Reeve's Mid

Derick finally called me after spending days on a hiatus. He gets bad signal (actually no signal) in the Mojave, and I'm guessing he hasn't had a chance to go to the phone center in a few days. We didn't get to chat too long, but it was very nice to hear his voice. I'm sure he loved hearing my exciting stories about Reeve's wiggles and the Miami Bath Salt Zombie.

I found out that he will be in California a little longer than initially expected, which is sad, but it just means my parents get to stay with me for a while longer. I've been having a lot of fun with my parents and family. I've even been able to visit some friends, which says more than my last trip when I was dying on the couch with sickness. The mosquitoes are in full force here, and I almost forgot how annoying they are. Not nearly as annoying, though, as my mother's beloved mockingbirds that make nest right outside my bedroom window and tweet all night and all morning. My Dad trimmed their hedges yesterday, and I was able to get a full-night's sleep last night, but I think that may be due more to the storms. Once the weather clears a bit, I fear the birds will be singing again. My mom loves those birds and her entire yard is covered in feeders. I love them, too, during the day. But when it's time to sleep, it's time to sleep--even for the birds. I'm almost wondering if they are on drugs. They tweet all day and all night. They never sleep. Maybe they got a bad batch of bath salts.

So I'm sure a lot of you are actually reading this blog because you saw my FB status about how Derick finally chose a middle name for our Reeve. So many people have asked me what his middle name is, and I've had to tell them the story: "He doesn't have one yet. I'm designing his nursery and choosing everything else, so I'm letting Derick pick his middle name."
We actually narrowed it down to a few names a little bit ago, but after some people said some rude things about the names we chose, we kind of decided to just make it our thing and not really share the names with anyone else until we picked 'the one.' Reeve is our baby. Our treasure. And we chose his name very carefully and with a lot of love and thought. I think that when it comes to something so special to someone, we all need to remember to be sensitive to their feelings, but that is all in a previous blog;)

So, before I shock y'all with his couldn't-be-anything-other-than-unique middle name, I will share some of the runners-up and other ideas that didn't make the cut. You've probably scrolled to the bottom and spoiled the surprise for yourself by now, though, you weenie.

One name that made it to the final two is "Wilder." I thought it was cute, and I think I am the one that mentioned it, thinking that D would not be down. (Think of Thornton Wilder, playwright...not Laura Ingalls). We both really liked the name, but I kinda started to think it sounded weird when combined with Roberts. Like there were too many 'err' sounds. Maybe not.

Another name that I began to really push was McCandless, like Chris McCandless (google it if you're unfamiliar), and I'm actually surprised Derick didn't pick this one. He went through an Into the Wild phase a couple of years ago and really gained interest in Chris McCandless, Alexander Supertramp. After reading that book and Kerouac's On the Road, Derick started a short-lived hobby of picking up random hitchikers and taking them a little way along their trip. I was in the car a couple of times when he did this (Dad, sorry. On his behalf, Derick did try to only choose ones that didn't appear to be killers). Once, I really remember envisioning the dirty old guy stabbing a machete in my back through my seat. I felt bad for thinking that afterward because he turned out to be a veteran, but you never know. Like I said, this hobby was thankfully short-lived. Peeps be weird.

Tonight, I was walking on Mom's fancy treadmill and listening to music. I listened to a song that Derick and I really loved a few years ago by an artist whom I still love, but when I mentioned the name "Pierre" to Derick tonight, he gave me a quick "no." I'm pretty sure he turned it down so quickly because of my accent. When I repeated the name in my head immediately after I told Derick, it sounded more like "Peeee-yayer." Not cool. But doesn't "Reeve Pierre" sound fancy and cultured?

Here are a few more names that we tossed around that didn't quite cut it:
Macaulay--like the cracked-out actor, but not because of him. I just like the name.
Hanson--like the band, and because of them.
Rhyner--like Derick's fellow Marine. This was my idea, and Derick shot it down quickly, too. Sorry, Mitch. I tried.
Eben--we actually liked this for a first name, and I got it from an American Idol contestant who didn't make it very far. The more I said it, the more it sounded like I was saying "Evan" with a speech impediment.

There were a ton more that I can't really remember now. For over a month, it's been a toss up between Wilder and the name we chose, with me throwing in "I really like McCandless" whenever I could. Picking names is really hard, but really fun and funny. Derick made fun of me because I was in such a hurry to name him when some people don't choose the name until their baby is actually born. But I felt like he needed a name, and if he had a first name then, heck, he needed a middle one, too. And the name Derick finally chose is the one that I think we both kind of knew belonged to our Reeve all along. Yes, it's a very different name to some people, though not really to us, and its origin is actually a funny story, too. Our baby already has a story, as I'm sure every baby does. In all my dreams of being a mom, I never knew how very special a tiny person could actually be.

So, his name shall be:     Reeve Magnus Roberts

Remember those Strongest Man competitions that came on Wild World of Sports and ESPN way back in the day? You know, the shows with all the huge, crazy-eyed Icelandic men who pulled 18-wheelers a mile by a rope? Well, I watched those shows every chance I could, and so did Derick. I loved watching those giant men lift Chevys over their heads. I loved how they still looked angry after they won the competition. Derick loved those shows, too. He and I were just destined from the beginning. Anyway, if you remember these shows as fondly as I do, then you probably remember that about 90% of the competitors were named "Magnus." I'm pretty sure there were at least three guys named "Magnus Magnussen." Cool name. Strong name. We like it. Reeve Magnus Roberts may or may not ever lift a Chevy over his head, but he will definitely be as cool to me as those Icelandic men once were. Even cooler.<3