It’s all in a name…

thomas-knauer-sews-simon

Names are hard. I mean they stick with you pretty much forever, so getting a name just right can be a nerve-wracking experience. This is especially true when two neurotic academics are doing the naming. Luckily we had a little help.

One might think the help came from Bee, but for the longest time she wanted to name the upcoming baby Ketchup…

No the help came from Rabbit’s middle name. I really liked the idea of giving him a name, first or middle, that had some real civil/human rights heritage, but nothing really seemed to fit. Then, to be honest, we went and saw Lincoln, and there was Thaddeus Stevens. Not only was he a tireless abolitionist for moral and ethical reasons rather than cynically political or economic reasons, but he had made his home in Lancaster, PA, where the entirety of my family is from. Thaddeus was a perfect fit: it was old-fashioned without being archaic, kinda awesome without the danger of hipsterism.

From there the list of first names was nicely narrowed down; many just didn’t sound right with Thaddeus as a middle name. After he was born, we zeroed in on Simon. I love that it means “to hear” or “to be heard.” He seems like such a thoughtful wee boy, one destined to be a person who both listens and is worthy of being heard.

But there is another reason: when I was little one of my favorite cartoons was Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings. I remembering loving these, and I am pretty sure they had an impact on my current ideas on art and its role in society (more on that correlation at a later date):

So, he is here, our dear little Simon Thaddeus, henceforth to be known as Rabbit. We are glad to be home, and Bee is so happy to meet him, though I am pretty sure she is gonna get pretty frustrated with him before too long — he just doesn’t seem to want to play. But for now it is all cuddles and excitement over being a family of four…thomas-knauer-sews-simon-and-bee

Yay family!!!

-t

PS. That amazing quilt was designed and pieced by my dear friend Kim and quilted by my quilt-wife Lisa for Simon, his very first quilt. This amazing quilt will be coming with me to QuiltCon, so if you are going be sure to come by the Andover booth during my meet-n-greet to bask in its awesomeness. Love you Kim and Lisa!!!

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