Names

Names are hard.....

And now for another name search. There is the typical naming problems. Such as "Don't name the baby _________ I knew this girl growing up. She was so mean." Or just not liking how a name sounds. Naming babies is not easy. The name of the baby is their label. Names have meaning.

Examples in our family.

Ryan: Kingly, descendant of a king.
Ryan himself is absolutely a leader. He leads his family, and is a manager at work. One of his co-workers once pulled me aside and asked...
"How is he at home? Does he expect perfection? Is everything in your home orderly?"
I guess that is how he is at work. I've heard he's very methodical. He is similar at home. But he is understanding of daily life messes.

He is good about foreseeing necessary tools for a job. Whether the tools are education, research or actual tools. Ryan tends to commit at the last second possible. But when he does, he's all in. Like a king deciding to go to war.

Shelsea: Blustery.
Can I just say I'm talkative. Really talkative. And I do have an energy about me, so I've been told. My Mom would sometimes get perturbed when I lived at home. She'd say something like "Shelsea, every time you come home from school you're like a whirlwind. (said not smiling) It's like the whole house is peaceful and quiet. When you come in, the very air around you is upset."

When I was little, I used to get up at 5AM, get dressed and go downstairs to meet the day. I tried to be quiet as I walked. Mom usually heard and told me to go back to bed. If I did succeed in sneaking past quietly, rarely was there anyone to greet me. Sometimes Dad or Papa would be up preparing a sermon. I'd wait until they stepped out of the room and drink their coffee. I liked coffee as a child.

Luke running wild in the house. He'd do this just before he went to sleep.
Luke ever running at the beach. He'll go all the way to the top and run down over and over. He's done this since he could walk
Luke teaching about fire safety.

Luke Harrison: bringer of light, detailed-as a physician. Ruler of the home.

Yes, Yes and holy smokes yes! Luke is loud and bubbly. He is an extrovert. He moves his feet and hands even when he is trying to sit still. He does laps around the table when he's doing school. Currently he's jumping on one foot around the house.

He started organizing toys before he could walk. Somewhere around 9 months he started putting all his cars in one toy bin. He would line up, sort, tidy up, etc... before he was 2. He was really into identifying similarities/differences. We would walk out of the room, and come back in a few minutes later. We'd find he'd lined up all his toy cars. He wanted to leave them like that. He didn't stack blocks, he'd sort them by color.

Now he memorizes facts. Facts that sound fake. He especially likes animals and lands. The other day, this was the conversation...
Luke: "Do you know what the largest rabbit in North America is?"
Me: "No"
Luke: "The Swamp Rabbit"
Me: "Really? (unbelieving tone) Where did you hear that? When did you learn that?'
Luke: "I read it in my book"
Me: "Could you show me where you found that?"

We went to his room. He pulled out one very large book. He turned to the correct page. And appeared to envision the very paragraph in which the answer would be. Then he found it. the Swamp Rabbit is the largest rabbit in North America.

And he is a "Ruler". He organizes, bosses, and pep-talks people. He leads his sister, and teaches her. In fact he teaches anyone who will listen. And he is facts, facts, and facts most of the time. And boy howdy, is this guy is ever super chatty.

Daphne dressing up with Erika at the Oregon Trail.
Singing, dancing and putting on a performance with Liddy Voetberg.
Sitting with Papa.
Daphne prefers to dig a hole at the beach. She doesn't like to run on the dunes or get in the surf.

Daphne Rose: Victory, A rose, love
Daphne is a funny, but also a very serious, introverted child. She is very affectionate (to those she knows, trusts, and chooses). She is the best hugger. She likes to lean into my cheek and hold the other side of my head and squeeze. She's done this since she was a baby. She likes to be with us. She preferred to sit with us in church. So she never went to the nursery or even the toddler group until recently.

Then we come to victory. She is stubborn. She doesn't like it when things don't go as planned. She wants victory. Victory over whatever she is choosing to conquer. The good things like hanging up a coat, putting her shoes on properly, completing a school assignment, or learning a new task. The not-so-good things like completely dumping out an entire bottle of soap or playing with a toy someone else has. She can set her mind to something and go! That is why I lost her several times when she was small. She'd just decide to do something else. Something that normal children wouldn't do.

Once was at the zoo. We were all together. I even had another mom with me. She just walked out. About 20 minutes later, a couple brought her back. She was apparently following a group of teenagers. The couple said Daphne was dutifully following behind the teenage group.

One other time she was playing a a park. Up the slide, down the slide. Over and Over again she'd go. Then I didn't see her. I looked all over. Then I spotted her WAY across the parking lot headed towards a group of people, with several pit bulls in chains, looking much like a gang. When I stopped her and asked what she was doing she told me she wanted to see if Luke was over with the people and their dogs. Man she kept me on my toes for awhile.

She does not consider tidiness or organization a priority. But man does she imagine all the time. She's one of those that imagining and reality can come together. She tells marvelous stories about going to far off lands, as if she really went there.

She tends to be shy at first, then she gets very chatty. She doesn't like to talk on the phone. She likes to dress up and stage scenes. She likes to help with chores. She likes to sing and dance. Dance has really helped her to follow instructions better.

What about the newest Weems? With Luke I had a feeling about his personality. I knew he was energetic from the womb. He used to take his foot, place it between my ribs, and wiggle his toes. Or take a foot and push out on my tummy so hard, you could see his foot shape. Luke was so wiggly, I'd rock at night so we could both go to sleep.
With Daphne she seemed very deliberate in her moving. She would roll over. Like a child who was getting comfortable in a bed.
I saw them both in my mind's eye. I saw them doing and wearing things. But I don't have a feeling about this sweet babe. She doesn't wiggle much. Mostly in the evening, a little during the day. I'm waiting for the feeling to "Hit". Hoping that when Ryan or I say a name it'll "Click" or something. Nothing yet.....