So, the baby shower is tomorrow (which, quite frankly, makes this whole we're-going-to-have-a-baby thing seem frighteningly real). Brother Hamilton would like to add a last minute item to our registry. Apparently, he wants to impress upon Baby Bean from the get-go that he is the hero of our household.
Who would have thought that naming a child would be so difficult? I mean, it's just a name, right? Just slap a name on the kid and toss him out into the world. No big deal.
Here is where we are. The middle name, we have decided, will be Michael. Not only is this my middle name, but it also happens to be the first name of Jenny's beloved father and brother. Pretty much a no-brainer, and I hope that BB sees fit to pass the name on to his own son one day. And the last name, of course, will be Webb. So all that remains is that ever-important first name, the [blank] before the Michael Webb. Should be easy, right?
Wrong! Nearly every name brought up for consideration repulses one of us or reminds one of us of something we don't want to be reminded of. For example, Jenny really likes Colin, yet to me it too closely resembles the word "colon". And although I am still a good many years away from the dreaded prostate exam, I never want my son's name to conjure up the image of...well, you get the idea. Dexter is a name I like a lot, but it is also has the unfortunate distinction of being the name of television's favorite serial killer, and Jenny's just not sure if she can get past that. Also, we both like the name Jackson, but Jackson Michael brings to mind a certain pop sensation who rose in popularity recently because of his untimely moonwalk into the great hereafter. I mean, I enjoy Billie Jean as much as the next man (which is to say, not very much at all), but do I really want to burden my son with years of "Jacko" jokes? I don't think so.
Then there are all of the rules. We can't choose a name that is too common, yet we don't want a name that is too obscure (My sincere apologies to any Jacobs or Theobolds who might be reading). We have to like any conceivable nicknames that might come of it (Richard immediately gets the axe). What does it rhyme with? How can it be twisted to fit into some cruel schoolyard limerick? It cannot be, or resemble too closely, the name of any of our friends' children. (Dave and Megan, we both absolutely love the name Ezekiel. Would you kindly rename your son so we can steal it? Thanks.) Oh, and God forbid we name the kid something funny. (Come on, Jenny, Cornelius Cobb Webb screams Nobel Peace Prize winner. Really, it does.)
And let us not forget to consider a name's historical implications. I mean, would naming our child Albert cause him to have gravity-defying hair and invent game-changing mathematical formulas? Or would he instead blurt out "hey, hey, hey" when entering a room and associate himself with some highly questionable characters. (For the record, I think either outcome would be awesome).
Okay, that last paragraph was a joke. Sort of.
What do we do? Is it possible to give him two distinct first names; one from Mommy and one from Daddy? Should we keep calling him Baby Bean until he reaches school age and can choose his own name, or would that be setting us up for a son named Batman or Pikachu?
Obviously, we are in need of some help. Below are some of the names that haven't yet been eliminated by our over-analytical chopping block. Please weigh in, tell us which names you love and those you hate. Give us more suggestions. Goodness knows we need them.
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
- Billy Shakespeare
Benjamin
Dexter
Oliver
Maxwell
Isaiah
Jefferson
Hudson
Emerson
Sebastian
Jonas (Jonah?)
Logan
Jasper
Wesley
And last but not least, Jeffrey Michael Jr.
Yes, the BB bump has grown like crazy since our last Halloween bump post. I feel like he's growing each and every day. Below is a long overdue series of pictures charting the not-so-slow demise of my waist line. Enjoy!
Somehow another year has slipped past, and though I am sorely disappointed by the lack of hover-cars and robotic housekeepers that, according to my youthful imaginings, should have been plentiful by 2010, this will nonetheless be a monumental year for us. Baby Bean is on his way and we cannot wait to meet him!
This year we've decided to adopt a new sort of resolution. Instead of upping our exercise routines or tapering off the sweets, we have resolved to try our darndest to be more charitable. Our goal is to, once a month, volunteer a few hours of our time or make a modest monetary donation to a worthy charitable effort. Some months we'll rummage through our overstocked cabinets and closets and pass on whatever we excavate to someone who might need it more. This is something we have always talked about doing, but have never quite risen up to the challenge. Here's to hoping 2010 is the year we do!
