Baby Name Clues

For our first two pregnancies, we waited until The Birth to find out whether we were having a boy or a girl.  Although we always had names picked out beforehand, we never fully revealed the name until the baby was actually born.  Well Baby D.3 is no different – we don’t yet know whether we will add a brother or a sister to this family, but we are prepared with a name for either one!  As with the first two children, I will publish weekly name clues for Baby D.3 (you can see name clues for Baby D.1 and D.2 below).  This time I am also going to publish people’s guesses because that is half the fun!  However, know that I won’t confirm or deny until the final reveal!  I hope these clues are obscure enough to keep you guessing until the end but helpful enough to generate some ideas. 

Baby D.3 Name Clues

Clue #1:

Boy - First name ends in the letter N
Girl - First name ends in the letter E

Round 1 Guesses:

Boy - Aniken, Bacon, Steven, Rasputen, Nwendy Jr., Nathan, Aiden (x2), Keyan, Cason, Brandon Jr., Evan, 

Girl - Padme, Pie, Katie, Nelle, Evangeline, Evie, Ewendy Jr., Reese, Tere, Callie, Bonnie, Diane, Catherine Jr., Eve

Clue #2:
Boy - First name has 3 syllables.  Middle name has 2 syllables.
Girl - First name has 2 syllables.  Middle name has 1 syllable.

Round 2 Guesses:

Boy - Sullivan Travis, Anakin, Gideon, Finnegan Rascal, Jonathan Brandon (x2), Jonathan Allyn 

Girl - Padme, Katie Mae, Katie Beth, Carrie Anne, Evie, Ellie Mae, Allie May, Allie Ann, Bonnie Jean

Clue #3:
Boy - Middle name is a family name.
Girl - Middle name is a family name.

Round 3 Guesses:

Boy -  Jameson Brandon, Jonathan Allyn, Jonathan David, Donovan, and Allyn, Hilton, or Carlton for middle names

Girl - Sadie Anne, Halle Jean

Clue #4:
Boy - Like my name, the first name is technically 3 syllables (see clue #2) but typically pronounced with only 2.
Girl - Like my name, the first name ends in the letter E (see clue #1), but does not end in the E sound.

Round 4 Guesses:

Boy -  Cameron Allyn, Cameron David, Cameron Bushrod

Girl -  Charlotte Anne, Alice Rae, Christine Claire

Clue #5:

Boy - There are 12 letters in the first and middle names combined.

Girl - There are 13 letters in the first and middle names combined.

Clue #6:

Boy - Initials are CAD
Girl - Initials are CAD

Final Names:  Cameron Allyn and Charlotte Anne

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Baby D.1 Name Clues

Clue #1

Boy – First name ends in the letter N

Girl – First name ends in the letter N

Clue #2

Boy – First name has 2 syllables

Girl – First name has 2 syllables

Clue #3

Boy - The number of letters in the first and middle names combined is 10 letters

Girl - The number of letters in the first and middle names combined is 10 letters

Clue # 4

Boy – First name begins with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y!)

Girl – First name begins with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y!)

Clue # 5:

Girl – First and middle name is the first and last name of an actress

Boy – First name is one of the main actors from Lord of the Rings

Clue # 6:

Boy – Initials are IMD

Girl – Initials are EPD

Final Names:  Ian Michael and Ellen Paige

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Baby D.2 Clues

Clue # 1:

Boy - First and middle name combined has 10 letters

Girl - First and middle name combined has 10 letters

Clue # 2:

Boy - First and/or middle name begins with a vowel

Girl - First and/or middle name begins with a vowel

Clue # 3:

Boy - Total of 3 syllables in the first and middle names combined

Girl - Total of 3 syllables in the first and middle names combined

Clue #4:

Boy – First name does not end in the letter N

Girl – First name does end in the letter N

Clue #5:

Boy – First name is in top 100 of SSA names in 2010.  Middle name is not.

Girl – First name is not in the top 100 of SSA names in 2010.  Middle name is.

Clue #6:

Boy – Initials JAD

Girl – Initials EPD

Final Names:

James Allyn and Ellen Paige

(alas, this boy name is now removed from the running of any future boys as my nephew now has the first name James and we won’t repeat it) 

Things Ian Says - Age 3 to 4

Ian just turned FOUR (a few months ago - this has apparently been sitting in my draft folder for a full 2 months, probably waiting for me to add photos).  I have a full-fledged pre-schooler on my hands and it is a little mind blowing.  I love watching his little brain develop and change.  Over the past year, I started keeping a record of the funny things Ian says.  He was almost 3.5 by the time I started recording these quotes and I am sure I missed some good ones.  Here are my favorites:

While talking about his runny nose:  "My nose is stuffly." (2/10/2013)

While on a drive in the car, out of nowhere:  "If I didn't have a nose, I wouldn't have to sneezes!"  (2/10/2013)

Trying to get Ian to retell a story to my mom.  The prompt was, "Tell me about the cooler."

