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Belay that
Monday, October 2, 2023 at 05:44PM 
Baby Elliot ... going on five days old
Urgent.
A retraction has been issued.
Allow me to elaborate.
First, the back story:
In the weeks leading up to Erica's due date, she and Chad were having trouble choosing the name.
I would say that perhaps half a dozen names were considered as strong contenders.
But as time went on, two names (first and middle) emerged as the finalists: Jack, and Elliot.
Erica was team Elliot. Chad was team Jack.
While Chad was not at all averse to one of the child's names being Elliot, he wanted his son to be known as and referred to as Jack.
While Erica was not averse to one of the child's names being Jack, she had zero interest in calling him Jack and could not agree to that.
So if it ended up being Jack Elliot, the understanding would be that he would go by a double name.
No Jack without Elliot.
But then, maybe ten days out, Cherica reached a different consensus. Jack was removed from the mix. They would name their boy Elliot Stanley.
(Stanley was TG's father's name. Erica, more than any other of my late in-laws' grandchildren, resembles her paternal grandfather.)
Erica was thrilled.
While Chad was obliged to give up the name Jack, he agreed to it and seemed all right with it and, for a few days at least, the matter seemed settled.
Here's your sign
But a few days after that, he changed his mind. He wanted the baby named Jack Elliot and consulted with Erica about the likelihood of that happening.
She semi-reluctantly agreed, but on a provisional basis. As in, the only way she would agree to name the child Jack Elliot is if he were known by and called the double name: Jack Elliot.
Not Jack, by itself. She would not agree to that.
So it was that just before six o'clock in the morning last Thursday, the baby was born. I was present and, moments after the birth, wanting to send pictures of the baby to family members, I checked with Cherica one last time.
Is his name Jack Elliot? I asked.
Erica looked up at Chad, who looked down at her. She nodded and he nodded.
Later that day, in the afternoon during a quiet moment when it was only she and I in her hospital room, Erica told me that she was having misgivings about the baby's name.
Specifically, she regretted agreeing to name him Jack Elliot since it would mean always calling him that and having to gently correct anyone who called him merely "Jack" without bothering to add the Elliot.
Which we all know would have happened, and it would not have been anyone's fault. It's just the way these things tend to go.
I told her she needed to talk to her husband and tell him how she felt.
She didn't have a real chance to do that until a day or so later, when they were at home. There was a discussion but no immediate resolution.
Erica was miserable. Chad did not realize that she was miserable, but as it turned out, neither of them were enjoying calling their baby Jack Elliot.
Yesterday afternoon, they had another private conversation.
They acknowledged the dilemma, weighed their options, and came to a decision: they would change their son's name to Elliot Jack.
And call him Elliot.
Final answer.
The subject of the naming controversy slept through most of it
Right away, they were both visibly happier. Erica suggested that Chad use the name Jack as an endearment, or private nickname, for Elliot.
Chad agreed that that would be acceptable.
The takeaway: Decide a new baby's name before it's born.
If you can.
So there you have it.
Welcome to the world, Baby Elliot. As your loving family, we may find ourselves sojourning in a state of confusion from time to time, but we will make every attempt not to take up permanent residence there.
And that is all for now.
=0=0=0=
Happy Monday
Reader Comments (17)
Choosing a name is so very hard! And it's so important to all involved. Good for Chad and Erica for working together and resolving it.
I think Elliot is a perfect name - one that's cute now, but good for an adult too.
Welcome to the world Elliot!
PS - he is soooo very cute!
@Mari ... I agree wholeheartedly, and although I loved the sound of Jack Elliot, I am satisfied that they made the right decision to call him Elliot. He IS an Elliot! And yes ... too cute to be believed, and getting cuter by the minute! xoxo
awwwwwwwwwww, he's so cute, Jenny! Love all his names! ha ha ha LOL. I do love the name they settled on as well, LOL. What a cute baby boy, and he was over 7 lbs, right? Love all the pictures of the brand new baby boys that have joined your family, and that picture of Dagny holding one, and so proud to do it! Please send my congratulations to both new families, they are very blessed. Think Fall has finally arrived? Wow, we've had some nice COOL breezes this weekend and today. Sure enjoying that and being able to get outside w/out burning up. Enjoying the outside animals and gardens once again. Such a relief from the Summer Oven. LOL PS--thanks, and I do think you are right about the fern I was wondering about.
@Debbi ... Yes Elliot weighed seven pounds, one ounce! But he has already gained a pound and his cheeks are fattened up! He guzzles mama's milk day and night. I certainly will congratulate the parents of the new little boys on your behalf! Dagny is anxious every day to hold Baby Elliot and she had the time of her life holding Baby Guy when Andrew and Brittany were here from Tennessee for a few days. And yes these cool mornings are so lovely. Still seriously hot in the sun each afternoon this week, but that will surely pass soon and it will be blessedly cool all the day long! xoxo
He even Looks like an Elliot which says he is adorable in every way!
Congratulations to All!!! God's gift...
hugs
Donna
It's good that they could come up with a name that they were both happy about and sooner rather than later. He is just absolutely adorable!!
I like Elliot, but I am not struck on Jack although it apparently means a lot to someone. At least it is a second name. BTW, my middle is Stanley, named after a grandfather. Never liked it, but I guess it is fine as an unused name since it meant something to someone.
@Donna ... He does, doesn't he? I agree! He's Elliot from the crown of his head to the sole of his feet. xoxo
@Lori ... Yes it was a great relief and now it's done and we don't have to think about it any more. I was sad to see Erica so conflicted but that's all in the past and yes, he is all kinds of adorable! xoxo
@AC ... Now, I think Stanley is a fine name and underused. I think it got a bad rap in long-ago movies as being someone who was a dweeb. That could never have been said of my father-in-law but then, everyone called him Stan except for my mother-in-law, who never called him anything but Stanley. The name Jack had no particular significance for Chad except that he just thought it sounded manly. He had to let that go because Elliot is manly enough, and sophisticated and sweet all at the same time. xoxo
Congratulations to your family and Welcome Baby Elliot.
Your last paragraph ... your family sojourning in a state of confusion ... LOL ... so much fun you are Jenny!!
Love, Carla
I've heard that namings can be quite the tussle.
Elliott with 'Jack' as the middle name sounds fine to someone with no skin in the game.
The best part of course, is that Elliott is born healthy.
Congrats to all that do have skin in this game.
@Carla ... hahaha yes it can be interesting to visit the state of confusion but not for very long. Imagine LIVING there!!! Hahahahaha xoxo
@Mike ... You've hit the nail right on the head! Elliot Jack sounds fine to those with no skin in the game, but also mighty fine to those WITH skin in the game. And yes, the best part is that he's healthy and oh so cute! xoxo
Well, sounds like they saved themselves months of correcting people! Jack Elliott or Elliot Jack or just Elliot, either way he is absolutely adorable!
@Jeanette ... Exactly! A rose by any other name! And I held him for a long time last night and we reached an understanding that we are in love forever. Mamaw and Elliot. xoxo
Beautiful name for a beautiful baby.
Is this the same sweet baby that I believe I just read in a more recent post that can now be called Skippy? Elliot will like this story as he grows older. He's a handsome boy whatever he's called!
@Barb ... Hahahaha the Skippy nickname is Audrey's and my fault. She has always called Rhett "Bubby" as a term of endearment. It's not an official nickname but she wanted a special name for Elliot and could not come up with one, so I suggested Skippy because he's a peanut. See what I did there? Haahaha! Anyway his parents don't call him that and TG doesn't call him that but Audrey, Dagny, and I do, about seventy-five percent of the time. We're nuts. xoxo