New name for the baby name list: Rhiannon (ree- ANN - un)
Rhiannon is the goddess of horses in Welsh mythology. There's a whole big story about her in Wikipedia. Rhiannon is also the title of a Fleetwood Mac song. Click the title to see the lyrics, or I have it in my playlist near the bottom, if you pop it out to find it and listen.
I heard this song the other day and remembered how much I like it...most of my favorite songs are from the seventies. (My middle name is from a Beatles song, incidentally.)
I thought it was funny to see that the meaning of the name is Gaelic, because for the name "Eowyn"-also on the list- Tolkien borrowed and combined Welsh terms for 'horse' and 'joy'. Cool, not that I love horses especially, but I do love Gaelic sounding names and the two names are kind of associated with each other.
I like the whole name, as well as shorter versions of "Ree" or "Anne".
What do you think? Love it, hate it, or indifferent?
(I am just asking to have a boy, aren't I.)
Friday, January 30, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Joshua and the Letter F
So, I had an alternate, much more provocative title for this post....but I knew I'd get way too many weirdos googling it, and it might offend someone. Use your imaginations.
As you might have guessed, this is about all the fun things Joshua is learning to say. There are many phrases he can say perfectly well, like, "I did it!", "It doesn't work", "daddy's at work", "its raining" (even though its really snow) and "Tired, bed!"
Some of his favorite words, as it is with most toddlers, have to do with food. He is always shouting "cookie!" "cracker!" "candy!" "dia!" (which means quesadilla) "milk!" etc. And being a boy, he loves all his 'boy' words too: "yuck, poop, bum, potty, ewww, truck, car, plane, .." Okay, Elora likes those words too.
Being a sweet boy, he also likes to talk about the softer things in life, like "baby, honey (an alternate name for Elora's babies), and Annie.
There are a few letters that he has a hard time with of course. The most obvious is- you guessed it- the letter F. When one remembers that he can't say this letter, then he's completely understandable, but otherwise you might be confused at what he's saying. For instance, when he references his foot, he says, "Whoot". Face is "Wace", and for the fan in his room, he has the alternate name of "the wind," which is much easier to say. Fork is "work", and frog of course is "Wog", or the easier "Riddit" (ribbit.)
(Elora used to say "bit-bit"...but that was long before she was Joshua's age...she doesn't have problems with any letters, so this is a new experience for us!)
Oh yeah. He also likes to say "snake" and chase everyone with a toy snake (or a plastic bug, or anything else that's on hand.) Its so funny to watch, because he screws his face up trying to make it scary, and he always squints one eye like a pirate. Last night, he was pretending his pizza was a snake. Of course when I got the camera out, he stopped making his funny face, and wouldn't be silly anymore.. Then he did what he always does with the camera: he said, "cheese!"
As you might have guessed, this is about all the fun things Joshua is learning to say. There are many phrases he can say perfectly well, like, "I did it!", "It doesn't work", "daddy's at work", "its raining" (even though its really snow) and "Tired, bed!"
Some of his favorite words, as it is with most toddlers, have to do with food. He is always shouting "cookie!" "cracker!" "candy!" "dia!" (which means quesadilla) "milk!" etc. And being a boy, he loves all his 'boy' words too: "yuck, poop, bum, potty, ewww, truck, car, plane, .." Okay, Elora likes those words too.
Being a sweet boy, he also likes to talk about the softer things in life, like "baby, honey (an alternate name for Elora's babies), and Annie.
There are a few letters that he has a hard time with of course. The most obvious is- you guessed it- the letter F. When one remembers that he can't say this letter, then he's completely understandable, but otherwise you might be confused at what he's saying. For instance, when he references his foot, he says, "Whoot". Face is "Wace", and for the fan in his room, he has the alternate name of "the wind," which is much easier to say. Fork is "work", and frog of course is "Wog", or the easier "Riddit" (ribbit.)
(Elora used to say "bit-bit"...but that was long before she was Joshua's age...she doesn't have problems with any letters, so this is a new experience for us!)
Oh yeah. He also likes to say "snake" and chase everyone with a toy snake (or a plastic bug, or anything else that's on hand.) Its so funny to watch, because he screws his face up trying to make it scary, and he always squints one eye like a pirate. Last night, he was pretending his pizza was a snake. Of course when I got the camera out, he stopped making his funny face, and wouldn't be silly anymore.. Then he did what he always does with the camera: he said, "cheese!"
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Girl Baby Names
I know this post is totally premature.
We don't know if we're having a boy or girl, and we won't know until mid March. But some of you may recall that I did a post about boy names before Joshua was born. This list of girl names may be entirely superfluous, but if that is the case, I wanted to write about it before we did discover it is to be a boy (perchance). After all, I didn't get to do it last time.
So anyway...when we're expecting a new baby, we like to keep a running list of names that we like, and we don't actually pick the winner until we're within a month or so of the due date. We only have one or two that we like for boys, but several on the girl side.
Here are some of the contenders this time around:
Annie
pros:
cons:
just kidding.
