what time is it?...

I have figured out that my time has been challenged lately haha.

I have two children now, mind you one is a little busy compared to most, but they are doing great on their own schedules. Blaire has always been good with a schedule, but now with potty training in the mix these past two days we have had to adjust a little. 

Anyways, with being at home, running errands, having fun play dates, making dinner, (the list goes on as most people know), I blink my eyes and oh freak it is already 10pm. 

Honestly, I LOVE IT. 

I have always been a busy body myself, hmm wonder where Blaire gets it. (Okay, she is still the craziest and people who know her would agree with me). About a year ago I would feel so lazy all the time being with Blaire, just sitting around or cleaning the house. 

Overtime, I realize that my time has been dedicated to being a mother instead of my 2 jobs, homework, my husband alone, and other things. I am thankful to be able to have my time shared with Ryan and our two littles. Some don't get the privilege of family, marriage, or bearing children. Our given time and what we choose to do with it is precious and it varies from person to person. What a great blessing that is to have choice, find what our talents and gifts are, use them to our best abilities. 

On that note, we have been up to a lot of fun things these past couple of weeks...

{RYAN} 

............................................

He had a work party at Wheeler Farm. It was great! However it was pouring rain the whole time. And of course BQ wanted to still play in the water. Her and I got soaked for about 2.5 hours. I was very tired and exhausted haha but it was fun. Ryan couldn't run around with her and switch me every so often because he sprained his ankle playing softball! It was a really bad sprain and he had to wear a boot :( but he is doing a lot better. He also took Blaire on their first daddy daughter date. He took her tailgating and to the BYU game. Adorable! They had such a fun day. Thankful he wants to do those things, I love him more all over again.

 

The hubs also started school! :) Hooray! He is gone all day on Tuesdays and his time is devoted to homework on Saturdays mostly and then when he gets home from work. I do still get to see him though, not as often as I would like but I can't complain :). IT WILL BE WORTH IT FOR MANY REASON! I will say it again and again, but I am very proud of him. He has wanted more education for sometime now and it has finally arrived. He has great personal goals and I fully support him. I can't wait to see where his MBA takes him. I love my marketing man! :) 

{BROOKS}

............................................

He had his first BYU game! Ryan loved taking him, but daddy was heartbroken! His mancrush, Taysom Hill got injured as well as a bunch of other players. We were playing USU and lost. Bad day. We got a Cougar Tail and life was good. (For me at least haha). We didn't bring Blaire since it was a late game at 8:15. My friend Jessica was willing to watch her. Very appreciated! :) 

Brooks is two months now and staying a string bean! He can still fit in newborn clothes but I have started dressing him in 0-3 months. Development wise, he has started talking a lot more, smiling more than ever, and has a cute lil giggle. Sleeping, not through the night yet. It's a bummer haha but hopefully he will be like his sister soon. (She was and still is the best sleeper, always wakes up around 8ish even when going to bed around 9 :)

(He hates baths :( I try so hard, but if I keep
him clothed for a bit then slowly move the
clothes off, he does okay. haha)

We were able to bless Brooks this last Sunday. Seriously an amazing day. I will post about that in a couple days when I get the pics! 

{BLAIRE}

............................................

This little spit fire has a mind of her own. She started the terrible twos a couple months ago but her attitude has changed more; good and bad.  She just runs away from us thinking it's hilarious, which it is. But she is still jealous of the babe. It isn't as bad as it was. She will just want something all of sudden when I am feeding him or holding him. She will continue to cry until I put him down and see what she wants.

  

 

Blaire will officially be a "terrible two" at the end of October, 2 years goes quickly!

As for big changes for her, she is now in a big girl bed. LOVES IT. She does destroy her room every morning/night but she has gotten better. However, last night Ryan went to check on her and she was sitting in the 2nd top drawer in her dresser. We honestly have no idea how she does the things she does. A new surprise happens everyday with her haha. 

Her potty training has started officially yesterday. It is going a lot easier than I thought. We have a chart and stickers for her when she completes a task (washing hands, flushing, pulling pants up and down, etc.). I have to sit in the hallway and keep an eye on her or else she will escape and go pee in the living room. Her second day was better and she was more excited about peeing in the toilet. The first day she didn't really like it. What kid does though. Potty training is no joke though. So hopefully in a week we will have progressed a lot. It really amazes me how quickly Blaire can learn things. I for sure underestimate the mind of a 2 year old haha.

