BHR revealed

So, it happened ... BHR was born on September 24, 2008 at 3:16am. His name is Noah Michael Himovitz-Ries. There's so much to share, so much to say and since it's 2:30 in the morning and I just got home from the hospital yesterday, this will not be my most exciting entry.

The labor story will have to come later, but in the meantime I can finally share our thought process behind BHR's new and permanent name ... you may not remember my entry that talked about how Judiasm works with naming, but the point is that I always new that either Lucas or myself would use the name Michael. I've always loved that name, not just because it was my father's, but also because it's a nice name and I like the way it sounds. It was hard because since Lucas and Lara don't have a child and because you don't name anyone after someone who is still alive I didn't want to take their option of using Michael away and that's one of the reasons that Michael is the middle name , also Greg and I both wanted a name that was different (Michael is pretty common), still had a good meaning and is Jewish.

We looked at meanings of names in books and stories online and we found Noah. Noah means "peaceful" and that's something that I am always striving for, yet rarely achieve. It's something that I hope for in the world and something that we desperately need. It's something that I value in people and in the communities that I join, but most importantly I think it's a name that describes Greg. He's so calm and patient ... when I feel chaotic and overwhelmed and it feels like my head is spinning, Greg has a way about him that makes everything seem calm. He doesn't deal with problems by yelling or screaming, he is thoughtful in his responses and in how he handles conflicts and challenges ... he internalizes a lot and sometimes you aren't always sure what's going on, but what I do know and what I can always tell is that he's coming from a place of thoughtfulness.

Knowing that we were having a boy I immediately thought of Greg and my hopes for our son ... I hope that our son inherits Greg's calming and peaceful nature. We were between Noah and Jonah and while we initially were going to go with Jonah, sharing these last 5 days with Greg and our new son and our chaotic labor experience, I know that choosing the name Noah was the right decision. Greg was amazing throughout the whole experience ... he was attentive and devoted and made me feel like we can definitely do this. And while he may feel nauseous and scared and overwhelmed, there is no doubt in my mind that he's going to be an amazing father and that I am not in this alone and that makes me feel peaceful ...