joints (they're relaxing), job sharing (have you considered it?), and journaling (believe me, you'll be glad you did this!). It's a special edition of Baby Name Tuesday on Belly Notes today. Yes, we know it's Thursday but, on Tuesday, our computer wouldn't power up for some unexplainable reason and we just got it fixed. So, without further ado, today our names are Jane and Jackson.
While Jane may seem like a, well, plain name, there is much beauty in its classic simplicity. It is of Hebrew origin and means "the Lord is gracious". Jane, like Jean and Joan, originated as a feminine form of the name John; however Jane has been the most popular of the three forms.
History has given us many Jane's, from Lady Jane Grey (Queen of England 1537-1554) to novelist Jane Austin to scientist Jane Goodall to actress and activist Jane Fonda. Although it is one of the most common first names in British usage, in the US it is more often used as a middle name. It's popularity as a first name has grown steadily over the years, though, and we think it's a gem of a name.
When it comes to our boy's name for today, I've never been a fan of giving a child a name that seven other children in their 1st grade class are also going to have. Admittedly, Jackson (or Jack) has gotten some pretty wide useage in the last several years, but I don't think that this name quite falls into the "overused" category yet (at least not in the area of the country where I live). For me it has always been a strong, down-to-earth, traditional name.
Since Jackson is an Old English name meaning "son of Jack", we'll look to the name Jack for our meaning. Like Jane, Jack is a variant of the name John so, therefore, is also of Hebrew origin and also means "the Lord is gracious". Again, like Jane, history has given us many famous Jack's from painter Jackson Pollack to singer/songwriter Jackson Browne to heavyweight boxing champion Jack Dempsey And, who can forget the famous Captain Jack Sparrow? Whether your son turns out to be a lover, a fighter, or a pirate, though, we're sure he'll carry on the strong tradition of the name.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
I is for...
induced labor, in vitro fertilization and iron (are you getting enough?). It's Baby Name Tuesday, and today I is for Iris and Isaac.
Of course, we all know that Iris is a flower name, but its actual origin comes from Greece and means "rainbow". Iris was a messenger goddess in Greek mythology who traveled by rainbows between heaven and earth to deliver messages from Olympus, thus the correlation between the name and the meaning. Rainbows are often seen as symbol of hope, too, making this a delightful name for the little girl that you may have been hoping for. If you connect the name more with the flower, though, think of planting some iris in honor of your little girl. They are easy to maintain, spread quickly, and will be a beautiful addition to your garden just as your daughter is a beautiful addition to your family.
Isaac is our boy's name for today and is a name of Hebrew descent. It means "laughter" and is a great name for the baby boy that will bring such joy to your life. Historically, Isaac is a well known figure in the Bible and is also considered a prophet in Islam, not to mention the famous Isaac's that have helped mold our modern times, such as Isaac Asimov and Isaac Newton. No doubt, your son will leave a mark in the history books, too, even if it's just as a son that brought laughter and joy to the lives of his parents.
Of course, we all know that Iris is a flower name, but its actual origin comes from Greece and means "rainbow". Iris was a messenger goddess in Greek mythology who traveled by rainbows between heaven and earth to deliver messages from Olympus, thus the correlation between the name and the meaning. Rainbows are often seen as symbol of hope, too, making this a delightful name for the little girl that you may have been hoping for. If you connect the name more with the flower, though, think of planting some iris in honor of your little girl. They are easy to maintain, spread quickly, and will be a beautiful addition to your garden just as your daughter is a beautiful addition to your family.
Isaac is our boy's name for today and is a name of Hebrew descent. It means "laughter" and is a great name for the baby boy that will bring such joy to your life. Historically, Isaac is a well known figure in the Bible and is also considered a prophet in Islam, not to mention the famous Isaac's that have helped mold our modern times, such as Isaac Asimov and Isaac Newton. No doubt, your son will leave a mark in the history books, too, even if it's just as a son that brought laughter and joy to the lives of his parents.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
H is for...
...heartburn, hiccups (baby and I both got them daily with pregnancy #1), and heightened sense of smell! It's Baby Name Tuesday and our names for today are Halima and Henry
Halima is a name of Arabic descent and means "patient". My youngest son has a friend in his class named Halima and, although I had rarely heard the name before, I find it beautiful and, of course, befitting our young friend. Often when those of us living in the western world think of something as being Arabic in nature, we tend to connect that thing to Islam as well. Whether this is always true or not is a topic for an entirely different place, however, in the case of Halima, she figures prominently in the Islamic world. Halimah bint Abdullah was the wet nurse to Mohammed, nursing him as a baby since his mother had died. In pre-Islamic times, the name is most famously connected with a 6th century warrior princess. Now, your lovely girl may or may not turn out to be a warrior, but we're sure that, either way, she'll be a princess.
