Thursday, July 10, 2008

I am full of babies

That's how my coworker Jon described me today, and it cracked me up! Of course, I can't feel any of the babies yet, but that doesn't mean I'm not constantly aware of their presence. Mostly, they make me tired and extremely hungry to the point that I cannot even sleep through the night without waking up for a hearty snack (okay, it's more like a meal). I hear that's pretty normal, but I can't help suspecting that four babies make you hungrier than just one.

In other news, at 9 weeks I can no longer button my jeans. I am using a hair band looped around my button and through my button hole to extend the reach of my waistband. It's working pretty well so far, but I have to admit that I had to unzip my pants on the car ride home from work today (I don't think the drivers around me noticed). Any day now, I won't even have to inform people that I am pregnant. Things are already happening so quickly!

What's not progressing quickly is the name selection. The truth is that we have been so overwhelmed by the thought of having quads that baby names are the last thing on our minds. We've kind of decided that the most efficient thing to do is to wait to make those decisions until we find out the sexes of John, Paul, George, and Ringo (yes, that's what I immediately dubbed them when we got the quad news), which won't happen for a few weeks yet. That way we don't waste a lot of time deciding on names that won't even be needed.

Nevertheless, we do have a number of helpful friends who are having fun coming up with names on our behalf. Here's the most complete (and the most inspired!) list I've received so far, courtesy of Jana (coworker and cat-sitter extraordinaire):

The basics (read: boring!)—these are the top four names for boys and girls in 2008-2009 (in order):

Girls: Madison, Hannah, Emily, and Alexia
Boys: Jacob, Michael, Joshua, and Matthew

In no particular order, here are the more—shall we say—colorful names!!

The 4 food groups: Ham, Broccoli, Milk, and Wheat
The Growing Pains kids (kinda appropriate): Mike, Carol, Ben, and Chrissy
I Love Lucy: Ricky, Lucy, Ethel, and Fred
The Scooby gang: Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy (I'd be remiss if I didn't include them)
Deck of cards: Heart, Club, Spade, and Diamond (although these do sound stripper-ish!)
70s disco: Earth, Wind, Fire (and Water)
The 4 elements in all living things: Oxygen, Carbon, Hydrogen, and Nitrogen
4 really bad celebrity kids names: Pilot Inspektor, Prince Michael II (yes, because there's a Prince Michael I), Zahara, and Kal El
The 4 seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter
The 4 corner states: Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico (the kid who gets the name New Mexico could definitely be shortened to "Mexi"—just a thought)
If you have 4 girls, how 'bout 4 flowers? Daisy, Rose, Lily, and Iris
Popular city names: Paris (of course, right!?), London, Brooklyn, and Dallas
And finally, what seems to be the most logical of all, The Fantastic Four: Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and Thing

Other interesting suggestions have included rock stars (Axl, Slash, Izzy, and Duff), comedians (Larry, Curly, Moe, and Shemp), and biblical characters (Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Chuck—hey, sometimes it's hard to come up with that fourth name!). If you have any more name ideas for us, leave a comment—we just might use one of them!

18 comments:

Unknown said...

my father once suggested a friend name her four kids a blend of scandanavian and yiddish: Willem Gunnar, Raisa Fussa, Willem Gunnar (II) and Raisa Holla.

If you want to know why, think of 50's rockabilly singer Eddie Cochran as you call them out in order.

Unknown said...

but seriously, when i read your last post, i thought your doctor labeling a, b, c, and d gave you a good start, at least with initials.

Anonymous said...

I don't have any names for you - but I do have a suggestion. Don't let any of the names rhyme or start with the same letter, because it's going to be hard enough to keep all 4 of them straight without naming them Gary, Barry, Larry, and Carrie or Ty, Tom, Tad, and Todd. You'll get yourself crazy remembering names! ;-) By the way, really enjoyed the current names you have going for them. Always was a fan of the Beatles!

Anonymous said...

Maybe name each one after one of the Beatles' *offspring*. (Or wives/ex-wives, heh.) That'll throw 'em.

So there will be a Linda, a Sean, and on and on...

Already you are so full of babies - shew!

Anonymous said...

