The name Harriet Louise

It's so strange to know what I'm naming my first child. I remember thinking about that so much as a kid, looking at baby name books and trying out names on my dolls. My American Girl doll like me was named Hannah Nicole Heider. 

People have asked why we picked Harriet Louise. Ryan and I decided to throw out names for a few months and see what stuck. We'd be walking into the kitchen and say, "Alice?" And if the other didn't respond poorly or was positive, it stayed in the running. We'd say it again a few days later and see how we felt then too. Harriet pleased us. It made us smile. It's like naming our dog Walter. Smiles all around every time we say his name. 

I also personally loved the book Harriet the Spy, and the first movie Ryan and I watched together had a woman named Harriet as the female lead, So I Married an Ax-Murderer. Disclaimer, that's a comedy, and, we didn't name our baby after a real murderer. I've got some looks when I mention the movie. Your disapproving expressions say more about your lack of classic movie knowledge than my misstep as a mom. I fondly remember holding Ryan Daly's hand in 2007, drinking spiked hot cocoa, and watching silly movies together. It was the night he realized we were dating. I knew for a while, but he didn't. That's another story for another post.

Louise is a family name, my dad's grandmother. And we enjoyed the idea of calling our baby girl Harry Lou. I'd loved how Nancy Drew's best friend, a female, was named George. Our little Harriet can be a tomboy or a girly girl or a judge or a hippie, or all or none of the above. Her call. 

Harriet, sweetheart, we just want to smile about you. Life is for fun and giving your child a cheerful name that will always remind us to be light-hearted towards you, no matter the situations we find ourselves in together. Thanks for being ours, sweet Harry Lou. 

A little bit about us

We wanted a spot to share about our life endeavors together. In August, we'll have our first child, a little girl named Harriet. We can't wait to meet her and teach her to love the world.

We both have writing degrees from the University of Oklahoma. His is from the journalism department and mine from the English department. To fellow writers, that may explain us a little. Mostly, we share the same heart for being kind students of our lives.

Together, we spend our days doting on our wooly dog Walter, eating yummy food, attempting some minimalism, sending each other cute animal videos, and being best friends in love.

Ashley's words about Ryan: 
Ryan is a ginger currently sporting an adult mohawk. He's my best friend who makes me laugh constantly. He loves to garden and cook, and that is pretty great for me too. He works in the creative department for a super cool company. He's the singer/guitarist for a little band called The Fabulous Minx. There is no better human to ask for advice or comfort; I often just hand the phone over to Ryan when a friend calls about a difficult situation. Ryan is my cop-out for so many things in life. Everything is better when I'm with him. He's my home and heart.

Ryan's words about Ashley:
Ashley is a sweet Greek girl who at the moment is very, very pregnant. She caught my eye in college when, on a Friday afternoon, she had to pick up a last minute assignment for the college paper to come shoot pictures of my friends and I drinking beer at our favorite bar. As mad as I'm certain she was that she had to work on what should have been her day off, she still stayed around to drink a few pitchers of cheep beer and let me chat her up. I remember one time when we were eating lunch in the newsroom, long before we were dating, and I told her confidently that I wasn't going to settle down until I had made it through a long list of goals and adventures. She told me she always thought loving someone meant having a partner to help you accomplish your goals and share in your adventures. I'm glad she was right. She's one of the bravest people I know, though she would never think it of herself. Three years ago she stood in a busy airport and decided then and there to quit what was shaping up to be a pretty decent career in marketing to buy a vintage furniture store with her friend. She introduced me to my bandmate, Noah, and made sure that we played together the first time, and that I put time and effort into our music, which she thought was worthwhile. She has stood by my side through all of my fascinations, career choices and half-finished house projects. She's my favorite.