The Perfect Baby Name

by Rick Epstein (Albemarle Family Magazine)

Naming a baby is like selecting the perfect title for a book when you don't even know what it's about.

Here are a few tests:

1) The Playground-Taunt Test.
Any 5th grader can identify the biggest smart-alec in the class. That's your consultant. Give him 5 bucks to work his magic with your likeliest names.

2) The Personalized-Toothbrush Test.
Little Ulysses or Zephyr will be dissapointed when they go to the store and cannot find that little personalized bike-sized license plate with thier special name.

3) The Front-Porch Test.
Take the name you're considering and yell it form the front porch as if summoning a child to dinner. Consider carefully before barking, hooting, or hissing: Mark, Ruth, or Seth.

4) The Follow-up Question Test.
Think twice before giving a child a name that will require a follow-up question or discussion every time it is said.

5) The Are-We-Looking-For-Trouble? Test.
Try to picture the kind of person who would be named what you want to name your child. (i.e. Freedom Rose, Buck Johnson, etc.)

Birth Order Test

I stole this quiz from a friend of mine, and although I'm an only child, it pretty much pegged me here (although what if I really am a first born, and there's some dead scary brother/sister out there that is going to haunt me like in the scary movies? :)

http://www.blogthings.com/birthorderpredictorquiz/

You Are Likely a First Born

At your darkest moments, you feel guilty.
At work and school, you do best when you're researching.
When you love someone, you tend to agree with them often.
In friendship, you are considerate and compromising.
Your ideal careers are: business, research, counseling, promotion, and speaking.
You will leave your mark on the world with discoveries, new information, and teaching people to dream.

Christmas and New Years

Christmas 2008 was a wonderful time. It was a time of learning.....

Doni does not like strangers.

Some people have too much time on thier hands.

And Doni will not look that good in a mustache.

And we went downtown for First Night on New Years Eve, just like we do every year, but this year it was freezing and extremely windy. We rented a hotel room near the mall, and due to the gloriousness of AARP, we got a 2 room suite, so the kids got to have thier own room, and John and I got some peace and quiet. HAPPY 2009!!!

Confederate States of America

For Gracie's birthday this year, we spent the weekend in Richmond, and one of our activities was to spend a few hours at the CSofA Cemetery. Let me add my disclaimer that I am NOT Southern, nor will I ever pay homage to the Confederate flag, and although the CSA had a good idea in the whole 'state law' vs. 'federal law', the entire red-neck nation has since removed any positive connotation to the main principals behind the Confederate States of America. And on that note.... the cemetery was beautiful. It was very cool to see the tombstones from the battles around here, and to see the big names immortilized. To get an idea about how 'proud' the south is of the good old confederate soldiers, there is a monument with the following inscribed on it:

"Fate denied them victory, but gave them a glorious immortality".

Hey Kris - figure out what this one is all about: there was a spot on the map that just said "Black Dog". We got there, and yep - there was a life sized black iron dog. With no marker or explanation.

Thanksgiving 2008

This was the year for our friend Jennifer to host Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania. As expected, the food and family were all wonderful. Along with the 5 of us, she also hosted her mom and dad (separated), her brother and her aunt Shelley.

During our stay there, Jen was nice enough to take a family picture of us, since all we ever seem to do is get pictures of the kids :)

All in all, it was a nice trip, and I was very thankful to have friends and family around me, and VERY thankful that I didn't have to cook or clean :)

Halloween 2008

Well, Halloween came and went, and all 3 kids were (surprisingly) very good. Doni was a little skeleton (can't you see how he's nothing but skin and bones?), Rudy was Superman again, and Gracie was a vampire princess again. I have a standing rule that since costumes are so stinkin expensive, the kids have to wear them for 2 years. Next year will be all new for the kids. Can't wait to see what they choose :)

Flu Shots

Yesterday, we took all 3 kids to get thier flu shots (John and I already had ours for the season). Naturally, we expected Rudy to have a hard time with it. And we weren't kidding. Gracie got the first shot. She whippered and said "ouch", but was fine a few seconds later. Then Doni went. He didn't complain at all, except he didn't want to lay down. During Doni's shot, Rudy starts backing towards the exam room door, crying in a paniced voice that he wanted to 'run away'. I turn around in time to see the door swinging open, and Rudy is no where to be found. The boy ran out of the exam room, through the office, and out the front door into the parking lot. He was NOT going to get a shot. So, we restrained him and he got his shot, and he was fine a minute later. All the while, Doni is staring at him like "what the heck is your problem, bro?". I feel bad for the kids getting thier shots, but Rudy cracks me up.

Also, Rudy and Gracie weighed/measured them selves: Rudy has grown 2 inches since June, and Gracie is 5'4" and weighs 120 pounds. The kids have all grown like tomatoes this year (my dentist once said kids grown like tomatoes - in the warmest months). I'm so happy seeing them look and feel so healthy!!