What's In a Name?

I love baby names. In particular, I enjoy hearing the crazy things people name their children, or the unique spellings of more traditional names. I feel sort of sad for all the Kortnees, Neveahs, Aidans, and Braedynns out there whose parents went for the fad names. Alright, I'll just say it: I love my son's name. The more baby names I hear these days, the more I love the one we chose. Several people have asked me recently how we chose his name, and it's a story I love telling so here it is. Brace yourself, it's a bit long. 

My husband was born with baby fever. Once I caught it too, baby names became a common topic of conversation for us. In the summer of 2009 we found ourselves in the midst of this conversation, and finally chose the names we wanted for the son and daughter we wanted one day. We'd always loved Katherine for a girl, and we chose Jackson for a boy. Not 2 hours after we'd agreed, word came that Michael Jackson had died (seriously. It was eerie). That wasn't such a big deal breaker, but then my cousin gave birth to a little angel a few weeks later and -not content with all our grandmother's antiques and heirlooms - she stole my name. Back to the drawing board. 

Let me interrupt here and tell you I had some strict criteria for a name:

1. It had to be something that was neither too common nor too out-there. 

2. I wanted our child to have nickname options. I've always hated that my name can't be shortened. 

3. I wanted our child to be named after someone special to us. 

4. No awkward initials or monograms. 

When I finally got pregnant in the fall of 2010 we had to get serious about a name. Katherine had fallen by the wayside, and we needed some good candidates. Elvis suggested Heidi for a girl, which I loved immediately. I could just picture a little girl with Elvis' golden hair, hunting Easter eggs in a little princess dress (you caught me, I can still picture it). I think I was the one who suggested Henry for a boy. They both fit all my criteria, and they had a bonus: Both are German names (to honor my heritage). 

When we found out I was going to have a boy, we were over the moon. I just loved the name Henry, and still do. It's a good solid name: even the nickname we chose is a classic (Hank). I know nobody will have difficulty spelling it. And he's named after some great men: Hank Aaron, Hank Williams, King Henry VIII of England, and his Poppa (with whom he shares a middle name). And I LOVE its meaning: Ruler of the house. What could be more appropriate for a baby? 

At the end of the day, I'm just glad to be able to say that I adore my son's name more every time I hear it. Way to go, team!

What are your childrens' names, or names you love? Or, what are some of the strangest names you've heard? 

Another???

So I guess it's that time now, huh? People are delighted with their babies, and are deciding to have The Second. In the past month, 4 women I know have delightedly announced their second pregnancies, and another has announced her third. I'm excited for them of course, but as for myself, I just can't imagine having another baby right now (heck, I can't imagine having another baby in the next 2 years! People sure do love to ask though, don't they? A month after Henry was born, people started asking me about having The Second). I'm flat-out exhausted keeping up with one climbing little monkey, keeping the pets' tails out of his mouth, and trying to encourage him to talk already (to say nothing of my housewifely duties of laundry, dishes, and the like). I don't know how people do it. 

Last night Elvis and I - just in casual conversation - talked about parenting and our feelings about going through it again.  I was genuinely surprised to hear that he would like to have a daughter one day. The whole time I've known him, he's wanted a son.  At my 20-week ultrasound, when we found out we were having a Henry instead of a Heidi, (after I made an Anne Boleyn joke that made the U/S tech uncomfortable) he assured me that one healthy son was all he wanted from my uterus. I took him at his word, and the three of us have been a loving, happy family since.  

As for myself, I don't really know what I want. I'm so torn on the idea of another child. I guess there are pros and cons, huh? Ooh, let's make a list!

PROS:

1.  Henry would have a sibling.  I would kind of like for him to have a brother or sister (in theory, anyway). My brother and I were always close, and I would love for my son to know that special bond as well. Also, Elvis is the only only-child I've ever met who wasn't completely self-absorbed and weird. 

2.  Pregnancy. Mine was the happiest time of my life. I loved watching my body change and adapt to nourish the new life within. Truly miraculous. 

3. The relationship between Elvis and me grew so much deeper and more profound. I recently read a quote that I wish I could remember. I can't though, so to paraphrase it said something like this: we loved one another so fiercely that magic happened.  The love we already shared has grown and intensified through this amazing experience, and I know that another baby would have the same effect. 

