Name

Ezra John Bagnall

Baggie

The metaphorical white smoke billows out of the non-existent chimneys of Bagnall Manor and the world breathes a sigh of relief, at last we have finally agreed on a name for our son: Ezra John Bagnall.  We now have to get used to calling him it rather than boy or Bilbo (indeed I believe that this will be his nickname whether he wants it or not).  It was very interesting to see the voting patterns on this website and one my Facebook page and thank you all for your input and don’t feel too bad if we didn’t pick for your personal favourite.  Interestingly the voting patterns on Facebook were slightly different to those on the website with Jacob and Noah neck and neck on Facebook with Ezra sneaking ahead of Noah by one vote on the website.  It was never going to be a democratic vote but it was an interesting exercise to see garner thoughts from friends and family.  Despite the Facebook voting pattern the overwhelming family vote was for Ezra John; grandparents, aunties and cousins all voted Ezra and so if we include family weighting then Ezra won hands down.

So why Ezra John?  Simply, we decided to name our first son after his grandfathers.  Lucinda’s father’s name is John and my father’s name was Victor (I say was as he passed away in 1987).  So why Ezra?  Ezra Bagnall was a locally famous pianist and organist in West Bromwich when my dad was growing up and for some reason, lost in the mists of time, it became his nickname.  Some people only knew him as Ezra in the same way as some people only know me by my nickname Baggie.  Now since our other two children have unusual names, indeed Éowyn is extremely unusual, it would therefore be a little strange and certainly be out of character for us to have christened our son John.  In addition Ezra John seemed to flow better than John Ezra and Ezra seemed to fit with his sisters’ names: Éowyn and Amélie (Éowyn, Amélie and Ezra does flow doesn’t it?).  Also, his middle name has four letters to fit in with his sisters’ middle names (Vera and Iris) however his name doesn’t contain an acute accent but you can’t have everything.

So did you miss me yesterday?  I spoilt you on Thursday with two posts but then I was absent yesterday.  Part of the reason was the fact that we had not fully decided on his name and part of the reason was the fact that we managed to have a quiet day with no visitors and apart from taking Éowyn to school and then filling up on groceries on the return journey we did not leave the house. It was quite nice taking Éowyn to school and then picking her up at the end of the day.  It is also part of my effort to try and keep the girls foremost in my attention so that they do not feel that Ezra is pushing them out.  Obviously this is more difficult for Lucinda as she is feeding Ezra and therefore has to pay him a lot of attention so I feel that the onus is on me to lavish attention on the girls.  So when I picked Éowyn up from school I took her to the local supermarket to stock up for the week.

Éowyn doesn’t usually like going to the supermarket but I managed to convince her with a combination of turning it into an adventure and encouraging her by making it seem that I needed her help and bribing her with the promise of a magazine.  As we entered the supermarket Éowyn saw the display of cut flowers and said ‘Can we buy Mommy some flowers?‘  How could I refuse?

So she chose a bunch and into the trolley they went.  I then thought I would ask her what she felt about her new brother? ‘Is it a little weird and strange to have a baby brother?‘  I asked.

‘No Daddy,‘ she replied, ‘but what is weird,‘ she continued, ‘Is that Mommy feeds him with her boobies.‘  I tried to explain that is what boobies are for but she wasn’t having that, so we left it there.

Saturday saw the first of the visitors.  Lauren (voted for Ezra) and Maddie (didn’t vote) , his cousins, were the first of the visitors.  Maddie hogged the cuddles for longer than Lauren but I am sure that it will even itself out over time.  Then Nanny Fran (voted for Ezra), Auntie Mary (voted for Ezra) and Auntie Liz (voted for Ezra) came down laden with presents.  There were presents for Ezra, for Éowyn, for Amélie and some for me (it is my birthday – my 40th birthday – on Wednesday).  The girls were very excited to see their aunties and even more excited with their presents.

So Ezra is now part of the family proper.  He has a name and is beginning to meet his close relatives (and more tomorrow hopefully).  He is keeping his mommy and daddy up at night but sleeps (like a baby) during the day and poor Lucinda is only getting snatches of sleep between feeds – for he is feeding every 3 hours.  She is currently getting one of those snatches of sleep while I look after my son so I will leave you there and let you enjoy the photos.

Peace and Love

Baggie

One proud Auntie
Sisterly love
My beautiful children
It’s my brother!
Éowyn and Ezra
Give me a kiss!
Smile for the camera
Auntie Mary
An Amélie cuddle
Auntie Liz
Cousins
Maddie and Ezra
My big sister
Our little brother
The Bagnall kids
Close up
Hang on
Sleeping Baby

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your thoughts please…

Baggie

As you will have read yesterday we are struggling with our choice of name for our son and we thought that we would invite input from our loyal readers.  We want him to incorporate both of his grandfathers’ names and so he will be called Ezra John (or Ezra-John) but it is whether he has a first name of his own that is the current decision and if so what it should be.  Therefore we invite your input and you have until 05:25 on Friday 15th March to cast your vote below.

