Monday, March 12, 2012

Weekend High

Hey! The baby's back to normal and so far no one else has gotten sick! Also, we talked to the contractor again last night and are waiting for the final quote, so, you know, keep your fingers crossed we don't have to sell a kid or an organ or something to be able to afford to FINISH this craziness. Also keep your fingers crossed that the current foundation is in good enough shape to build on to, since it had some issues about ten years ago and had to be raised on one side. It needs to be inspected before we can actually go ahead and start building, and if it doesn't look great, this whole adding on plan might very well be over before it begins. (Contingency plan: install a toilet in the garage, just like Al Bundy had in Married With Children! Not quite the master bathroom and closet of my dreams, but better than nothing, right?)

I am in a super good mood this morning. I have been feeling more or less awesome lately, which thrills me. I so wanted to enjoy at least some of this probably-last pregnancy. My house is mostly clean, like actually clean, not just picked up, and I am sitting here typing this and eating breakfast while the boys are still asleep somehow! I don't know if the time change has them messed up or what, but this morning they slept through Jim and Addy getting ready for work and school and are still snoozing away while I am sipping coffee! I *should* probably wake them up, but: no. Precious and few are the moments we two can share, dear computer.

The weather was so nice yesterday that we had a picnic at the playground for dinner, and Jim got to see Jameson crawling around and sliding by himself for the first time. That poor kid was so. happy. to be feeling well and able to play again. He just kept running up to us and laughing hysterically before waddling off to climb some more. I also did some spring clothes shopping for the kids with my mom yesterday afternoon, and we (she) bought Baby Girl a bunch of sweet little newborn onesies for her first weeks, when it will be the dead of summer and I can't really imagine dressing her in more than the basics. We also got a ruffled, red and blue Americana outfit for coming home in, in case she's born on or around the fourth of July (very possible, since she's due the thirteenth and I've always been early.) If she does decide to debut on the fourth, she'll share her birthday with Jim's dad, too.

I don't know if it comes up too often, but we've turned into a fairly political family. I didn't do much this year, but Jim was in charge of eight counties this year during the primaries, and was running meetings and making phone calls quite often. I won't get into any dissertations on the constitution here, but let's just say the candidate we support is all about protecting liberty. So I was joking yesterday that it would be very fitting to name this kid Liberty if she decided to make our nation's birthday her own as well. I was really just kidding, but my mom LOVED it, so OK, what do you all think? Liberty: cheesy or adorable? Also, the ultimate name test: is this a name YOU would be OK with having, or would you feel it was a little... laden-down with meaning?

12 comments:

Mary O said...

I think it's adorable, especially for a 4th of July baby. "Libby" would be a cute nickname!

Kalendi said...

Lovely name! Unusual but not weird. And it seems to fit with the other names in your family.

Giselle said...

I like it...and Libby would be an awesome nn

Jess said...

I can see how it's cute... and it does have a built-in nickname... but personally, I would not like to have that name. It's a bit much for me. And with all the really intense political discourse around how to interpret the concept of liberty going on at the moment, I feel like it could easily be misinterpreted.

Swistle said...

I like it, and I think Libby is adorable.

I can't figure out if I'd want an issue name or not. Like, I know I wouldn't want to be named WorldPeaceThroughNoMoreArms Thistle, and Patience would make me worry that people would make jokes at my expense---but I think Liberty fits so well with the current style, and liberty is such a widely-approved-of concept, and Libby gives such an opt-out-of-meaning option, that I think it works. Picturing myself introducing myself as "Liberty Thistle" does give me pause, but I'd just use Libby and save the story for a time when I felt less shy.

Swistle said...

Hm, Jess's comment came in while I was writing mine, and she may be swaying me back more toward that. I can't tell! It's hard! I like that it resists obvious interpretation, since all the various points of view claim to represent liberty---but if it's well-known which point of view you support, it makes it seem more like a political statement.

Sarah said...

Jess and Swistle: Exactly. It would almost work BETTER if it was given simply because of her date of birth (for instance I know someone locally who did name her daughter Liberty because of her fourth of July birth date, and it works since she is not an outspoken political activist whatsoever.) But for us it might seem a bit heavy-handed, since most people IRL do know of our political bent. Almost like a missionary naming their daughter Evangeline or something.

Daycare Girl said...

It's one of my favorites that you've mentioned, political connections or not. :) Very cute.

Jessica said...

I'm not a fan of Liberty, personally. But I do like the nn Libby.

Other names that would have meaning for a July 4th baby:

Francesca (means free)
Americus
Saoirse (Gaelic for freedom)
Victoria/Victorie
Constance or Constantina (trying to think of something that sounds like Constitution)

Nik-Nak said...

I think it's cute however I would not want that to be my name so I don't really know what that means.

Tracy said...

I' say I'd like it for a 4th of July baby. Other than that, I wouldn't really care for it. Mainly because of what Jess said.

d e v a n said...

I think Liberty is pretty cute, although I'd worry about the political-ness of it. However, it does have a cute NN and it's not like naming her Constitution or something.