Eowyn
pros:
cons:
Lila/ Lyla
pros:
cons:
Ember
pros:
cons:
PS I don't know why that one name is a different color. Sometimes I hate blogger.
We don't know if we're having a boy or girl, and we won't know until mid March. But some of you may recall that I did a post about boy names before Joshua was born. This list of girl names may be entirely superfluous, but if that is the case, I wanted to write about it before we did discover it is to be a boy (perchance). After all, I didn't get to do it last time.
So anyway...when we're expecting a new baby, we like to keep a running list of names that we like, and we don't actually pick the winner until we're within a month or so of the due date. We only have one or two that we like for boys, but several on the girl side.
Here are some of the contenders this time around:
Annie
pros:
- Elora loves the movie Annie, and she has consented to calling the baby "Elora Annie".
- Joshua calls all of Elora's girl dolls "Annie", because one is a Raggedy Anne.
- It would be really cute if she had red hair (though she might hate that).
- It was my sister's nickname from my dad when she was little (her middle name is Anne, and she had the curly red locks).
- Joseph's mother's middle name was also Anne.
cons:
- A common name, but then so was Joshua.
- We have friends with a daughter named Annie, but they live in New Mexico, so they're not too close.
- There's already a little red-head Anne at church, but we won't live here forever.
- She might actually get teased if she has red curly hair. But people thought they were clever to call me Pipi Longstocking when I had braids, which is much worse.
just kidding.
Eowyn
pros:
- Fairly unique.
- I was named after a warrior princess, Elora was named after a princess: it would continue a tradition.
- My brothers were all named from Lord of the Rings, so it carries on that tradition as well.
- It sounds cute with Elora.
cons:
- Everyone has seen LOTR, so they all know where it comes from. This might lead to teasing, or at least disapproval from some people.
- I read on a baby site that people think it sounds like someone saying "Aaron" but they can't say their "R's". I don't want everyone to think she has a speech impediment when she says her name! Not that anyone says my name right. Much. :)
Lila/ Lyla
pros:
- Its from one of our favorite movies, August Rush.
- It is also fairly unique, although its broken the top 100 list since that movie came out.
- It goes with Elora as well.
cons:
- Maybe it's too close to Elora, they'll be easy to mix up. But so were my brothers Dain and Thain. It's not a big deal.
- It sounds similar to Twyla, which is a very unappealing name to me. (no offense to the Twylas out there.)
Ember
pros:
- We thought this'd be a cool name after we saw the movie City of Ember.
- I like that it means smoldering flame, which is great if she's a red-head. Or has a temper.
- Another "E" name to go with Elora.
cons:
- For some reason, I sometimes associate Ember/Amber with mean snotty little girls, even though I can't remember any girls with that name in particular. (Note: this does NOT apply to adults with this name...all the adult Ambers I know are nice!)
- Because its similar to Amber, there is a greater possibility of girls with almost the same name living nearby.
PS I don't know why that one name is a different color. Sometimes I hate blogger.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Saucy Frustrations
If one reads my blog regularly, one might note that my three-year-old, Elora, can be intelligent, observant, and wise beyond her years.
However, if one actually interacts with our family in person on a regular basis, one might see the other side of Elora much more often.
While Elora can talk up a storm, sing entire nursery rhymes and Disney songs on demand, and draws pretty good pictures of her family for a preschooler, when she's around other people our saucy little girl has a tendency to hide her brighter side. In other words, she likes to play dumb.
I don't know if its some kind of defense mechanism, if she's shy, or if she just thinks its funny, but whenever we meet someone new- and often even around neighbors she knows well- Elora will talk baby talk and refuses to act like the girl we know and love at home.
Case in point. A week or so ago we took her to the doctor. You may recall, I am not the parent that takes my kid in for every cough and fever, in fact I think a yearly check up is only necessary if you need immunizations or have some major concern. In this case though, Elora hadn't been feeling well and had been displaying some strange symptoms that had me worried, including some unfamiliar sores on her gums, a fever, and complaints of sore teeth (she didn't eat most anything for almost a week, not even her favorite treats!)
We were meeting yet another new doctor at our clinic, as I still haven't found one I like since the two women practitioners both moved to other towns. I'm sad to say this doctor impressed me about the same as the rest (which was not at all) especially when he said nothing was wrong with her, then he went on and on about fluoride drops- which had nothing to do with her ailment.
When I declined to accept a prescription for said drops, he actually asked if I was against fluoride, and he extolled all of its virtues to me as if I was denying my child immunizations against mumps or polio. I was not happy, and I plan on avoiding this particular MD from now on.
My frustration at the fruitless visit was compounded by Elora's inane behavior. Elora loves going to the doctor, and I thought she would act normal. Yeah right. Every attempt of the doctor and nurse to converse with her, were met with "goo-goo" and "ga-ga" from my oh so brilliant daughter.
"How old are you? Are you three?"
"Dada!"
"Thats pretty nail polish, did you put that on your fingernails?"
"Lalala, mama!"
