When I sat down yesterday morning to share my little bit of good news in this big crazy world with all my friends here at dKos, I had no idea just how many friends I actually had here at dKos.
Needless to say, 657 comments and several hours on the rec list later, I have a new understanding and appreciation of just what a special place this is, and Mrs. Ipsos and I are just floored by how many of you took a few minutes to help us come up with names for our little guy.
So what did we pick? That, and some new pictures, below the fold...
OK, first a few bits of cuteness:
(and, yeah, I did already use that one shamelessly in a comment last night.)
That's the kid meeting his big sister late yesterday afternoon. She's a little freaked out by the whole thing, but has been very good about rolling through the changes. (And as a diehard Hillary supporter - remember, "she has hair like Mommy, and it's lellow, my favorite color" - she's both heartened by last night's WV results and unable to understand why they really don't matter. Daddy's OK with that, today.)
So, about that whole name thing...
There are a few bits I neglected to mention yesterday, some of them by accident, one sort of on purpose.
I should have mentioned that the family background on both sides is Jewish, though I'm not practicing. That limits the choice of names slightly.
I should probably have mentioned that the family name is not, in fact, Ipsos. That's just a pen name. (Though I do believe one properly addresses Bill as "Mr. In Portland Maine," when first introduced.) The actual family name will not be disclosed here, because I like being employed and now have three mouths depending on me for sustenance.
I also should probably have noted that this is not child #1, though the references to his big sister ought to have made that clear somewhere down the thread. In any event, I'm experienced with all the diaper changing and sleepless nights and all of that, not that it will make things any less sleepless or stinky down the road.
And I failed to mention the "E" name after whom the kid is being named. That was sort of on purpose, because Grandpa had a very obscure name that's very much out of style these days, and I was somewhat curious to see if anyone would mention it unprompted. It showed up in just one comment, amidst a long list of names.
Grandpa was Elbert Benjamin. I guess that was cool in 1902. It doesn't work so well in 2008 (though I at least contemplated it at one point.) And before someone points out that there was a Governor Elbert in Colorado in the 1870s, and that the tallest point in Colorado is Mount Elbert, and that there are Elbert Counties in both Colorado and Georgia, believe me, I know.
And after much consideration, and some thought of reversing the two names, and an extra night to sleep on the choice, and with many thanks to everyone here who weighed in, the little guy is now:
Eli Benjamin
It seems to fit him. "Ari and Eli" sound good together for the two kids. It flows nicely with his two-syllable last name. And someday, maybe he'll appreciate bearing Great-Grandpa's initials forward into a new century.
So...what do y'all think?
(UPDATE - I should mention that Eli came out of the neonatal ICU this morning and is doing just fine, as is Mommy. Not sure yet when he'll be able to come home; hopefully Friday if all goes well.)