What's in a name?

I think I dread naming our kids more than labor.  While labor is painful and not something I look forward to - in the grand scheme of everything it is short and by now, somewhat predictable in the respect that I know it will hurt but then it will be over and we will have a sweet baby to make me forget all the throwing up and pain from the last 9 months.  However, naming the kid is not short - it's for the rest of their life - no pressure there!  I told Micah I wish naming a kid was like getting a Cabbage Patch Doll as a kid - the baby just came with a name.  So much easier! 

With our first baby, we had two boys names picked out that we both agreed on right away - weeks before we ever found out what we were having.  Fortunate for us we found out we were indeed having a boy so I told Micah to pick between the two names we'd agreed on and that was it - super easy.  We knew he'd be Brock Thomas within a day of finding out he was a boy.  The second baby was almost as easy.  We already had a boys name left over from round one and waited to find out what we were having before debating a girls name.  Turns out we were expecting a girl, but it didn't take long to agree on Sophia and call her Sophie.  The middle name took a little longer.  We finally agreed on Ashlynn shortly before she was born but failed to discuss how to spell it until I was filling out the birth certificate and realized I didn't know how to spell my kid's name.  I just sort of wrote letters till it looked right and that was that - Sophia Ashlynn was official.

Baby #3 was our hardest since we decided to not find out what we were having and we had to come up with a boy and girl name.  Again, we had a boys name on retainer and spent the next 8 months debating girls names.  We had it narrowed down to about 4 names and had our oldest child say each of them - whichever he said the cutest was going to be her name - real meaningful I know.  About two weeks before I had the baby, Micah and I were in Washington D.C. and somehow again ended up on the topic of baby names.  We had agreed on the name Eli Michael if it was a boy - Michael being my dad's first name.  We had even told my father we'd be naming the baby after him if it was a boy.  Well, Micah drops the bomb that it would really mean a lot to him to name the baby after him if it happened to be a boy.  While I agreed, I made the point that we'd already told everyone, including the namesake, the name we'd chosen.  He agreed to leave it as Eli Michael and nothing more was said about it.  Two days before I went into labor I had a dream about the baby and woke up with a gut feeling we were having another boy - I knew what I had to do.  At the risk of being disowned, though more likely I'd just never hear the end of it, I told my husband that we were changing the name.  It was going to be Micah Elias and we'd call him Eli.  Sure enough, two days labor Micah Elias was born and my father made sure to point out we'd gypped him a name.

For some reason, this time around we feel the need to be all intentional and choose either a name with significant meaning, such as a family name, or a biblical name.  I have a very long list of boys names I've researched with their origins and meanings.  We didn't think through any of this with the other kids.  I never looked up what their names meant or Bible verses to go along with them.  Heck, I found out years later when my grandmother asked me what my children's names meant that Brock means 'badger' - not exactly deep and meaningful or what I hope he grows up to be like!  Brock named him Frickle Pants before we knew if it was a boy or girl and that has stuck.  Micah and I did decide on a name for about a week then both decided we were undecided and back to square one. 

So hear we are again, 5 months pregnant with our third boy and at a complete loss for a name.  Until we do, he will just have to be content with Frickle Pants.

The Answer

Now that I am showing with baby #4 I am starting to hear more and more comments when I am out with the kids - things like, "wow! you have your hands full!" or "you know how this happens, right?"  While our timing may not always be as we intended, every child was intentional and is a blessing that has forever changed our lives for the better. 

I've been asked the question a few times lately, "why do you keep having children?"  It's pretty amazing how blunt people can be.  For some reason, when you are pregnant, the boundaries that normally apply for personal space and personal information seem to disappear and people feel free to rub your bump and ask whatever they please.  I stumbled onto a passage in Psalms recently that I think best describes our family's reason for having 'all these kids.'

"Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.  Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one's youth.  Blessed is the man whose quiver if full of them.  They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court."  Psalm 127:3-5

Children are a blessing from God!  I'm honored to be so blessed!  So here are a few pictures of my blessings ...

 Brock - the cool one

 Sophie - the fashionable one

 Eli - the silly one

Frickle Pants - the one on the way!

Bow!

Sophie LOVES her hair bows. She usually wakes up and requests 'bow' to be put in her hair. It has gotten long enough we put it in a pony tail for the first time. She looks like such a big girls with it pulled back!

Shave!

Granddad bought Brock his first shaving kit - a plastic foam razor and 'shave' as we call it. He now shaves up to twice a day and any time Daddy shaves too. It's pretty stinkin' cute!

Soccer Practice

Brock had his first soccer practice on Friday - interesting does not do it justice. He was not a fan of it being a team sport - he got really upset when they chose his ball to be the one they scrimmaged with. Any time he ran, he stuck his arms out and ran like he was an airplane. Finally he just had enough and sat down in the grass and played the last 15 minutes of practice. Can't wait for games - going to be a very long 24 minutes!

He's done - we found him sitting in the grass with 15 minutes of practice left

Future soccer star?

No, no - kick the ball through the cones NOT wear them on your head!

Goalie practice - fingers in his ears squealing the whole time

All done - hanging out in his pink stroller with his sippy cup

Soccer Stud

Brockisms

January 22: So I thought Brock was asleep last night when out of no where, I hear this pathetic boo-hooing from his room. I go check on him and he's standing by the door holding a picture of himself out of his baby book. In the pic he was 2 months old, propped up on the couch screaming. Through little sobs he says, 'Why baby Brocky crying in this picture? It make me sad!' He was a wreck over the crying picture of himself!

So when I just tucked Brock in he asked me what I was going to be doing - "I'm going to make the grocery list." "For dinner?" "Yes, so I can make dinner." "You make pizza?" "Yes, I'll buy some pizza." "Get breakable pizza! Not dirty pizza, breakable pizza." "Um, ok. I'll put breakable pizza on the list." Anyone haveany clue??

January 23: It's 8:11pm. Brock has been in his room for close to 45 minutes. By now he should be asleep, it's been quiet in there for the last 20 minutes. Micah just put a movie on for him and I to watch and we here from under Brock's door, "What movie you watching?" "It's just a movie buddy. Go back to sleep." "Oh, I like that movie! "You don't even know what movie it is!" "But I like that movie!" The boy cracks me up.

January 24: Brock just learned one of life's important lessons - "Daddy, what that?" (Brock asked this pointing to the Buzz Lightyear undies he had just taken off.) "It's called a skid mark Son." Nothing like some father-son bonding before bed.

January 27: Bday Update: Brock picked McDonald's for lunch after Monkey Joe's. While eating our nutritious meal of nuggets, fries and a birthday milkshake, 2 construction men walk in. One of them had a bandana tied over his head to which my subtle son points and yells, "Look! Those pirate mans!" The 'Pirate Man' then turns and stares my family down as I try to hide my laughter. He's 3 and it's his birthday, what can you do!?

Brock is 3!

So 3 years ago, on Saturday, January 27th, 2007, my little man was born - and boy has my life been different since!! Brock is by far one of the most entertaining people in my life. Every day is better, more challenging and always exciting because of him. He is so sweet and loving all while being rambunctious and all boy to the core. You're guaranteed a laugh if he's around. To my favorite 3 year old - I love you with all my heart and can't imagine my life without you. I'm so proud to be your 'Mom mom'.