Response:  "It is an old cooler.  Smack made it old.  Smack is kind of like a tiger."  (2/18/2013)

While out and about running errands:  "There's a Starbucks.  There are Starbucks EVERYWHERE!" (4/4/2013)

While wearing a baseball helmet:  "I have this so deer don't bite me.  And to protect me from coyotes.  I also have this [flashlight] so I can see what is coming."  (5/11/2013)

While helping his sister pick out gardening gloves:  "Ellen, which gloves would you like - stripes or dots?"  ("Stripes")  "Oh, I'm sorry Ellen... the striped ones are not available!  Is that disappointing?"  (6/10/2013)

While crossing the lake on our way to school:  "You could get in a canoe or ship and go to college!  Everyone should go to college."  (6/13/2013)

Ian asked for more marshmallow after dinner one day and we said no (sorry buddy, just one!). Then he clarified - "No, not more. I asked for a S'MORE!" A classic misunderstanding. (7/6/2013)

While on vacation: “Is this the lunch site?” (8/2013)

The day after my cousin’s wedding was over, we were leaving the hotel we had stayed in for several days:  “Is anyone staying at the hotel? (he paused and didn't get an answer.  Oh, everyone is leaving the hotel, in this case.”

Right before a hike: “Daddy said a very amazing thing to me.  He told me that we will see a very very old tree and it has been growing for a long long time!”

On a hike, referencing tree roots: “Look!  The trees gave us tree steps!  <looks up> Thank you trees!”

On a hike, he told us that he needed to go potty and so we directed him to a discrete spot on the side of the trail.  He got ready, waited a bit and said:  “I thought I needed to go potty, but my brain told me that I needed to wait until we found a real potty.”

After swimming at the pool:  “Daddy said if I fell into the deep end he would jump in and save me.  But… he would not care to.”  <This was not a parrot of what Brandon said.  The “not care to” part was *ALL* Ian.>

Randomly: “When I grow up, I will be an Aggie.  Or a robot.”

Beep bop boop bop, I love this kid.

Three Things

It's just the kind of day that makes parenting so heart filling.

1.  Ellen woke up early and I sent Ian in to talk to her while I finished getting ready.  Things stayed very quiet for about 10 minutes so I went to investigate... and this is what I found.

{Sweet siblings reading together in the crib}

Ian climbed into the crib, bringing a book to share with his sister.  Their laps shared the load of the book and Ian started "reading" to Ellen.  Reading right now consists of either reciting the memorized words or just telling the story of what he sees in the pictures.  Ellen sat quietly absorbing everything he was saying and studied the illustrations alongside him.  I was so grateful that I could capture this sibling moment from the hallway, not disturbing their precious interaction.

2.  Later, while I was getting breakfast ready for Ellen, Ian disappeared.  All of a sudden he ran into the kitchen.  Fully Clothed!  With a backpack!  Without prompting, he had gone to his room and changed out of pajamas and into the clothes we laid out the night before (including socks and shoes).  Then he packed his backpack with pajamas, a night time pull up, and slippers "in case it is bed time after we go to dinner."  Can I repeat... ALL WITHOUT PROMPTING.  He is REALLY growing up!

{This photo was taken during potty training almost a year ago, but I couldn't resist as it just shouts BIG BOY}



3.  We were in the car talking about where we were going to eat tonight, this is how the conversation went:

Ian:  Is our family going to be there?

Me:  Yes, Mimi and Grandpa will be there with you, me, Daddy, and Ellen.

Ian.  Ok.  Are we going to eat outside?

Me:  No, it is too cold.

Ian.  Ok.  Yesterday we ate outside with our family.

Me:  Yesterday, a long time ago?

Ian:  Yes, a long time ago.  It was at Gloria's!  And Jessie was there.  And I was sitting next to Daddy, and he gave me his fruit.  And Beckett was sitting with Jessie.  And then we played in the fountain!  I was playing on the little steps, and then Gram came and told me she didn't want me to... she told me no.  But Beckett still played on the steps.  And then the water went HIGH in the air.  It had a long curve and there were lights!