To kick off the new year, we contacted a Mission in San Diego that runs a number of charitable programs for our homeless. I asked what they were lacking, and was surprised - and a bit saddened - to find what they needed most was essentials for babies and small children. In light of how excited we are to become parents, it was sobering to learn so many young children have to rely on the compassion of strangers for those small items of necessity. So on New Year's Eve we went to Target and picked up an assortment of bottles, rice formula, onesies, superhero underwear, and the like in hopes that a few children can start off their new year warm and well-fed.
I hope you all have a happy, healthy, and fulfilling new year!
Jeff & Jenny
May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. May your coming year be a wonderful thing, in which you'll dream dangerously and outrageously. And, most importantly (because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom in the world right now), I hope that you will, when you need to be, be wise, and that you will always be kind.
And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.
~ Neil Gaiman
As you might have noticed, there has been a lull in our blogging as of late. There are a number of reasons for this. Firstly, Jenny has been dutifully studying for her licensure exam. That beast has been finally been tackled, and *fingers crossed* all that is left to do is wait. Secondly, our schedules have been ransacked by the holidays. Like many of you, we have spent considerable time untangling endless strands of lights, preparing for/attending holiday celebrations, shopping, and, of course, eating exorbitant amounts of food.
Also, we are lazy.
But rest assure, we will soon post pictorial updates of the baby bump, show off our meager progress with the nursery, and share stories of our further descent into madness as we ready ourselves for parenthood. We have also pondered compiling a list of the humorous and horrible things that have been said to Jenny as her waistline has expanded. What do you think? Might something you have said made the list?
Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. Be safe out there, keep your tongue away from frozen flagpoles, and for goodness sake, yellow snow is not for making snowballs.
-Jeff
As many of you know, my past few weeks have been consumed with studying for the EPPP (the national psychology licensure exam). I have devoted nearly every waking, non-working moment I have to tackling this beast in the hope that I can put it behind me before I reach my 3rd trimester of pregnancy. The problem is my waking and non-working moments are fewer and farther between!
However, while I spent this past weekend immersed in psychopharmacology and statistics, an overwhelming sense of gratitude replaced the usual frustration I feel while studying. It began when I heard a ruckus in the next room and found Jeff in there cleaning, packing, hauling, rearrangining, and sweating. He was laying the ground work for what will become BB's nursery - or, as my mother likes to say, he was "nesting". Although BB is still a few months away from entering the world, Jeff has already proven himself to be an incredibly loving father. He reads to BB, has been stockpiling his dresser drawers with baby clothes we have been collecting, and just recently, he even purchased a new hat for BB...a matching version of one he already owns. How cute.
The second reason I have been feeling ever so grateful lately is because of the season. I just love this time of year, when fall is still in the air and Christmas is just on the horizon. And now with Baby Bean on the way, I feel that the holidays will be extra special. Jeff and I have already gotten into the spirit. With Christmas music playing in the background, Jeff also spent the weekend converting our home from Halloween to Christmas (all while watching football). I even took a break from my studies to help decorate the tree! In a few days it will be Thanksgiving, and we'll be celebrating with many of our family and friends. It's times like these when I'm reminded just how lucky I am.
The final reason for my recent swell of gratitude is because Baby Bean won't let me feel otherwise. Everytime I get too stressed or too tired, he reminds me what a gift life truly is. This reminder usually comes in the form of a jab or a kick to my stomach, but I have no complaints. He has been been moving and wiggling more and more, and seems to be getting stronger by the day. While in my kickboxing class on Saturday, I could swear that BB was coordinating his kicks with mine (perhaps he will be a ninja after all). Every time I feel him move I smile, thus I am smiling more each day. Jeff has even felt him move many times now. Sharing this with my husband just adds to my joy.
In short, Baby Bean makes me love life, the holidays, family, friends, and Jeff even more - and this is in spite of me spending so much time with my nose stuffed inside of a book. I can't even imagine how fortunate I will feel after he finally arrives :) Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings- Eric Hoffer