If, on the other hand, you're expecting a prince, Henry is a wonderfully classic, traditional name that has recently grown in popularity. Henry is ultimately of Germanic descent. It is the anglicised version of the German name Heimrich and means "home ruler". I'm not so sure about being a home ruler, but, as a mom with boys, I'll tell you that mine at least all rule my heart. The name has been popular throughout history with many kings of Britain, France and Germany carrying the name. St. Henry, a Holy Roman Emperor, was the only German king ever to be canonized by the Roman Catholic church and is best known for his encouragement of missionary work. Your son may not ever stray far from home, but we think Henry is an excellent choice for anyone's little king.
Halima is a name of Arabic descent and means "patient". My youngest son has a friend in his class named Halima and, although I had rarely heard the name before, I find it beautiful and, of course, befitting our young friend. Often when those of us living in the western world think of something as being Arabic in nature, we tend to connect that thing to Islam as well. Whether this is always true or not is a topic for an entirely different place, however, in the case of Halima, she figures prominently in the Islamic world. Halimah bint Abdullah was the wet nurse to Mohammed, nursing him as a baby since his mother had died. In pre-Islamic times, the name is most famously connected with a 6th century warrior princess. Now, your lovely girl may or may not turn out to be a warrior, but we're sure that, either way, she'll be a princess.
If, on the other hand, you're expecting a prince, Henry is a wonderfully classic, traditional name that has recently grown in popularity. Henry is ultimately of Germanic descent. It is the anglicised version of the German name Heimrich and means "home ruler". I'm not so sure about being a home ruler, but, as a mom with boys, I'll tell you that mine at least all rule my heart. The name has been popular throughout history with many kings of Britain, France and Germany carrying the name. St. Henry, a Holy Roman Emperor, was the only German king ever to be canonized by the Roman Catholic church and is best known for his encouragement of missionary work. Your son may not ever stray far from home, but we think Henry is an excellent choice for anyone's little king.
Friday, June 5, 2009
High Praise For Our Plaster Gauze!
My middle son broke his arm a little over a week ago. It's the first broken bone we've had in our family that has required casting (we've done the broken nose and broken tailbone, but it's rather hard to cast those!). Of course, it had to happen at home and, thankfully, my husband had just gotten home when it happened. I have the patience of Job and can remain eerily calm in the face of illness and high fevers lasting for days, but I don't do injuries well. Fortunately, it wasn't a bad break (are there any good ones, though?) and the little soldier only cried for about a half a minute and then said it just felt like a bad bruise.
So, we took a trip to the emergency room where, after much debate, the orthopedic surgeon on call decided to cast it right away. For those with no "broken bones requiring a cast" experience, apparently they like to splint these for a few days first to allow any swelling to go down. We got a cast, though, and a plaster one at that rather than the slick fiberglass ones you see so often now. I have to admit that I was a little excited to see the plaster be brought out because they use the same brand that we use in our belly casting kits! I said something about it out loud and one of the nurses asked what I did with it. I explained our belly casting kits, and she remarked that this particular plaster is the only plaster gauze they use because it's such a high quality product.
Fast forward a week when we went to our first follow up visit with the doctor. Everything looks good so far although he's looking at being in a cast for pretty much the whole summer which is a complete bummer. The doctor sent us to the casting room where my son was going to have a little extra done on the cast. Once again, the plaster gauze brought out was the same brand we use in our belly casting kits. Again, I remarked about this to our son, and the tech that was helping us asked what I did. When I told him, he told me about how it's the best plaster he's ever worked with and, as far as plaster gauze goes, he wouldn't want to use anything else on patients.
Since you probably aren't out there shopping for plaster gauze on a regular basis, I'll tell you that there are several different kinds on the market. For our kits, we tried everything out there and, just like the casting room tech said, we wouldn't want to use anything else for our customers, either. You might think that plaster gauze is plaster gauze, right? It's just cotton gauze with plaster in it, right? Well, yes; but no.
Some gauzes are very thin and flimsy, which results in a less than sturdy cast. Some have hardly any plaster in them, which, once again, results in a less that perfect cast. The plaster we use, though, is tightly woven and FULL of plaster that results in a creamy, smooth finish. Also, more plaster within the gauze means that the multiple layers in a belly cast will stick together nicely, leaving you with a sturdy cast that will last for years.
