What's in a Name?

We are all healthy and well.  I'm hoping to get back into blogging now that life with baby is starting to be a bit more normal.

Here is the beginnings of a blog post I started writing in September.  Obviously I never finished it ...

I have no idea what we will name the little guy.  In fact my list of about 5 names (which hadn't changed since Jan 2009, and had a clear front runner) has expanded to about 15 names.  I love slightly quirky names that have been around for a while, but aren't in the top 200.  I also love strong names that have been in the top 10 for decades.  Hubs and I's names have been in the top 20 since the 1950's, and stayed in the top 10 for 30+ years.  They're Biblical and they have nicknames (which makes them versatile).  I always loved my name: full name and the many nicknames.  And no offense to all of my lovely friends named Tiffany, Jennifer, Jessica, and Stephanie (there are a lot of you that I LOVE!), but your names were kind of a flash in the pot.  The same way I assume Jayden, Aiden & Ethan will go.  Although I do love the name Ethan.  Then there is our top contender name that I have watched rise in popularity and is currently at it's all time highest ranking.  What to do, what to do.

Over the next 3 months we worked our list down to a top 3 and from there a top 2.

James was not on the list.

I have always liked the name James.  When I mentioned it as a possibility to Hubs in the beginning of name talks, he gave it a firm "no."  The reason was that we knew a James, so he felt the name was already assigned to another person.  As name conversations continued Hubs realized that whatever we named our child, that name would become uniquely his.  He wouldn't hear the name and think of other people, he would think of our son.  In September Hubs tried to reintroduce "James" to the list, after having a conversation about the book in the Bible.  I replied, "You already took that off the list."

Throughout the whole process I neither of us were sold on a name for more than a day, and I kept wavering.  Then I stopped liking our front runner with the middle name "Francis," which had been decided forever ago.  Then I fell in love with the name Celeb, and 24 hours later realized there is already a Celeb Francis in the family!

At Christmas Eve service we ran into the aforementioned friend named James, who after asking about the name of our unborn child said something to like, "Well James is a great name." or "You can use the name James if you want."  I can't remember.  But then I said the full name, and then shortened it to just the first and last, and I kind of liked it.

2 weeks before (maybe less than 2 weeks), Hubs and I were reviewing our top name contenders, and we again mentioned James.  We decided to put it on the list for our D day decision.

As most of you know my labor ended in a C-section (birth story to be shared in a later post), so I only got a glimpse of my baby before he was wisked away to be examined.  Hubs went with baby.  The nurses asked Hubs what his name was, he said we hadn't decided yet.

Hubs carried our sweet boy over to me, and asked, "So what should we name him?" 

I replied, "I don't know I think he kind of looks like a James."

Before I could change my mind Hubs said, "That was my first thought, too!"

The funny thing is, we both agreed he didn't look like our front runner name, but maybe our 2nd choice name.

And so he was named, "James Francis."

So far he has come to be called ...

baby Jesus - Christmas just happened an my 2 year old niece was still trying to sort things out!

Buddy - I've been calling him that from day one, but only as "hey Buddy" or "good job Buddy"

Sports-o - my dad

Jamas - like the last half of Pajamas, but not pronounced like jam, more like the French word jambe (leg).  Another variation of this has become Jaw-mez
Jamesy

I would however, like to keep his name intact, and not refer to him only by a nickname; we'll see how that goes.

And to close out, here is a quote from St. Francis of Assisi:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

Where there is injury, pardon.

Where there is doubt, faith.

Where there is despair, hope.

Where there is darkness, light.

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive.

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.