Weston und Gretyl

When we were expecting our first we went through many names. After the trauma of finding out I had a developing male organ inside of me (and it was pretty traumatic for me) we started on the hunt for boy names. At that point we were young (I was 21 and Mike was 22) and still hoping to be cool. We wanted something hip and different - something that would ensure our child would be able to have his name on a program for his art opening or on the cover of a book and it would look cool. And having the last name "Knorpp" makes that a little tricky. We started with the names Jack and Henry - I think Henry was in the lead. Then while reading some parenting magazine I read that Meg Ryan's two sons were named Jack and Henry. I knew that wouldn't work so I went looking again. If you don't know Mike then you might not know that as a teenager he was obsessed with the Beatles - he even had the huge chops, little round glasses, and an asian girlfriend to prove it. So I thought "Jude" would be the perfect choice. Not only could we pay homage to the fab four but also to our religion - Jude was the half brother of Jesus. On a weekend trip with family we announced the name and were surprised at the opinions of disgust that were shared. Not deterred, I remember thinking I would tell our little Jude exactly which aunt and uncle hated his name and thought it was ugly. Still though, deep down I knew it might be a little too "cool" a name for us.

A few weeks before I was due Mike said, "What about Elijah". Now, this was a name I had mentioned a million times over in the beginning of my pregnancy and Mike protested it up and down. I loved the stories of Elijah the prophet in the Old Testament and I also thought the name had been youngified by Elijah Wood. So, as soon as he mentioned it - it was sealed. And that was our first journey onto the difficult path of choosing a name. Our second time around we played with names from Elfie to Calvin. Andrew actually ended up written on the birth certificate, then scratched out and replaced by Calvin, which was also scratched out and Andrew was written in again. Elijah means "Jehovah is my God" and we love that meaning but Calvin means "bald one" and we didn't want that to come out on some Family Night, "Elijah - your name means... and Calvin - well...we just like the comic "Calvin and Hobbes" a lot." Andrew was a family name - Mike's g'pa and my brother's middle name. And he was a rockin apostle who when he met the Savior immediately went and got his brother Peter and brought him back. Knowing Andrew would have at least one brother we thought that was special.

And now we are here again. Hoping for a girl because this may be our last time doing this. Last Saturday, with a minivan full of teens, I was asked what we would name it if it was a girl and when I told them they laughed because they thought I was joking. Nope, "Gretyl Louise" isn't a joke name. I like "G names for girls - we started with Gwendolyn and then went to Gwyneth and then ended up here. Louise was one my amazing grandmother's names.

If we have a trilogy of sons - now that is difficult. We like Peter, Daniel, Atticus, Toby, Asher - but none really fits - or it makes our other kids names seem different - either too Bible themed or too trendy. So, we are starting to settle on Weston Daniel. A family name - Weston is my mother's maiden name and my little brother's first name. Daniel is Mike's brother and my brother Spencer's middle name.

We'll find out in April which name it is - for now at least. And we'll let you know. Now, I'd love to hear your comments but tread lightly - At least I try to. Names are personal. So, if you don't like it - I'd rather not know.

For a really cool baby naming tool - or just name tool go to : http://babynamewizard.com/namevoyager - it is worth it.