Little Greco

Sorry, missed this thread (and many others) ... I've been at my bro's this w/e. Congrats mr & mrs Greco! (He shoots, he scores!). Given Everton's recent results, Duncan ought to feature highly and Wayne lowly. Take a leaf from Fergal and call him Red ... oops! you can't can you? ... take another Fergal-leaf and call him Blue. If it turns out to be a girl, call her Helen. Anyway, congrats again to you both ... it will change your lives more than you can imagine and I'm sure you will choose an appropriate name yourselves when the time comes.

On the miscarriage issue (I am eyes wide open with our age): well, I told my best mate, because he'd get to know about a miscarriage anyway. But that would so traumatic, I'd have a feeling I'd tell a few people. If not, so what? It's a great time being pregnant, and I won't regret a thing about telling people. If you're close enough to know, well then... Tommy won't work, Flash. Think about it. Come on, think hard. You can't double up. That would be like you calling your kid, erm, Flashy.

oooooooo i like the sound of that. Wot about Alex?

And: superstition: schmooperstistion. If K misscarries, it's cause of her age and various other factors, not because of who we've told. *chilled*

And no, we're not considering Hunter S. We like Reece for a boy. Karen likes Jessica for a girl (too popular for me, especially linked to the not rare Thompson -- I say call her "Jessamy" : original, gives her the option of being known as Jess -- which as a teacher, I'll tell ya all Jessicas are known as anyway -- plus gives her the option of originality shoud she need it.

Congratulations Paul, I hope Karen ain't smoking for the duration, or drinking, or enjoying herself, or... Seriously, don't go dwelling on the negative things that COULD happen, yeah they do, we had a 3mth miscarriage, but most babies make the grade. Names? Avoid Rita for a girl and Jasper for a boy!

That is good news Paul. Boy names: Jeremiah Thompson just has a ring to it.... Jeremy perhaps. Thomson (and an initial N) if you are a Tintin fan.

Cheers, Missi. And no, Karen is fortunately not like me -- though she has a craving for alcohol (bien sur) now she can't have it. Jeremy?! No Legs, my kid is NOT going to public school. And that Thompson Twins thing is a real random translation, nothing to do with the (admittedly very talented) Belgian writer.

Congratulations Paul.

congratulations!!!! Agree with telling everyone, you enjoy it to the max. Max... hrm. My new nephews name, and a cracker he is too. Reece? Oh dear, no. Peanut butter cup in america you know. And it's just a bit... urm... I dunno. There are a raft of those names around my littlest daughters school at the moment.. Reece, Tyler etc. Dont like em at all. Mind you in my (3 times) experience, you have your list of names lined up and then when the bub's born, you take one look and think "that wouldn't suit" and go for something different entirely. Something timeless but not stuffy or dull. One kid in my middle girls school is called Oasis. Avoid it at all costs. Cogratulations again, lovely times ahead.

Bailey???? NOOOOOO....is my dog's name (obviously he is named after the drink because is a Weimaraner.) How about... Archie....(my parrot) Poppy....(my cat) Sylvester....(my son's rat)

Alexander or Alicia... although Antony would be OK giving Tony or 'Ant' - always worth considering what their nicknames will be... Tony Tompson sounds good. Great news Paul! I should think in terms of two Christian names though as I think a second adds a bit of choice for the child...

Congrats Paul. Sometimes miscarriages happen - it is superstition - and rubbish imo. I had a miscarriage at 9 weeks and and tho the pregnancy was unplanned, I decided to have another child because of the disappointment. If it's a boy choose Thierry. I was convinved my youngest was a boy and only had boy's names. Thierry or Aaron. Stick to Thierry. lol

Congrats! Bugger all that superstition crap. Enjoy I say. I like the name Laurel for a girl and and as my bloke's surname is Hardy I will never get to have a daughter called that (unless I have kids with someone else or let them have my name, which I might).

Sander, Donald, Jonas, Joseph, Julian, Victor Juliet, Manon, Linden, Mariette, Heather I am glad I don't have to choose again. I was sure I would have a boy, and we wanted to call him Tristan. Lucky for him, it was a girl and we called her Esme (with an accent). Still happy with her and her name.

