An Active Little Guy

For the last hour, I've been combing through Google sites trying to find boy names. Anna and I have yet to land on a "this-is-it" name for our soon to be son, so we've been sounding out combinations and even going so far as trying out a couple for a few days. It does seem inherently wrong to be auditioning names as though they were a cell phone plan or a car. But if those sorts of things are worth a little time, research and test drives, why shouldn't a name be as well?

In fact, there's really a bunch of similarities between names and cars. You can go with an old standby like Adam or Michael, which is like a Ford or a Honda, and you're bound to get acceptance by the vast majority. Plus, there's less risk with names like these. For instance, if something goes wrong with your Ford it's because the whole American manufacturing system is defunct. Likewise, the only people the Adam's and Michael's have to blame for their failure or frustration is something broad and indefinite like politics or economics.

However, the exact opposite is true for names like Abner or Tobias. Here you run the risk of having a budding noble prize winner, runway model or social outcast - the fine line between the Porches of the world and the Delorean that only raced through Back to the Future.

Of course, the most recent trend is to adjust a middle-of-the-road sedan name like Michael or Caleb by using a new spelling, such as Kaleb. In the end, though, it's pretty much like tricking out your Honda Civic: if it's not done well, it just looks crappy and may even be a sign of white trash.

Anyhow, everything continues to go well with the pregnancy, and our little guy is getting more and more active. For the last two nights, he's been wiggling, kicking and turning for an hour. Anna was spell-bound by all this activity, and I don't blame her. I put my hand on her belly and felt him shifting around, making a bump here and a poke there. It's just surreal and awesome. I'll see Anna grin and look at her belly with wide eyes. Then Anna will place her hands on her stomach and wait - letting her senses take over and allow movement to speak to her - the subtle communication of new life. I too let my hands feel and sense this movement, but I know I'm on the outside looking in. What must it be like to have a human being pulse and move within you? This to me is the miracle of motherhood.

Wes