The events, as told by Ian, were 100% accurate and in the correct sequence.  That family dinner happened in August of last year (7 months ago).  Holy Cow, child!

{sorry, no pic from that evening}

Ian Lately

Ian turned THREE about two months ago and is really quite a treasure.  Here is some Ian Lately.

While eating pizza, Brandon put a new piece on Ian's plate.  When Ian looked at it and saw it wasn't just cheese pizza, he exclaimed (exclaimed!):  "Oh!  I didn't realize this had bell pepper on it!"

Examples of his burgeoning imagination and apparent fascination with Chicago.
"When Ellen and I were little, we flew on a helicopter!"
"When we were babies, we went to Chicago in a helicopter."
"We had my birthday party in Chicago."
"We went fishing in Chicago, and I caught a red fish."
(I have NO IDEA what is up with Chicago.  I don't know if I have ever talked about Chicago for any reason, so I assume he heard something about it at school maybe.  He is currently very interested in all of the states, where people live, where we have traveled, etc.)

He very calmly went up to his 1.5 year old sister, put his hand lightly on her back, showed her a toy and very sweetly said: "Ellen, would you like to fight over this?"

Ian likes to "help" Ellen learn to talk.  Heard in the back seat one day:  "Ellen, say: guitar.  Ellen, say: iguana.  Ellen, say gazebo."

As I pull out a game (Richard Scary's Busy Town game) that he can only play when Ellen is asleep:  "I love to play Busy Town every DAY!"

Ian plays independently often and does quite well for up to an hour and a half at a time.  He sometimes reads books, but often he likes to work on puzzles.  He will also build with Legos or create a Little People village.  I like to spy on him from the hall way and listen to his narration.

Ian is getting more and more adventurous on the playground.  His balance is improving and he is able to climb extensively.  He will occassionally get himself in a tight or tricky spot, but he just pauses and thinks about how to reposition himself, sometimes talking himself through it.

Ian sings... a LOT.  He sometimes sings songs that he knows, but more often than not he makes up his own words.  He also thinks it is funny to replace the words of songs with words that don't belong (usually "Mama").  As in:  "A, B, C, D, E, F, mama (hahahahha)."

This is basically my fault, but Ian can pretty much sing the alphabet backwards.  Our favorite part is at the end:  "Now I know my Z Y X's... Won't you all come live in TEXAS!"

Ian, 27 months, or 2.25 years old

Dear Ian,

Right now, you are pretty freaking awesome.  Here is what is happening now:

You correctly identify all of the primary and secondary colors.

You correctly identify a variety of shapes, including (but not limited to): trapezoid, parallelogram, and rhombus (although you still struggle with the differences between pentagon, hexagon, and octagon).

You can count to 10 and almost to 20… usually you make it to 12 and then skip around until 19.

You can count to 10 in Spanish.

You sing lots of songs, both with me and to yourself.  Repertoire includes:

·       ABC Song (and you are working on singing it backwards, like me)

·       Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

·       Do-Re-Mi

·       Edelweiss (or “aydal eyes” as you say it)

You will sit and read for more than an hour at a time.  You love for me or Daddy to read to you, but you are equally happy to sit and read to yourself, especially in the car.  Your favorite hidden object books include Where’s Waldo, I Spy, and Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks and Things that Go (where’s Goldbug?).  The only problem is that you are a total rock star at remembering things, so once you find the hidden objects, you never have to search very hard again.

Your physical abilities are improving daily.  I love watching you play on a playground.  You run, jump, and swing like a monkey.  I can’t believe the difference, especially from this summer.  You are getting more daring every day, but you are still fairly cautious.  Sometimes you say, “That’s not a good idea” if something seems a bit out of reach, like large gaps between ladder rungs.  Your ability to throw and kick a ball is improving, and you are also working on catching.

  

One of my favorite things to watch is your developing relationship with Ellen.  You love her so much.  You like to talk to her in the car, and by talk, I mean laugh and yell construction machine names at her.  One morning I heard her wake up, and I sent you in to talk to her.  It got a little quiet and by the time I got in there, you had managed to climb into the crib and the two of your were giggling, thick as thieves.  Since Ellen just started crawling, you have started to realize that she is about to have nearly unfettered access to your toys!  One of your solutions is to bring toys to her in an attempt to keep her out of the playroom and away from your stuff.  You should know… it isn’t going to work in the long run.

You are very sweet.  A hug always gets a matching kiss.  You like to snuggle and have been frequently sneaking into our room to sleep in the “big bed” in the middle of the night.  You are quite stealthy… most of the time I don’t even know that you are in bed until I wake up in the morning – unless you are having a kicky type of night.