Congrats! :) Don't let those midwives bully you with all this breast is best crap. Names. aw, wait until after your first couple of scans. You'll naturally begin to give him/her pet names during the next few months and you'll most probably land on something and it'll stick. And get yourself one of the 'womb song' gizmo's which allows you to listen to it's heart beat and play it music. Lovely!

breast is best... bottles helps promote asthma ... but as long as the bab is fed and loved it'll get there... eh max?

well done Paul

Well if you're going down that route... Merlin (Name of my dobermann) Star (name of my spaniel / Collie cross George (name of my cat) Seriously, congratulations to you both x

Thanks all. You can't lump Tyler in with Reece, Liana! The American surname-as-firstname thing is truly bugging; Reece is a traditional name (well, in Wales anyway) and it's far enough down the charts to be individual, without being all out stupid and bordering on child abuse. Anyway, the important factor for me is: "Does is go with the surname"? The trouble with "classic" names is, they go well with strange names (George Van Win: ace) but not so with normal names (Paul Thompson: dire). I'm not sure I buy this "name that suits the baby", business. All babies look pretty much the same to me, and if that's the case -- how come all babies aren't called Winston Churchill? Besides, it's what he/she looks like when he/she's an adult that really matters, and that can only surely be guess work. Anyway, we'll see. Thanks, again.

I agree with Liana, breast is best, trouble is you can't get 'em in my local.

Congratulations Paul and Mrs. T. It's a long slog to get to the other end - I'm six weeks off and it's been one of the most amazing and disturbing 8 months I've ever gone through (wait 'til BabyT starts doing alien impressions in Karen's belly or the first time you see the scan photos and you realise it's not a baby at all - it's a soap on a rope). And whatever name you choose now, will have changed 75 times by the time he or she makes an appearance. As for the music, it's an interesting one. I have been playing her all kinds of music both on the stereo and playing the guitar hoping that it will resonate through (I'm too big now to get arms to front of guit, have to play it flat on the table which kind of defeats the object). The other night I played about 20 minutes of the Concierto de Aranjuez note perfect which didn't get the slightest reaction, then switched on Strictly Dance Fever which initiated 45 minutes of ridiculous inutero disco dancing. I guess she's still too young to have taste but I can't say I wasn't disappointed. Most of all, be a supportive husband, there's a good boy. Daisy won back all his brownie points at the weekend when, seeing me beached on a poof (only living room furniture - just moved house, bloody furniture stilll to be delivered, poof borrowed) he said, "oh love, if I could get an extension cord I would".

Paul, clearly you've never had children, if you think the name doesn't suit the baby. My PX wanted to name our son 'Sebastian', which is a poofy public school name, as far as I'm concerned. I insisted on Samuel once he'd appeared; and a Samuel he is: a strong, honourable, sturdy little boy. Sebastian would've given him a complex. Or me one. I wouldn't consider 34 'old' in terms of at risk for miscarriage. If a woman miscarries, it's because the fetus isn't viable, end stop. Mother Nature at work. My dad is a neonatal nurse and he says a healthy child is really just a matter of chance: he's seen smack-addicted women give birth to perfect, healthy babies, and the so-called 'perfect' pregnant mums, after a whiff of hairspray from some over-coiffed lady, have a baby with birth defects. So let the poor lady drink a little bit; it'll relax her once everyone around her starts telling her how awful childbirth is, how high their expectations are that she'll be a good mum, and which nappy cream is the best. It's enough to drive any woman to drink, so let her have a little bit. It's not gonna hurt. And really _she_ should decide if she wants to breastfeed. Not you. Not us. They're her tits. And breastfeeding's tough. But worth it.

Playing comforting music to a growing baby is a sound idea... Even if it passes them by as music, the soothing vibrations must surely get through. Which begs the question, what music would you play to a baby in the womb? We played a lot of classical to our two, nursery rhymes too.

Congratulations and all the best. When I was expecting my third son I was also preparing for a major recital - (I did the recital when he was about 3 months old). He must have experienced it so deeply in the womb, classical voice resonates so powerfully through the whole body. I expect he benefitted from the breathing too. He's been my healthiest son, never had any antibiotics and fights everthing off really well - he's also the deepest thinker. But of course that's nothing to do with the singing?

