A sister for Matilda Maeve!

[mattyp]

We welcomed Beatrix Ivaloo just minutes before sunrise on June 13th. Big sister Matilda Maeve is already obsessed, asking "what's wrong with my baby?" every time her little sister makes a peep.

Beatrix is pulling double/triple duty, named for my SO's grandmother (Bette) and great aunt (Beverly) and grandfather (Irvin) (and we have since learned that her great grandmother was officially named Beatrice, but only went by the nickname Baila). We landed on Beatrix pretty quickly since it hit almost all of the things we wanted in a name: familiar but not popular, three syllables, lots of nickname potential (Bea, Trixie, Bix, Beats), and a lovely meaning ("she who brings happiness" or "blessed voyager" depending on your source). We think it goes pretty well with Matilda as well (in addition to the above, both names have been used by various royals for centuries). So far it fits her perfectly, though we did not anticipate so many people confusing it for Beatrice.

Ivaloo is inspired by a song of the same name by The Submarines. As described by the band, the song imagines the future of a friend's young daughter, named after the street on which they all once lived near Boston. My wife walked down the aisle at our wedding to another song by the same band (Swimming Pool). Ivaloo doesn't have its own entry on Nameberry (maybe it should!), but Ivalo does. When we learned that Princess Josephine of Denmark had middle names of both Matilda and Ivalo, it felt pre-ordained. Lots of people have had questions about Ivaloo already, including an administrator at the hospital who called both my wife and me individually to confirm the spelling and make sure we wanted to go with that name on the birth certificate!

We're feeling particularly fortunate that the baby emerged as a Beatrix; we still hadn't decided on a boy's name at the time of her birth!

[sophiekihm]

I added Ivaloo to the database—congrats on your sweet daughter!

[mattyp]

Thanks! Barely a week old and already leaving her imprint on the internet!

[rosebeth]

Congratulations! Beatrix is a lovely name, and I love the meaning behind Ivaloo.

[katinka]

Just gorgeous! Beatrix and Ivalo are both on my longlist, so naturally I love the name you chose. Congratulations!

[sofiasweden]

What a beautiful name! Congratulations

[greyblue]

What a beautiful name -congratulatuons!!

[whitegardenia]

Congratulations! She is beautifully named!

[adelina_sophia]

Congratulations! Beatrix Ivaloo is amazing

[auroracallista]

I love it! I'm hoping to have both a Matilda and a Beatrix myself