 

What shall we call our son?

  • Ezra John Bagnall (33%, 27 Votes)
  • Noah Ezra John Bagnall (32%, 26 Votes)
  • Jacob Ezra John Bagnall (27%, 22 Votes)
  • Theon Ezra John Bagnall (9%, 7 Votes)

Total Voters: 82

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Yes, it is comfy
Yes, it is comfy

What’s in a name?

Baggie

At 05.25 (GMT) on Wednesday 13th March 2013 in the hospital of St. Peters, Chertsey, Surrey our third child, and first son was born weighing 8lb 13oz (4.01kg).  Unlike his sisters he doesn’t seem to have inherited the Badger ears but does have the Bagnall nose as so will have to learn the Bagnall nose rub.

Now usually this is where we would officially announce his name and explain any meanings (if any) behind the choice of name.  Unfortunately Lucinda and I cannot agree on a name.  Now you may think that we have had nine months (and at least 5 knowing that he was a boy!) to make this decision but the names we had on the shortlist don’t seem to suit him.  That may sound a like strange and maybe it is the sleep deprivation that we are both experiencing but we will take a few days to reflect but rest assured you will be the first to find out.

His arrival in this world was relatively straightforward.  Yesterday afternoon Lucinda started feeling some discomfort that she likened to period pains.  We were not convinced until later that evening that this was it.  Yes, he was a couple of days late but that means nothing.  However Lucinda’s parents were put on standby for baby sitting duties  I explained to Éowyn and Amélie that it was possible that Bilbo bump (the nickname that he has had in the womb – and one we are fighting against it becoming his real name) wanted to come and meet them.  If he did then Mommy and Daddy would go to hospital and when they woke up Nanny and Granddad would be here.

It was about 23:30 when we decided it was time, Nanny and Granddad came round and we drove to St Peters.  Maternity triage was full and we had to wait for over an hour before Lucinda was examined.  The midwife recognised Lucinda and so when the examination confirmed that it was action stations she took us up to the labour ward and managed to secure us a pool room for the water birth that Lucinda had craved.

So it was 0130 and we were in labour.  Although triage was full the labour ward seemed relatively empty.  Thus the student midwife (Georgina) that was accompanying the midwife was able to spend a lot of time with us.  She was very bubbly and gained our confidence which was crucial during the birth.

With a water birth it is very much hands off for the midwives and so it was with Bilbo Bump’s birth.  Lucinda was guided through the birth by Georgina, who was excellent, but it was down to Lucinda who once again went through the whole of her labour with her TENS machine and then when she was in the water: gas and air, it is not a good idea to use a TENS machine in water!  The birth was relatively quick, even without the assistance of gas and air and we were soon holding our son.  Once again Lucinda was immense and I was very proud to be her husband.

The beauty of having an early morning baby is that we were able to be discharged by early afternoon and so for the first time, Lucinda (and the baby) did not have to spend a night in the hospital and we were able to be a family straight away.  So we left St Peters in the bright sunshine of a cold March afternoon (indeed our arrival at home was greeted with a short sharp snow shower!) and headed for Nanny and Granddad’s to introduce the new addition to his sisters, his Nanny and Granddad and Nanny Fran, who had driven down from West Bromwich as soon as she heard that she had a grandson.

So Baby Bagnall was born on the 13th day of March, in the year 2013 and weighed 8lbs 13oz.  With all these thirteens flying about I don’t think that he will suffer from triskaidekaphobia.  Indeed he has been born on a rather auspicious day, not only was the comet Panstarrs visible in the Northern hemisphere but it was also the day that the Roman Catholic Cardinals chose a new Pope to lead the Roman Catholic Church.  Jorge Bergoglio the Archbishop of Buenos Aires was voted Pontiff and has chosen the name Francis I.  He is the first Pope from Latin America and with the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI it means that for the first time in nearly 600 years there are two living Popes.  A momentous time.

So Éowyn and Amélie will have to share this website with their brother and I will attempt to keep you all up to date with the growing pains of our growing family.  Lucinda and I would like to thank you all for your kind messages and look forward to introducing our son (and announcing his name) to you all in the coming weeks and months.

Peace and Love

Baggie

And here are the photos I am sure you have all been waiting for:

I can hear the sea
Yes, it is comfy
Nice and relaxed