James Update, Stockings for FIVE, and NAMES

James is like a roller-coaster. Overall he is doing better since surgery. Very few headaches. More strong days than weak days with his left arm, but still some days where it just isn't working right. He is still very stiff, and still gets really sweaty at night. He has still had some pretty high heart rates, but I think the blood pressures are down.

Our house is all decked out for Christmas, with a REAL tree this year! We haven't had a real tree since our first Christmas married, before we had kids - so this is James' and Josiah's first real tree. It makes the house smell SO good :) I made a wreath out of the extra clippings from the tree, and was thinking about hanging it on the front door, but I think I'm going to see if Chuck and Marilyn want it instead. I talked to Chuck on the phone today. They sure are cuties!

I found some simple knitted red and white stockings last year that I fell in love with, and I thought I better just buy five of them while I have them in front of me, because someday we will probably be a family of five, and I won't be able to find another one like them. Good thing I did, because that family of five thing came quicker than I'd expected! :-)

So, if you haven't heard yet, we found out we're having BOY number 3!

We've been tossing around ideas for names since we found out on Monday, and I've been discussing the issue with all my peeps on facebook. Tonight I gave Seth my top 8 list, after getting ideas and opinions from several people -- to see which ones he liked or didn't like. Mom, Dad, and Lynds will be glad to know that he DOESN'T like the name "Solomon." Hehe. Among the names that I liked were:

Asher
Bryce
Brandon
Caleb
Jaben
Joshua
Landon
Solomon

Names that were suggested that I didn't like were:
Job
Christian
Jason
Daniel (as a first name)

The middle name is going to be Daniel. That is Seth's, James', and Josiah's middle name. It means "God is my judge." Seth and I both like the name "Luke" but we decided that it doesn't sound good with our last name, because when you say, "Luke Condit" too fast, it sounds like the first name is "Loo" (hear it?)

Seth decided he doesn't like Bryce, Brandon, Landon, or Solomon (stinker). So we were left with Asher, Caleb, Jaben, and Joshua. We started looking at meanings and stories related to the names. We found out that Caleb was a godly man in the bible who trusted in God in the midst of some pretty faithless people. One site said that Caleb means "faith, devotion, whole-hearted, and that in the bible Caleb was a companion of Moses and Joshua, and was noted for his astute powers of observation and fearlessness in the face of overwhelming odds, and his great devotion to God."

I read more about him, and it is really, really growing on me. Seth loves the name, too!

I think we found a name!

Caleb Daniel Condit.

IF we decide on Caleb for SURE, SURE, I will post more about the name and why I think it is so fitting....

Until then, I'll be stewing on it :-) .....and still open to suggestions!