For sure, if my son had to break his arm, I wish it didn't have to be right at the beginning of summer. However, hearing such fantastic endorsements from hospital staff and someone who spends everyday working with casting materials really started my summer on a great note. At Eternal Maternal, we strive to provide our customers with the very best products. We've always said that we only sell items that we'd use on our own family (and we really DO use them on our own family!), I just never thought that part of our belly casting kit would be used on one of my sons!
So, we took a trip to the emergency room where, after much debate, the orthopedic surgeon on call decided to cast it right away. For those with no "broken bones requiring a cast" experience, apparently they like to splint these for a few days first to allow any swelling to go down. We got a cast, though, and a plaster one at that rather than the slick fiberglass ones you see so often now. I have to admit that I was a little excited to see the plaster be brought out because they use the same brand that we use in our belly casting kits! I said something about it out loud and one of the nurses asked what I did with it. I explained our belly casting kits, and she remarked that this particular plaster is the only plaster gauze they use because it's such a high quality product.
Fast forward a week when we went to our first follow up visit with the doctor. Everything looks good so far although he's looking at being in a cast for pretty much the whole summer which is a complete bummer. The doctor sent us to the casting room where my son was going to have a little extra done on the cast. Once again, the plaster gauze brought out was the same brand we use in our belly casting kits. Again, I remarked about this to our son, and the tech that was helping us asked what I did. When I told him, he told me about how it's the best plaster he's ever worked with and, as far as plaster gauze goes, he wouldn't want to use anything else on patients.
Since you probably aren't out there shopping for plaster gauze on a regular basis, I'll tell you that there are several different kinds on the market. For our kits, we tried everything out there and, just like the casting room tech said, we wouldn't want to use anything else for our customers, either. You might think that plaster gauze is plaster gauze, right? It's just cotton gauze with plaster in it, right? Well, yes; but no.
Some gauzes are very thin and flimsy, which results in a less than sturdy cast. Some have hardly any plaster in them, which, once again, results in a less that perfect cast. The plaster we use, though, is tightly woven and FULL of plaster that results in a creamy, smooth finish. Also, more plaster within the gauze means that the multiple layers in a belly cast will stick together nicely, leaving you with a sturdy cast that will last for years.
For sure, if my son had to break his arm, I wish it didn't have to be right at the beginning of summer. However, hearing such fantastic endorsements from hospital staff and someone who spends everyday working with casting materials really started my summer on a great note. At Eternal Maternal, we strive to provide our customers with the very best products. We've always said that we only sell items that we'd use on our own family (and we really DO use them on our own family!), I just never thought that part of our belly casting kit would be used on one of my sons!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
G is for...
gestation and glucose testing and, on Baby Name Tuesday, it's for Gabriella and Gustavo. These names come directly from my own extended family and belong to my sweet niece and nephew.
Although I was always under the impression that Gabriella was from some kind of Italian descent, it is actually the feminine form of the Hebrew name Gabriel that means "God gives strength". In the case of our little Gabby, she certainly has shown that she is at least strong willed! The name has consistently grown in popularity over the last 10-15 years and continues to give a strong showing. And, although initially one would think that Gabby may be the only nickname to be given to a Gabriella, shortened versions such as Ella, Brie, Brielle, and Gella are always unique alternatives.
Gustavo is both an Italian and Spanish variant of the name Gustave, a Scandinavian name meaning "royal staff" or "staff of the gods". In Scandinavia it is a royal name with many kings of Sweden bearing the name. The name also has a Germanic variant, Gustav. Although my research didn't produce much else regarding the name and it's meanings, I did find several comments regarding the name. It may not be a wildly popular name in this country, but everyone seems to love it. One of my favorite comments was "It has the same cool, old fashioned ring like Sam and Max, but not totally overused."
Although I was always under the impression that Gabriella was from some kind of Italian descent, it is actually the feminine form of the Hebrew name Gabriel that means "God gives strength". In the case of our little Gabby, she certainly has shown that she is at least strong willed! The name has consistently grown in popularity over the last 10-15 years and continues to give a strong showing. And, although initially one would think that Gabby may be the only nickname to be given to a Gabriella, shortened versions such as Ella, Brie, Brielle, and Gella are always unique alternatives.
Gustavo is both an Italian and Spanish variant of the name Gustave, a Scandinavian name meaning "royal staff" or "staff of the gods". In Scandinavia it is a royal name with many kings of Sweden bearing the name. The name also has a Germanic variant, Gustav. Although my research didn't produce much else regarding the name and it's meanings, I did find several comments regarding the name. It may not be a wildly popular name in this country, but everyone seems to love it. One of my favorite comments was "It has the same cool, old fashioned ring like Sam and Max, but not totally overused."
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