What's in a name?

O.G. - Original Gil


Kathy, Nate and Gil

Nate and Gil

*Again*

Finally, I can proudly announce that Gil Emerson Shephard has entered this world - Again! With a poof and a spark, Nate and I are parents! Whew!

Months and months ago, we finalized our name picks. One for a girl, and one for a boy. The girls' names flowed onto our list with ease and finesse. We narrowed it to one from about 852, all of which we adored. The boys names were not that easy to make the list. Nate liked Seneca, I did not. We both liked William, but it just wasn't right. I liked Archie, and Nate most definitely did not. We always considered Gil Emerson, as a tribute to Nate's late father. Finally, the sentimentality got the best of us, and so it was. Our boy would be named after his grandfather.

According to http://www.babycenter.com/, Gil is Greek and is ranked #2922 in popularity and #2039 on the website. Go figure.

I never met the O.G. (original Gil), who passed away in 1987, but his spirit has lived on ever since. He apparently had a wild side, lust for life and a sense of humor that could not be matched. My mother took care of him in the hospital all those years ago. His death hit her pretty hard because he was so young and had young children, one my age. He was also, well, Gil Shephard, not to be soon forgotten.

Nate and I both thought that Gil fit our first sons' name well. In utero, he was a wild man. He kicked, jabbed, prodded and elbowed his way through the third trimester. He even tried to arrive 9 weeks early, only to make it past his due date. He didn't exactly make labor fun and pleasant, so I was sure we'd have quite a kid on our hands. (Remember, we don't know if we are having a boy or girl at this point)

All along, I felt I was having a boy, so naturally I assigned a personality to him. It was one that was defiant, fussy and loud, but most certainly all mine to love and cuddle. Instead, I got a loving, cuddly, even tempered, sleeping bundle of joy. His mild manner grabs you, sucks you in and practically forces the tears to drip from your eyes.

I have to admit that it was hard transitioning from calling him Baby Shep to Gil at first, but after a while, it came naturally. I was sure that our name decision was absolutely right when we got a letter from Grandma D, O.G.'s mother. It read that she was "ecstatic about the name" and "Thank you".

Now, we have bushels and baskets full of years together -me, Nate and Gil. There are so many things that will be unpredictable. Two things I know, however. Gil will be like his Grandpa. He'll be completely unforgettable and 100% adored by everyone around him. (Already is!) The other is that he'll have a proud guardian angel looking down on him that couldn't ask for anything better for his own son.

Lastly, I was happy to realize that I was wearing O.G's wedding band around my neck in labor. Since I had a C-section, I had to take it off, so Nate had it safely stored in his pocket during delivery. I didn't plan that, but I'd like to think that was a sign that everything was going to be okay, and it was.

So here's to the Gil's! You both have a special room reserved in our hearts forever!