Chris is hoping you have four girls so you can name them Blair, Jo, Natalie, and Tootie. We're both in love with the idea of one baby being named "Tootie Thompson." In fact, I'm pretty sure I'll just dub one of them Tootie anyway, regardless of gender or given name.

Anonymous said...

idk about guys names.. but what about Abuelitas name? and maybe the world should have another Nehiel...or Ted Jr. :)

Anonymous said...

If I recall, back in college, Ted told me if he had a daughter he'd name her Anastasia, isn't that right, Ted? What was your favorite boy name again? Isaac?

Rebekah said...

Hi. I don't know you, but I know Brad and Emily - aren't they great.
I have 3 children, born in different years, and I thought the amount of diapers needed for 1 baby was enormous.
I've given this advice to other mothers, but I think it might help you the most.
Starting NOW, everytime you go to the store, buy one or two (or FOUR) packs of diapers. It'll make the shock a little less painful on your pocketbook later.
The Bible says God only gives us what we can handle - he must think you guys can handle alot (with His help).
Oh yeh, congratulations! And I'll be praying for you.
Rebekah Robb

Anonymous said...

It's really not as much about the name as how it all sounds... first middle and last when you stand at the back door, door open and yell it at the top of your lungs. If it passes the back door test then you are good. I agree with Lori on the no rhyming thing... that'll kill ya@!
Hugs to you and the babies.
JJ

Anonymous said...

I don't have a suggestion on the spot...but I do have to say, I dont' think rhyming names would make a difference. My sister is 12 years older than me and my dad still calls me Michele instead of Emily all the time...it's ridiculous. But it's gonna happen regardless of what you name them, so don't feel bad. It happens to me, and I live. I know he's talking to me, even if he does say the wrong name.
If I do think of something good, I'll let you know! I'm with you though, I'd rather wait and see what sex they will be :)
-Emily Trempe

The Middletons said...

I just noticed that your hair is shorter!! Congratulations on the hair donation. I love it short!!:o) Less fussin' with all those babies coming!:o)

Staci

Anonymous said...

Ryan said "How 'bout Rupp, Midd, Bell, and Chuck (because yes, the fourth is sometimes hard to come up with!") As the spiritual one in this family :o), for 4 girls, I came up with "Faith, Hope, Charity (which comes from) Trinity".... You might get on the 700 Club with something like that! (and I know that's a life goal for you & Ted!!) This is so fun! We love the updates!! love - the Rupp Family
(PS - Yes, Ryan is still a Christian, don't be alarmed!!)

Cindy said...

Maybe name them after the Spice Girls, skipping "Baby," as that seems redundant. So it'd be little Scary, Ginger, Posh, and Sporty Thompson.

If you haven't seen it already, the social security website is a good one for determining baby-name popularity, so that you can prevent your kids from having the same name as 15 other kids in their kindergarten class): http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/

--Cindy

Suzy said...

Lori: For sure we won't be using rhyming names or anything cutesy like that. Hmm, perhaps we'll take a cue from you guys and try to score a run in the alphabet ... we already have S and T down!

Heather: Are you sure you guys won't settle for Tootsie instead of Tootie? I think I would be much happier with a Dustin Hoffman reference. :)

Rebekah: It's nice to "meet" you! And thanks for the diaper advice ... we plan to start taking it ASAP!

Staci: Glad you like the hair. I am kind of missing the long hair, but it was for a good cause! And I'm sure I'll be glad that I don't have to mess with the long hair once the babies get here.

Janelle: Hee, you are not the first person to suggest naming the quads after those guys. Midd, in particular, is really pulling for an "Andrew David." :)

Cindy: "Scary" ... now that's the most apt name suggestion I've heard yet!!!!

Ted said...

Kevin: Wow, you got it. I can't believe you remember that little bit of trivia from 10 years ago! I think the other part was that I had some crazy idea that they would actually go by "Stasia" and "Zac". Something tells me I might as well throw out any desire for such advance planning in the future...

Anonymous said...

I like Boston. If I would have thought of It before Levi I would have tried and talk Lisa into Boston.

Suzy said...

Hmm, sounds like an excuse to have another one! Let me know if you need any of your stuff back to use for little Boston! ;)

Anonymous said...

I think 3 is enough for us and that way you can always have 1 up on us!

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