010

At birth my parents gave me their first gift, my name: Kaitlin Ailsa Fajber. I’m known however, as Katie

I adore the name Katie for being short, simple, and lively. Seventeen years ago, my mom adored it too; in fact it was her favourite name!  She didn’t plan to simply name me Katie though; she wanted to pick a name that Katie could be a nickname for. Unfortunately, this plan turned out to be much more complicated then she anticipated as other family members became involved. When my mom announced that her baby was to become Katherine, she was instantly challenged by her mom, my grandma.

My grandma was raised as an only child but before she was born, there was another girl. The name Katherine had once belonged to that girl as well but only for the smallest sliver of time. Perhaps she managed to scrape one straggly breath of air before the umbilical cord tightened it’s grip on her, taking her back and away from the faces of those who had already sworn to love her. The loss of child had scarred my great-grandparents, which had in turn affected my grandma, and now my parents, and even the fetus that was to become me.

Family wouldn’t be family if they could agree on something easily, especially a decision as important as the name and therefore identity, of their newest member. So I didn’t become Katherine, my parents instead named me Kaitlin, the Welsh version of Katherine. But in many ways I’m still not Kaitlin.  I expect to grow into that name someday, but for now my mom succeeded. I am Katie.