What's in a name?

Picking a name for Vrishti was a task that went on and on for weeks together in our family. Both set of parents (hari's and mine) wanted her name based on her nakshatra alphabet. In the process of picking a name, I learnt to read the panchankam and figure out the nakshatra for a day, the 4 padams of the stars and 4 alphabets per padam. There could be 16 alphabets per star. There could be 2 stars per day and we had to pick names for a range about 6 days. So, how many names did we have to pick and have? You do the math! The funny part was that there were alphabets like "Gna" and "Chna" and "loo"... discussing names starting with these were simply hilarious. More than all of this, there was this huge circus of converting time zones from IST to EST in order to correctly figure out the star .... oh my god... i remember how we spent evening after evening figuring these things out. And if I liked a name, hari didn't. If hari liked a name, mom didnt. The 4 of us could just not agree to even one single name.
Finally, we came up with a list of names starting with doable (non-funny, reasonable) alphabets. For all rest, it was going to be "Bhuvi" by default. Other names were - Anagha, Varuni, Saanvi, Isha, Ira, anoushka, kriti, harsha, lekha and trishna. 
We had names picked for days starting sep 19 to sep 23. That itself was a gianormous task. But baby was in no mood for letting us settle down at all. She decided to take her own sweet time to make her entry. So, we had to pick names for days after 23rd also. Finally, I had to get my labor induced on the 28th. Before leaving home for the hospital we were still arguing over the names (it had to start with O, Vi, Ve or Va) when Hari suggested "Vrishti". He came up with the name because it had been pouring since last night. We all loved the name instantly. 
She was born at 9.34 am on Sep 28th and her name was supposed to start with O actually. But we just loved the rain that was washing down the windows the whole 2 days that we stayed in the hospital. So she was to be called "Vrishti". 
And remarkably, it has rained or snowed every single time we have stepped out of our house with her for an outing. She is vrishti, afterall! 

Pic of the day - Its raining candy! 

Mummy....this is too weird even for a dream...

Pic taken on : Dec 25 2010
And after all the trouble, what do we call her at home? - "Pattani, kutti, ammu, bublishili, mani, thangamani, kuttiyoondu, bangaari, puttanna, buddanna..."