Naming something or someone is a very hard task – for me. When I decided to start blogging, I took a week to begin because I couldn’t think of a title for my blog. It had to be good. A name is a big commitment. And this was just the title of my blog. Naming a child is much more difficult, stressful, and comes with a lot of pressure to get it right.

When I was pregnant with Cole, I had a girl named picked out from day one. A boy name….that was a different story. I really wanted to name him Parker. His dad said no. He really wanted to name him Tristan. I said no. I read baby name book after baby name book looking for a boy name we would agree on. I don’t think I ever put the books down. One day while I was on the phone with my sister (and looking through my baby name book), I spotted the name Cole. Perfect. We both loved it. The boy name was selected. Cole is most certainly a Cole. We like to laugh about his almost-names now. He likes Parker because it makes him think of Spider Man – Peter Parker.  We really laugh about Tristan. Kristy, Christian, and Cole is complicated enough. Can you imagine if we were Kristy, Christian, and Tristan! HA!

When we found out we were pregnant with Mister Moo, I had a girl name picked out from day one. (Nope! I’m not sharing. Who knows? Maybe there will be a Miss in our future one day.) For boy names, neither one of us had a preference about one name or another. We just knew we didn’t know what to name a boy.  When we were told we were indeed having a boy, the pressure was on. I wanted to call him something. Mister Moo is fun and cute, but he deserves a real name. I originally liked Finn. I liked Sawyer and Anderson. They were the top 3 contenders going into the ultrasound. While I still like all 3 names, as soon as I saw Mister Moo’s face I knew they didn’t belong to my baby.

Christian’s only requirement for the boy name is that his name fit a boy who wears flannel shirts. Our boy needs to at least sound like he loves the great outdoors. My only request is that the name sound good with Cole. I tend to favor one syllable names, but we were not ruling out 2 or 3 syllable names. We also plan on using Christian as the middle name. The first name has to sound good with Christian Maute.

Clint became our next contender. We tried it out. It fit – a little – UNTIL Christian made a horrible joke while we were driving to dinner. I don’t remember what it was, but it related Clint to the word Clint with a “N” – I’ll let you figure that one out! Needless to say, I can not name my baby boy Clint knowing there is the potential for some horrible high school jokes.

Finn

Sawyer

Anderson

Clint

After a lot of thinking and stressing, we finally have a name. We’ve tried it out. It has stuck. In fact, I think it is perfect.

Without further ado, let me introduce you to Mister Moo himself…….

Chet Christian Maute

Sounds like he should wear a flannel shirt? check.

Sounds good with Cole? check.

Sounds good with Christian Maute? check.

And to make me love it even more, it is a family name. My paternal grandfather is Chester Werden. He is technically my dad’s step dad, but he is my dad’s dad by every definition of the word. My Grandpa Werden married my Grandmother when my dad was 5 years old. He raised and loved my dad. My dad loved him. (sound like another step dad/step son relationship? Christian and Cole?)

Before we committed to the name Chet, I wanted to make sure my dad was accepting of the idea. My grandfather passed away when I was in elementary school. I have some amazing memories of him – a movie date to see American Tail is at the top of that list. My memories of him are fragmented happy memories. I adored him. What I don’t remember from my childhood is the dynamics between the adults in my life. I wanted to make sure I didn’t insult anyone by naming our baby Chet. Did he and my dad really have the relationship I remember? Was he really as amazing as I remember him to be?   My dad replied by saying he thinks my grandfather would be honored. He was a great man, and my dad likes the idea as well. He also reminded me of the fact that my grandfather always had a knife in his pocket. Do you know who else always has a knife in his pocket? Christian. My dad said Christian and his knife has always reminded him of his father.

The more we’ve embraced Chet as our baby boys name, the more it fits. It meets all of our criteria. It reminds me of generations of great step dads. Somehow the name Chet has makes our family feel even more complete. The name Chet has become symbolic for all my hopes and dreams for this little boy in my belly.

Mister Chet Christian Maute…..I hope you love the world as much as your brother. I hope you breathe in fresh air and feel alive. I hope you are rooted to your family and the love that created you. I hope you find a place in the world that makes you happy. You are already the perfect addition to our family.