Congrats...surely in Wales Reece is actually Rhys? Unfortunately I have already picked my favourites for my own kids... However as I grew up with the surname Thomson (posher no 'P') I would suggest a quite short name How about... Gracie Nate Ruby Rhys (only spelt this way much nicer) Lucy Joe

Should be gaps in those of course....huge error Gracie Ruby Lucy Nate Rhys Joe

The orginal spelling is Rhys (I understand) , though the (presumed) anglicisation of "Reece" is still essentially a Welsh name. Spelling it "Rhys" is nice, but ultimately disadvantageous to a child surrounded by English phonetics. Without a "p" is a posher! Check out Lady Muck! For your info, Thomson is actually Scottish, and therefore -- by definition -- decidedly less posh. But heck, I have Scottish roots too. My mam's name was Johnstone. Go figure. Womb music? It can have some Jackson 5. And, just to avoid confusion Archer's-quaffer, Karen can have as much alcohol, cigarettes and cocaine as she wants -- thank god, SHE chooses to have the occasional glass of red wine. 34 DOES increase the risk of miscarriage (fact fans) and yes SHE should decide on breast-feeding (did I say otherwise? In fact did I MENTION the topic? Colour me confused man.)

Congratulations. Don't know too much about names, but be carefull about anything that can be easily shortened, unless you're happy with the result: Joe, Tom, Chris are fine but Trace, Del, and Gazza ....... ? [%sig%]

Heh heh, again "Tom" not an option (for obvious reasons) -- Joe, no, have a mate called Joe, and it's too normal for Thompson. Never liked Chris(topher) , sorry Christophers. Having "Christ" in the name feels so wrong. No one calls their kids Tracy or Derek anymore do they? And "Gascoigne" never really caught on!

yeh, breast is best. But sometimes it's not best for the missus. It takes alot out of 'em in more ways than one, so if the good lady finds it over-tiring then there's no worries in swapping (not breasts - to a bottle) I say this because my wife had big probs breast feeding and the mid wives made her feel bad about giving it up. Just rem that there's other options available. Such an emotionally draining time and you part with with a bump and all other issues tend to get blown right up ;)

Actually, Rhys, (and this is the correct spelling - and IS a Welsh name) is a lovely name - when spelt properly! It really annoys me when people misspell it "Reece". Oh and I am Welsh!

Wife is a rednose, Stormy, so football naming will almost definitely be vetoed. Though my dad says there was a Scottish Everton defender called George Thompson back in the day -- bet I could pull that one off. Weird that, Tony, I was just thinking of Matty today for a boy. My concern is that he'd want the less twee Matt when he's older -- and Matt Thompson has the dreaded consonant clash. I am an aesthetics nut -- as you'd expect from a would-be poet.

And I might add, Liana, Rhys is a traditional and very old Welsh name, for your information!

I am aware of that Lizzie so get that humpy welsh chip off your shoulder :o) ... Reece though, is minging. It goes with - Tyler, Callum, Bailey (ffs) Taylor, Courtney, Shannon... these are all popular names at the moment, and I reckon they will be the wayne/kevin/sharon/tracey names of the future. I like Joe Thompson, it's nice.

Liana, I agree. Someone at work called her 2 Dylan and Shannon - 90210 springs to mind. And Paul, Gazza's an abomination of Gary.

Well you COULD go the whole hog and change the surname too. That would free you up to any name in the world, like Brad Pitt, George Clooney or Elizabeth Taylor. Go on DO IT, and give the little dear an extra advantage. Bill Gates!

So the spelling is the problem? Gordon Bennet, what's wrong with an anglicisation? My name isn't any less real because I don't use the original Hebrew spelling. An anglicisation is not a misspelling: it's a deliberate attempt to make the name more accessible in the English language. And there's no point in keeping it real when I don't even have (as far as I know) any Welsh roots beyond family holidays in Anglesey. I like the name, and want the version classmates will remember how to spell. Besides, Rhys reminds me of that c**t Griff Rhys Jones. Tyler is number 35 at the moment. Bailey (inexplicably) is 65 or something. Reece is 51, closely followed by Rhys at 53. None of these are PARTICULARLY popular names. But I reiterate my case: the names you mention are largely surnames-as-firstnames, in the American style. Callum is a lovely Scottish name, and Reece/Rhys is a lovely Welsh name. Just because they're becoming a BIT more popular doesn't mean we should avoid them. Joe Thompson maybe nice, but it's boring. It's a balancing act, but the golden rule applies: weird first names with dull surnames (Keanu Reeves) and vice versa (Joe Di Maggio) are the pairings that stick in people's heads.

