#95

On August 25, 2005 we chose the name Henry for our firstborn. Well, I guess I shouldn't really say "we". Most of you have heard this story before (so sorry to bore you), but I went to the hospital to have my child with a boy name and girl name picked out. My husband had other plans. The day before I was to be induced he told me, "I don't really like any of the names we have picked out". I basically brushed it off and decided that he would eventually pull through and agree with me (who wouldn't give-in after watching their wife birth a child?). Well, here I was pushing harder than I've ever pushed in my life, wondering if it would be an Isaac or a Stella that popped out (I was 99.9% sure it was a girl.....not great "mother's instinct" is it?). When out come the most beautiful little boy (I cried and said, "What am I going to do with a boy?"), I assumed Isaac would be his name. We did have a short list for boys, which included Isaac, Ezra, and Eli. I called my parents to announce their new grandchild and when my mom asked, "So what's his name?", I was speechless. I told her I'd get back to her on that one. Then I overheard Preston talking to his parents on the phone across the room saying, "I better not tell you his name yet. Jessie doesn't know it." That got me a bit worried. Once we were alone in the room with our no-name of a child, Preston proceeded to tell me that he really felt his name should be Henry. A name that we never had discussed, but suddenly I liked. Right away I knew too that Henry it was! It fit him from day one!

But, here's the irony. I immediately thought of grandpas named Henry. I honestly thought he was going to be the lone "Henry" in his class.....only his little friend might have a great great grandpa named Henry. Even a smidge of worry entered my mind as I imagined telling my friends and family that we had chosen the name Henry. I felt that people would be obligated to say things like, "I like it", when really they meant, "that's an old name" (with a look of confusion on their face). My sister-in-law did go as far as telling Preston multiple times that day, "Quit lying, Preston. That is NOT his name". Well my worries soon fled, when we began calling him Henry and I just fell more and more in love with the name and him, of course. He sure isn't an Isaac, an Ezra, or an Eli. He's a Henry....100%.

The next week Heidi Klum and Seal named their little boy Henry. Everyone began talking about the name Henry. I'm not saying I made the name up (I'm very glad it's not "made up"), of course I didn't... it's a classic, but suddenly everyone was telling me, "Oh, that's my nephew's name", or "I know another little boy with that name".

So here it is on the rise.......#102 on the charts the year he was born and #95 in 2006.

I'm really happy we picked a strong name that we love for our boy. I just hope that's it's unique enough that he's not "Henry P." for his school-aged years (can you tell that I was a teacher?).

So anyways.....I was just thinking tonight that I'm really suprised it's #95. I know it's not a new name, but I honestly don't know 1 other toddler named Henry. People always tell me that they do, but I don't. Do you?