The name...

So people have been asking about the name.

Yes... Katya Annesa Savill Gardiner is quite a mouth full. As you can gather, having a bit of difference in a name does not phase me. I have had 33 years of explaining that Sym is not short for anything... :)

Anyway... we wanted a name that has a Russian feel to it. We have a strong connection and love for Russia so that was a must.

The name Katya comes from meeting a girl in Russia in 2005 with this name. The name is pronounced in English...

Kar-tch-ya

The t has a "ch" sound in it.

The name Annesa comes from another girl we met in Russia (in 2006). Her name was Ennesa (or Innesa). We liked the Russian name Anna (said the Russian way). So we changed the E to an A and we got Annesa. The name is pronounced in English...

Arn-essa (like Arnie or Terminator fame)

The name Savill is Claire's maiden name. We wanted some connection their so this goes in as a middle name. No Russian pronounciation here.

And Gardiner is our surname!!!!

In Russian Katya will be called Katya Symova... has a nice ring to it.