Matt Thompson isn't a bad name. It sounds like the sort of name that gets doodled onto pencil cases dunnit?

Humpy Welsh chip has vanished Liana, just making a point! After all, we don't need to be humpy now - we DID win the rugby! :0) I do hate the Taylor / Bailey/ Callum / Shannon / Jordan thing - you're right Rose. very 90210! Paul, there is also Rhys Ifans, the actor you know! You could always go down the musician route like Frank Zappa - i.e. Dweezil and Moon(zappa)....Zowie Bowie was another unfortunate parental infliction....maybe not.

It's crossed my mind, Missi. Especially as a wannabe-writer, I've considered ditching one of my name's many a time, as the Paul Greco moniker would suggest. I can just see a tear in my dad's eye, as I break the news that I'll be his only grandchild to date will be proudly carrying on the name of, erm, Greco. Sorry dad. Still, (I may have mentioned this before, but I doubt anyone was listening) , Thompson has sod all to do with his blood line, nor consequently mine. Thompson was the name my dad's mum kept after her Thompson husband died. The man who knocked her up with my dad was a Blundell (which suggests a bit of French somewhere down the line too) and he duely f**ked off sharpish; so nan just kept the Thompson name. So maybe it IS time to see the back of the bloody stupid thing after all. No one ever cool was called Thompson, apart from maybe Daley Thompson. Eric and Emma Thompson: posh freaks. Actually, Hunter S. was quite cool. This argument is balls.

callum is a lovely scottish name. There is so much wrong with that sentence i dont know where to start. *smiley whatsit*

Matty is a great name. Sorry for being an opinionated bumptious arse, had v bad hangover yesterday. Yes yes, I know, dont say it. (reece is still...*coughs)

Matty isn't such a great name if your last name is Groves.

Ah, Matty Groves, a Fairport Convention song no less -- which brings us back to the name Thompson (Richard) , one of the dreariest name combos in rock, though I hear (from those who understand this sh*te) he could knock out quite a folk ballad. Not my cup of char, mind. From Lizzie: "Paul, there is also Rhys Ifans, the actor you know!" A timely rant, then, for this useless sack of rotting turd. That man is the very reason a definition for the word c**t came about -- the reason is twofold: 1) Never has he done a worthwhile day's work in his miserable inbred life. Name one decent film he has done. And if you're a fan of the cringeworthy let's-be-hip-like Trainspotting, and make a real dog's dinner of it "Twin Town" or the equally loathsome "Four-Weddings'-Stable" Notting Hill, then I don't have a microsecond for your cinematic opinion. "Oh he's so zany. SO wacky." No, he's a C**T! He makes Griff Rhys Jones look like a champion among men. 2) It's one thing insisting on Rhys (must 'ave a proper Welsh name for our boyo, inniiiiit?) and not anglicising it (why should they, after all?), but what sort of a backward, sheepshagging family refuses to back down on the anglicisation of "Ifans" to "Evans" -- I'll tell ya the type of Welsh hillbillies: the type that revert to the Welsh language as soon as you enter the chippie, to make you feel like a dickhead tourist. ("Here comes an English TWAT, quick, speak Welsh.") "Don't want our boyo avin' a name that'll 'elp him in the english-speakin' world - wozwrong with the lovely rollin' hills an' meadows and tha' round 'ere, then?" Does my griffin 'ead in. I love the Welsh tho.

Oh go on, try!

Reece Dinsdale. Now there was an actor.

Yes, Callum is a good Scottish name!!! As good as Rhys I think!

I've also seen it spelt Reese, I'm sure. Think it's a crap name anyway, wherever it comes from.

Well even i know Rhys isn't a Scottish name Lizzie. What about Timothy Thompson?