The Name Game

Torquil, Torquil, bo-borquil

Banana-fana fo-forquil

Fee-fi-mo-morquil

Torquil!

Okay, not THAT name game. (Although that name game is useful in eliminating names like "Mitch" and "Chuck" from our list of options.) The name game we're playing is the "What shall we name the baby this week?" game.

The start of our name game began when we realized that "Torquil" no longer sounds strange or amusing to us. And that's a problem. (You should have SEEN the panicky look on my friend's face when I told her that Torquil doesn't sound funny to me anymore - she was afraid we were starting to like it and might actually name him Torquil! Ummm, no.)

So we've narrowed down our list of name options from every name in the baby book (10,000) to about 10. Yeah, we know that's not a short enough list. But it's progress, right?! And we're pretty sure that the middle name is going to be Michael, after Derek's middle name and the many Michaels in my family, including my dad. So, we're picking a different first name each week and calling him that for the week. We started out calling him "Logan" and then moved on to "Benjamin," "Reid," and now "Jay" this week. We're trying to use the name as much as we can during the week, saying things like "Just put that box in Logan's room," or "Next Christmas, we'll need a stocking for Reid." Some names have moved up the list after a trial week, and others just don't seem to fit him, so I guess that's a step in the right direction.

The one thing we've struggled with is that everybody has an opinion on the name. And apparently if the name isn't officially "picked,?\" people feel free to tell you that opinion. Here's the thing folks: we appreciate some CONSTRUCTIVE feedback. Seriously. When my mom pointed out that Benjamin would be "BM Foster," I found that helpful. Pointing out to us that the initials indicate bodily functions is useful; telling us that you "just don't like the name" is not. Because the truth is that we do like the name - that's why it is on the short list.

I bet that if we tell folks that we've decided on a name, they will all say, "What a lovely name!" regardless of what they're really thinking. So whether you truly like what we end up with or not, y'all better act like you like it. Let's practice - all together now:

"What a lovely name!"

So cute I could just EAT HIM UP!

Thursday Dec 13, 2007

When you get pregnant, you pretty quickly get this clueless, what-the-heck-am-I-doing feeling. Never fear! There is a multi-bazillion dollar industry of advice for moms-to-be on all things pregnancy and baby. One of my favorite resources is the BabyCenter website because they send weekly email updates on how big your baby is growing and what cool things are happening to him. But the best part of the entire email is that each week your baby's size (either weight or length) is compared to a food. This week (29), Torquil is a butternut squash! Here's a rundown of some of my favorite past incarnations of Torquil in the produce section...

Week 27 - Head of Cauliflower
Week 25 - Rutabaga (had to Google "rutabaga" to see what one looks like - not cute!)
Week 24 - Ear of Corn
Week 19 - Large Heirloom Tomato (not just any tomato, an HEIRLOOM tomato)
Week 16 - Avocado
Week 13 - Medium shrimp (and he most certainly looked like one on the ultrasound)
Week 10 - Kumquat (huh?)
Week 8 - Kidney Bean
Week 5 - Sesame Seed

All kidding aside, it really is helpful to have an idea of how big he is. And it's fun to guess what he'll be the next week. (I promise, I'm not peeking ahead.) I've already got dibs on watermelon for week 40 - any guesses what he'll be in between?

Posted at 10:18AM Dec 13, 2007 by Jen Foster in General | Comments[1]