My Naming Rules List

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So, just for fun. Here's my list. I left off the #1 choice. Out of superstition or fear or anxiety. I don't know. But if you're curious about the names I'm liking . . .

(#1 kept secret)

Rosalind

Vivian

Lenore

Lillian

Daphne

Phoebe

Veronica

Nora

Nina

Linnea

Leona

Fiona

Lilith (love it but won't work with last name)

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So, we're pretty close to deciding on a name, BUUUUT . . . I'm curious what ideas other people have, and I want to think about EVERY POSSIBLE NAME before pinning this down.

First, the baby's a girl. 

We like names that are traditional (some would say old fashioned) and spelled traditionally . . . because . . . no need for confusion.

This doesn't mean common. Everett's traditional/old fashioned, but it's in the 300s in popularity.

We like elegant names not cute names because we're both tall, thin, people with dark hair. Brian's half Mexican, I tan easily, and we both have big noses. We don't think our kids could pull off cute, especially as adults! 

I prefer female names that were not made from male names. Some names were made by taking a male name and making it more feminine by adding an "A" or something. like Victoria, Josephine, Alberta, Leona, Georgia, Phillipa, etc. 

Nothing too biblical/saintly. Bible names/saints are fine as long as it's not the #1 association for most people.

No repeating of first letters. No B (like Brian), C (like Christina), or E (like Everett). The E's very important, because I use the initial E all the time to text/write about him without spelling out the whole name.

No names ending in "ett" or "ette," since . . . Everett. While we're at it, no names that sound like Brian or Christina.

The name needs to sound good with our last name. No to Cecilia (same first sound). No Lilith (the "th" with with the "cis" is a mouthful).

I'm picky about how possible nick names/short versions sound. But it would be too complicated to explain why I like certain nick names and not others. 

Nothing too hispanic/latin sounding. Since our last name is hispanic, and our kids are only 1/4 Mexican . . . it just wouldn't work for us. Everett's name is English. We'd love to hear options that represent other parts of our heritage: German, Scottish/Irish, Swiss . . .

No names off the 50 most popular list.

No names that have been used by friends/family members.

No names OF close friends/family members. No Rachel, Henry, Katie (Katherine), etc.

We like using family names as the middle. 

I'll give you an example of a name that got me really excited. I was looking for names with a feminist twist, and I came across the name "Lilith." Apparently, in Jewish folklore, Lilith was Adam's first wife. She was made of the same earth as him, and because of this, when he wanted her to be submissive, she refused. She was cast out of Paradise, and her offspring with Adam became the first demons. Because of this story, Lilith is considered the first feminist. There's a Jewish Feminist Magazine called Lilith. And the Lilith Fair was named for her (I believe). Lilith is also often used as a name for demons and vampires on TV, which is kind of fun, since we like a lot of shows/movies in that genre. 

BUT, Lilith sounds AWFUL with our last name. It's a mouthful, and just doesn't "flow."

I know our daughter can be strong and awesome with any name, but I just got a kick out of the story. 

And I would appreciate hearing names with similar histories. Or just names from mythology or literature where the woman is strong/courageous/smart and not victimized/raped or a murderer. 

Thanks! If you're as much into naming as I am, you'll love this post, so I won't apologize about its length. (;

September Post

Holy smokes! It's already October?!?

So, what did we do this month?

Well, the most exciting thing that happened to us this month was finding out we're having a GIRL!!!

I always feel conflicted making such a big deal about the boy/girl reveal because I think gender differences are largely a product of culture, and who knows how our kids will identify in the future? BUUUUT, there is and will be a difference. And even if it's mostly because of cultural norms, I get to dress this baby in ruffles and bows, and that's FUN!!

But we also saw that she's healthy, looks a lot like her big brother (Everett's going to be a big brother?!?), and I already knew her to be active, but the ultrasound doctor kept getting kicked!

This doctor was not a great photographer. The best image we saw was the skin around her mouth and nose, looked so much like Everett. Didn't get that one (even though I asked for it). All the pictures of her head/face look like complete skeleton baby. Oh well! We'll see her cute face soon enough.

Brian and I celebrated our 3 year marriage anniversary this last weekend (specifically September 30th). We didn't make a big deal out of it. I had pre-ordered Cabin in the Woods, so we watched that Friday night. Awesome. Sunday morning, Gion came over and picked Everett up, and Brian and I went to breakfast at Panolivo, then spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing (of course, Brian did some yard work).

What else did we do this month?

Two birthday parties. Eli Kilimnik turned 2 and Andy Hunter turned 4!!

We started Playtime Discoveries (Mommy and Me) again. This session it's on Wednesdays, which I much prefer to last session being on Mondays. I like a mellow Monday, especially if Everett has a busy Sunday (which he often does).

We went camping for one night in San Simeon with the Thompsons. It was fun, but I can't wait till we can go for longer, and I can have a BEER or two around the campfire!

We went to see the dogs swimming in Templeton Pool. Everett thought it was pretty cool. They let the dogs swim in it for a couple days before they drain it for the season.

Besides that, lots of play dates.

E spends Tuesdays with Phil and Gion and has a blast (get it? blast? rocket shirt?). (;

Trying to get in exercise (yoga, walking, swimming) when I can. I usually exercise about twice a week.

It's a lot harder getting in exercise with a toddler, but heck, I bet I'm doing a lot better than a lot of women do!

I made this side by side of how big I was at the 20 week ultrasound with each kid.

It's hard because I wasn't holding my hand the same way on top, but I think I am A LOT bigger this time around. I know that's common with the second baby. But along with the faster growth has come earlier aches and pains, and I'm wondering how I will walk at 35 weeks!

Ok, time to brag about Everett.

He constantly amazes me. This morning, I had to restart the Roku, the streaming video player we have. When it restarts, the letters in Roku bounce. He said, "the numbers are bouncing! That's an R. That's an O. That's a K. And that's an N." The only one he got wrong was the U, but really, lower case Us and Ns are the same letter, just turned upside down. I was pretty impressed! We don't do any "letter learning" besides reading, doing puzzles, and watching Sesame Street. I don't quiz him or anything.

A couple weeks ago, he was getting really bossy. "Mommy, get out of the kitchen!" "Daddy, I need to watch Monsters Inc." So we started being better models of polite language. "Everett, can you please hand me the fork." And he picked it up SO FAST. Within a couple days, there was a dramatic change in his tone. So amazing.

Lately, he's been saying "hey!" a lot, and we really need to cut back on the "hey," probably all of us. It's weird the things you say that only a toddler repeating them makes sound wrong.

A couple days ago, he came up to me and said, "mommy, I have a booger in my nose." You can't know the joy of someone saying that to you until you have a 2-year-old you're trying to keep from sticking his finger up his nose all the time, or worse yet EAT his boogers. It was an exciting moment, although I know it still won't be the norm.

Everett had a cold this week, and he's gotten pretty good at coughing into his arm/elbow. It's not a reflex, and it often happens for the second cough or for a later fake cough. But I'm impressed he's caught on so quickly.

Every night, when Everett brushes his teeth, we've been watching the Bob Ross, Julia Child, and Mr. Rogers Remixes. They are wonderful songs made from their old footage and autotune. I never would have guessed my 2-year-old would say, "more Julia Child!" Haha. They're really fun. I need to burn them to DVD so we can remember them forever, even after the internet explodes.

And on that note, see you next month!