4. A baby! Who doesn't love a sweet new baby? The weight of them sleeping in your arms, their delicious baby smell, their round little bellies, their toothless smiles, their sweet little fingers and toes ... Sigh. Magic. 

5. Baby clothes. This one gets a category to itself. I freaking love baby clothes. So much the better if we're talking about baby girl clothes. Squeeee!!!

CONS:

1. Birth. I know, I know. But hey, I did it once and now I know what to expect. Scary. 

2. Financial fears. Pregnancy and childbirth were expensive, but then there are costs like feeding a kid (we spend almost as much money on milk now as we used to spend on cable), finding a bigger place to live, furnishing another nursery, etc. 

3. Exhaustion. I've got enough on my plate without a brand new baby. 

4. Superstitions. I had a wonderful pregnancy that resulted in a pretty spectacular child, and our family is so happy. I guess it's silly, but I fear things wouldn't go so smoothly the second time around. 

So I guess our conversation didn't really go anywhere. I certainly don't even want to think about The Second for another year or two. I'm just content with what I have: my smart, funny, kind, handsome hubby and our glorious son, who is so much like his Poppa. 

Friday Night Football

My fantastic husband was hired for his first teaching job 2 days before he officially graduated from Texas State University in 2008.  He went to work in a small town nearby and - to our delight - it's a really wonderful community.  The people embraced Elvis for all his wonderful qualities, and then extended that embrace to me and eventually to precious Henry.  We love being a part of the community, and to that end our little family loaded up and headed out for our annual High School Football (I think that's the grammatically appropriate reverance required from a Texan) season opener last night. 
We got there in plenty of time to get good seats, up at the top of the stands near the band.  The weather was absolutely beautiful for a football game: cloudy and warm, but with a pleasant breeze. Especially as the sun went down, it was just a lovely evening.  To nobody's surprise, the band sounded fantastic.  One of Elvis' best students is a drum major this year, so it was great to see her leading the better-than-ever 2012 band.
The actual surprise of the night was the football team itself.  They had a whole new energy about them.  Nerves and excitement, of course, but also a confidence that they seem to have lacked in years past.  They went out there and got down to business, and scored their first touchdown within a few minutes.  At halftime, our guys were up 21-6.  What a great first half!
Henry freaked out a little bit at the overwhelming crowd response to that first TD, but that was the only moment of the night he didn't love.  For most of the first half, he sat happily in my lap or Elvis' and clapped along with the band, or sucked his beloved thumb and watched the game.  Around the middle of the second quarter he started to get a little squirmy, so we decided to walk around a little bit.  On our way out of the stands Elvis stopped to talk to a few people,  and we ended up standing around the fence near the entrance to the stands, greeting teachers and students as they came in or went to the concession stand.  There are a lot of new teachers and administrators this year, so it was nice to meet some of the cool new co-workers E's been talking about, and their families.  Everyone was so  nice, and so pumped for the year.  And, of course, they had such wonderful things to say to and about Elvis.  He's getting to be kind of a Big Deal there.  At the very least, he garnered rave reviews as the MC at yesterday's pep rally.  :-)  Oh, and of course everyone oohed and ahhed over each other's babies.  Henry was praised many times over for his handsome face and sweet nature, and his adorable dancing & clapping along with the crowd.  Fun times were had by all.
We got to watch both bands at halftime, and they were both good.  I myself was in the marching band (and - for one magical year - the Feature Twirler), and I still love seeing the band.  It's always cool to see what they're doing these days.  The Eagle band was, like I said, better than ever this year.  They added a dance element for some surprise showmanship, and it was really fun!  I can't wait to see the show when they're all uniformed, and not in their casual jeans-and-band-tee getup for opening night. 
As the band finished up we decided it was probably time to go.  It was already about half an hour past bedtime, and we still had a 30 minute drive home.  Rather than risk a fussy baby, we cut our losses.  Henry was still in a good mood, and stayed awake long enough to eat dinner and drink 3 glasses of milk before falling asleep. 
What a night!  Ahh, I do love Game Night!