"Can you climb up on this table and show me how big you are?"
"Na na la la!"
I was sooo embarrassed. I wondered if they even believed that she had told me herself what her symptoms were. I kept apologizing and explaining that she really could talk, but Elora wasn't about to prove it. Of course, the second all clinic personell left the room, Elora asked if she could squeeze the blood preasure thing, and said she didn't want to go home yet. I was just hoping someone was still standing outside the door to hear her.
Another recent issue we've been having is with Elora's Sunday School class. Since she turned three this last year, she has graduated from the nursery to the youngest sunday school class, the Sunbeams. Everyone was sure she would love it, as she's been bored in nursery for quite a while now.
To our distress, Elora has burst into tears almost every Sunday as we head to her new class. She's told me she doesn't mind the actual class with five or six other kids her age. Whats surprising is that she hates the singing time they attend first. While she loves to sing and dance at home, she seems to dread going to the singing time at church, even though she already knows half the songs and will sing them when with us.
I've had to sit with her several times, and the Sundays I've looked in on her, she refuses to do any actions to the songs, and won't even try to join in. I've seen her start to smile several times, then she catches herself and forces her face into a grumpy frown. She''s determined to be miserable!
Strangely, as a toddler she never had any problems going to nursery, and I never had to stay with her once! It's quite a mystery. I'm just worried that she's getting a reputation as that kid who cries every Sunday...she shouldn't be known as that naughty kid, but the smart one, right?
(I don't know, that kind of looks like a naughty face to me.)
I know she's only three, and she'll eventually get used to new situations on her own. I just hope this behavior doesn't continue on into her school years. Ugh.
However, if one actually interacts with our family in person on a regular basis, one might see the other side of Elora much more often.
While Elora can talk up a storm, sing entire nursery rhymes and Disney songs on demand, and draws pretty good pictures of her family for a preschooler, when she's around other people our saucy little girl has a tendency to hide her brighter side. In other words, she likes to play dumb.
I don't know if its some kind of defense mechanism, if she's shy, or if she just thinks its funny, but whenever we meet someone new- and often even around neighbors she knows well- Elora will talk baby talk and refuses to act like the girl we know and love at home.
Case in point. A week or so ago we took her to the doctor. You may recall, I am not the parent that takes my kid in for every cough and fever, in fact I think a yearly check up is only necessary if you need immunizations or have some major concern. In this case though, Elora hadn't been feeling well and had been displaying some strange symptoms that had me worried, including some unfamiliar sores on her gums, a fever, and complaints of sore teeth (she didn't eat most anything for almost a week, not even her favorite treats!)
We were meeting yet another new doctor at our clinic, as I still haven't found one I like since the two women practitioners both moved to other towns. I'm sad to say this doctor impressed me about the same as the rest (which was not at all) especially when he said nothing was wrong with her, then he went on and on about fluoride drops- which had nothing to do with her ailment.
When I declined to accept a prescription for said drops, he actually asked if I was against fluoride, and he extolled all of its virtues to me as if I was denying my child immunizations against mumps or polio. I was not happy, and I plan on avoiding this particular MD from now on.
My frustration at the fruitless visit was compounded by Elora's inane behavior. Elora loves going to the doctor, and I thought she would act normal. Yeah right. Every attempt of the doctor and nurse to converse with her, were met with "goo-goo" and "ga-ga" from my oh so brilliant daughter.
"How old are you? Are you three?"
"Dada!"
"Thats pretty nail polish, did you put that on your fingernails?"
"Lalala, mama!"
"Can you climb up on this table and show me how big you are?"
"Na na la la!"
I was sooo embarrassed. I wondered if they even believed that she had told me herself what her symptoms were. I kept apologizing and explaining that she really could talk, but Elora wasn't about to prove it. Of course, the second all clinic personell left the room, Elora asked if she could squeeze the blood preasure thing, and said she didn't want to go home yet. I was just hoping someone was still standing outside the door to hear her.
Another recent issue we've been having is with Elora's Sunday School class. Since she turned three this last year, she has graduated from the nursery to the youngest sunday school class, the Sunbeams. Everyone was sure she would love it, as she's been bored in nursery for quite a while now.
To our distress, Elora has burst into tears almost every Sunday as we head to her new class. She's told me she doesn't mind the actual class with five or six other kids her age. Whats surprising is that she hates the singing time they attend first. While she loves to sing and dance at home, she seems to dread going to the singing time at church, even though she already knows half the songs and will sing them when with us.
I've had to sit with her several times, and the Sundays I've looked in on her, she refuses to do any actions to the songs, and won't even try to join in. I've seen her start to smile several times, then she catches herself and forces her face into a grumpy frown. She''s determined to be miserable!
Strangely, as a toddler she never had any problems going to nursery, and I never had to stay with her once! It's quite a mystery. I'm just worried that she's getting a reputation as that kid who cries every Sunday...she shouldn't be known as that naughty kid, but the smart one, right?
(I don't know, that kind of looks like a naughty face to me.)
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