Things You Say:

·       I want you to say “Yes” instead of “Yeah,” just because it sounds nice.  Apparently I have driven this point home… a couple of times when I have said, “Oh Yeah!” you will respond, “I no like yeah, I like yes.”

·       Words that are funny:  trashcan, dromedary, June, tumble

·       Once, when singing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” you sang: “Up above the world so high, like a rhombus in the sky…”

  As always, looking forward to more adventures with you!

 

{Ian and Ellen, Christmas 2011}

 {Happy Family Swinging, Christmas 2011}

 

{Ian at the Rowena Farm, Christmas 2011}

Ian Michael, Age 2

Major Milestone Alert:  Ian just turned 2!  It may be cliché to say, but it is true:  time is flying by and he is changing right before my eyes.  I really can’t believe it has been 2 years since he made his debut.  I SWEAR he was just a baby yesterday!  I look at Ellen and think, Ian was JUST LIKE THIS (19 months ago)…  except I can hardly remember it.  I recently filtered through all of my pictures and selected at least one from each month of Ian’s life to compile a quick look at his changes over the last two years.  I smiled with fondness at his little baby face, that toothless grin, that monkey crawl.  And I realized that without these pictures, I would not remember much, if any of those details.  I have a few things recorded in the baby book, but I can I feel those precious baby years slipping away and I can’t keep the memories in my fingers, the images and feelings slipping through like sand.  I certainly don’t WANT him to be a baby forever; I am very much looking forward to conversations, laughter, and togetherness with Ian as he becomes a child, a teenager, and eventually an adult (though it is strange to think of him becoming a man).  But there is a little bit of a heart squeeze when I realize how quickly things are changing.  There are moments that I want to pause, right here, and just stay a while (except for the diaper changes, obviously).  But life moves on and this is why I am making a concerted effort to record our lives via photographs, baby books, and now this blog.  I find that life is a big balancing act between making and capturing memories, and I want to make sure I excel at both.  So here’s a little 2^nd Birthday Letter to Ian.  So I can remember Today with clarity.

Ian - Birth to 2 years!

Oh, Little Monkey, I get more joy from you in increasing amounts every day.  I love your developing sense of humor, your keen and observing eye, a meticulous approach to just about everything, and exploding language and vocabulary skills.  Just about every day, you say or do something that just makes my heart sing.  A recent favorite: You saw a garbage truck go by when we were at the park.  You looked at it, declared it to be a garbage truck, and matter-of-factly said, “I go help pick up trash.  Be right back.”  You are a helper through and through, and sometimes I have to hunt for tasks just to occupy your eager hands.  Just the other day, I (reluctantly) allowed you to help unload the dishwasher, spotting VERY closely as you removed each glass and plate, and quickly transferring items to the counter.  You like to set the table, you clear your place and put things either in the sink or in the dish washer.  You inexplicably LOVE to sweep and insist on sweeping the garage almost daily.  You helped me make a salad the other day, rinsing the lettuce, using the salad spinner (with great joy), tearing the lettuce, and putting it in the salad bowl.  And just like I used to (er, still) do, you grazed off of the cutting board and out of the salad bowl, snatching veggies as you worked.  You help push the wheeled laundry hamper from our bedroom to the utility room.  You carry in groceries from the car, but we have to watch closely – once you took a bite out of the apple we gave you to carry!  You JUMP JUMP JUMP over and off of and onto everything you can find (“Jump on Ellen?”).  You love for me to sing songs to you, and you know many of the words.  “Do, Re, Mi” is a consistent request, as is “ABC’s” and the Rhyming Name song.  You complete the ends of sentences in your favorite books:  Good Night Moon, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way, Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present, If You Give a Moose a Muffin, and MANY more.  You would sit and read books all day long if you could.  You love trucks and construction equipment; my daily commute is filled with a running commentary of the wheeled vehicles around us, and also exclamations of “OH WOW!”  You love your baby sister like nothing else.  You love to look at each other, and you are just pleased as punch when reporting, “Ellen smiling.”  That’s right, you made her smile.  And there aren’t many times that you don’t put a smile on my face… your trying toddler moments are quickly redeemed by sweet kisses and hugs (they always go together, you know).

Does all of this sum up little Ian at the moment?  It comes close, but I don’t think I can capture it all in one post.  To quote another loved book (Snuggle Puppy, by Sandra Boynton):  “I love what you are, I love what you do.  Fuzzy little Snuggle Puppy I LOVE YOU!”