I have one more night with DD/grandkids – my stay was 2 weeks this time (while SIL was away), and in Mar/Apr 4 weeks while SIL was away for training (Army promotion).
We will be back Christmas/New Year’s, as we were for 2023/2024, after their move to TX July 2023. Keeping in ‘tight’. The grandchildren are now ages 1, almost 3, almost 5, and 6. During Covid daycare closure for 6 weeks in early 2021, the older two were almost 2 and almost 1 when I was ‘FT Nanny’ - I would arrive Sunday afternoon and leave Friday when DD returned from work (at the time they lived 100 miles from us). All 4 GKids are very comfortable with Nana.
During this two week stay, 1 YO is now walking a lot of steps. DD took one crib rail down (and the mattress is low) for a junior toddler bed. They will set up a kids’ bed to replace that when the time is right.
Have been doing more pre-reading with GS1 who will go from 4K to Kindergarten. He had a lot of good stuff this past school year, so we are breezing through Scholastic First Little Readers (Guided Reading Level A) - set of 25 books (each 8 pages).
I won’t have ‘overlap’ with SIL when I leave (he is delayed by a day coming back), otherwise I could be showing him some things to do with GS1. I will go over with DD so she can help GS1 be ready for Kindergarten. Their kindergarten has a lot to offer, as does their library, with acdelerated reader. GD1, who is going into first grade, is a great reader - she is at 2.9 with accelerated reader.
I go on a 10 day vacation with D1’s family to Spain in 2 days. GD knows what it means when we go on vacation now. Tomorrow is her ballet recital. Last year she decided it wasn’t for her so she just stood there. We hope tomorrow she will actually dance. Privately she has shown us all her moves, but there is no guarantee what she will do.
I know I love them, but ooof, brutal gastrointestinal flu followed by several days of fever and malaise and stomach pain. Remind me never to accept a sliver of nectarine, or apple, any other remnant of grandchild’s snack……
Interesting that so many of the Swiss choices were names that would be common in an American pre-k. I guess with internet, etc, every country’s names have become more international.
Though on the other hand, thinking about the kids my grandkids are friends with, I can’t think of one of them who has a name my own kids would have known someone with. There are some wildly unusual ones in their friend and school groups.
My GD will be visiting next week!! We’re excited. I talk to her via Face Time 4 or 5 times a week, but it’s much more fun in person. I saw her a few months ago, and It’s amazing to me how much she learns and grows (physically) in a short time.
Genevieve Shaw Brown is an Emmy award-winning lifestyle journalist and the author of the parenting book, “The Happiest Mommy You Know.” She is an avid traveler and was named the Lowell Thomas Silver Grand Award Travel Journalist of the Year. She has appeared as a parenting, travel and lifestyle expert on every network in the country. You can follow her on Instagram.
Facebook group: “That name is a tragedeigh”. People post names they find in the wild. Sometimes the commenters are a little harsh, but some of the names are astounding.
To be fair, this article is NOT about the most popular baby names, but TRENDY ones. Trendy doesn’t always = high in number.
I think in every generation you can find or make a list of TRENDY names that certainly weren’t popular. Remember “Apple” ? (Paltrow and Chris Martin’s baby)
My first cousin (raised and has lived 100% in Switzerland) - her daughter who is now in her 30’s is named Michelle; her younger twins are names Noemi and Marvin. Don’t know why she named the younger two those names, but she had traveled in the US and we have a cousin in CA married to Michelle.
I have older cousins on the other side of the family - and a son is named Sebastian; that name has become used some in the US, including one of my GSons.
Historically (maybe since 1900 or so) in the south, various wealthy families might have a legal name or strongly used nickname of both sons and daughters that are quite ‘interesting’ – IDK if it is a status-y thing (in our wealthy circles, it is fun to have these trendy names).
I’m not sure if having a girl with a name that you can’t tell if it is a girl’s name is helping in long-term with that individual’s career, take them serious. For example I worked with a female attorney that went by her middle name, which was a family name that began with a L. Her business cards had just first initial. All her mail came back with Mr.
IDK if parents think on long range for their children’s legal names.
I went to school with boys named Kermit, Hans, Jens, Rudolph and lots of names we’d call ‘old man names’ like Jerry, Roger, Gene, Alan (often named after a grandfather).
I think names run in cycles. The neighbors across the street and next door all had grandchildren names Ellie - three of them all the same age.
