That's a mess of names...

Names. Funny how folks get worked up about them. Jo-Elle and I have been talking about Isaiah's for months, but I did not know what it would be until after he arrived---in fact, we did not finalize the name and fill out the birth certificate stuff until just before we left the hospital. Most of the paperwork simply says "Boy Mogerman" which is kinda cool...

In the end, Jo-Elle chose Isaiah---which was also on my much shorter top names list. It works nicely for what we want, bridging Jewish and African American traditions. And I like the idea of having a prophet for a son... For all of you hoops heads out there, Isaiah is NOT named after one of Chicago's most well-known basketball heroes, Isaiah Thomas. Nor is he named for the less accomplished but similarly infamous Isaiah Rider. Admittedly, I'd be thrilled to see him have either of their games, but given the genetic pool from which he comes, it is unlikely. And we will work hard to ensure that he does not share either of their dubious off-court antics.

As for the middle names---in order to represent both families strongly, we followed the Caribbean tradition of two middle names. Joseph was Jo-Elle's father. We miss him and are very proud to honor him. And Shai (pronounced "shy") is Hebrew for "gift" or "Gift from G-d." We thought it fitting---and love the fact that it allowed me to honor both my grandfather Sol and grandmother Sylvia. Triple duty from the middle names, how cool is that?

Its pretty amazing how this first decision made by Jo-Elle and I will dog Isaiah for the rest of his life. That's a tough one. You are pretty shaky those first hours after the birth and you are immediately asked to make a pretty momentous call. I think we did OK. Time will tell.