Just wanted to pop in & update that my name change has gone through!

I ended up just telling my parents without discussing in detail as many people suggested. The overall consensus (including from my therapist) was that I was overthinking it, and I definitely was. My mother was supportive & thought it was a sweet idea. My dad is not at all impressed, as he's convinced I've made my life harder for no good reason. However, he also forgot River's chosen middle name, so honestly I don't care what he thinks. 

I decided to change my legal sex while I was at it, and the process was thankfully pretty painless, although one mistake I made meant the process was delayed more than it usually would be. For anyone curious, the total cost was $258 NZD and took about a month and a half to be processed, delays included.

I've attached a (very redacted) photo of my new birth certificate. Anyone who knows me IRL will be able to identify me immediately, but hopefully the redactions will make it a little harder for internet strangers to doxx me! 

Thank you guys very much for your advice, and the needed reality check that it wasn't as big of a deal as I felt I was. That might be silly to say, but it meant I was more confident in doing it & telling the people around me that I was doing it, instead of overexplaining or trying to do it stealthily! Thank you :)

Update: Dead Twin Name Change