{In Other News}

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Ryan's little, little sister Katee got married! :) She married a great guy Mike! It was great too because all of Ryan's siblings were able to be there which won't happen often anymore. We all (minus Koy) were able to go through the temple with Katee and see them sealed. It was a fun weekend to be together and I am glad we all got to be apart of their special day. LOVE YOU GUYS! :)

This was kind of a catch-up post but I am now able to make time to write more often than I have which is nice. I don't know who all reads these haha but if you do thanks for being patient and I hope you will like hearing from me more often! :)

Much Love,

JPB

PS: Conference was amazing. I could devote a billion posts to how much I learned. If you missed it you can find all the talks here. I have been trying to build a better relationship with Christ which was one of my "questions" or things to look for during all the talks. Well, I better have learned something because everything was about the Savior! It was amazing. My eyes were opened and I do know that He loves me :) If you have a chance, listen to Elder Hollands talk :) It was a favorite of mine.

PSS: I am jealous of all those able to go to "Meet the Mormons" already. Ryan and I have yet to see it! :) I love hearing about it and if you want a chance to learn more about those of our faith (as I have heard it isn't about our doctrine but the lifestyle we choose to follow) go watch it! It is a great way to see how we devote our lives to becoming followers of Christ. 

I do know that my Savior lives, He loves us despite all our faults. Thankfully, he carries our faults and I know he died for me, atoned for me that I may live again. He is my light, and I am thankful that I have the little family I do. The plan of happiness has a greater meaning to me. To know I will be with them forever is a great hope, and it is all because of Christ. He is the Christ and I can't deny that. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

another little b...

I have finally got a chance to tell you all another birth story! I can't believe I am a mother of two. I always wanted children but it is completely different imagining having them and actually having them. If that makes sense.

Mainly, with Blaire everything seemed more overwhelming through the entire pregnancy but in a good way. All the memories came back when I read my post about it (if you wish you can read it again here). This time around I was had the mind set of "it's all good, I got this" which actually surprised me since I had another child to watch. She kept me busy which I think helped a lot, distracted me from being sick and worrying all the time. 

I also love how every "birth story" or whatever you want to call it is different. It was much easier, when I say easier it is pretty much an understatement compared to last time. 

I was also curious about having a baby in a new hospital, town, etc. It was nice that we got to compare from one place to another. (We loved it much better than Madison Memorial, not that it was bad or anything, just felt more comfortable here). I was really nervous at what to expect at the time of delivery and having new doctors, etc. We decided to go to Intermountain, well the big reason was because insurance, but we had heard good things about our location. Sure enough the whole process was great, I had nothing to worry about! My OBGYN was the best (even though she couldn't be there at the birth), but everything just went really smooth. OKAY ENOUGH SIDE NOTES!

Once upon a time...

Ryan, Blaire, and I were in American Fork visiting my cousin and her new baby Trey. He was born early and was in the NICU for a bit. He was so small but so precious.

(Mind you, he was born a month early and was supposed to be due after Brooks. 

Ya, that didn't happen haha).

Anyways, we came back home around 9:00ish that night and I felt some contractions. They were about an hour or so apart. By midnight they were about 10 minutes apart and very consistent. I was surprised at how much faster they were coming and I started getting way nervous. Even though I had Blaire already, I kept thinking he has to come out, hope everything goes okay, etc. Of course they hurt because by 3:30am they were every 5 minutes. 

I wanted to wait until 2-3 minutes because we live, no joke, about 1 minute from Intermountain. 

ANOTHER SIDE NOTE:

I should tell you that Brooks was 9 days late, which I assumed anyways because that is how Blaire was too. With her I waited 2-3 minutes and drove from our house to Rexburg and my water broke after I got checked in and everything. So I figured 2-3 was a good time. 

APOLOGIES, BACK TO THE STORY: 

I was supposed to go to Intermountain 6:15am to be induced so I figured if I could wait it would be best. I tried baths and anything I could think of to help calm those contractions but nothing was working. By 4:15am I couldn't handle it and they were 2 minutes apart. I am some what of a wimp haha and can't tolerate pain very well and I knew I had to go then. We had everything ready and left, I got checked in at the desk and then Ryan actually went back home to go sleep some more because I figured I wouldn't have him until like 10am or something. (I don't know what I was thinking). He left before the nurses, etc. came back into my room.

We still had Blaire and thankfully my AMAZING aunt Stacy was willing to watch her for us which we arranged awhile ago. We had been texting her randomly all night about my status so we weren't stressed about anything really. 

It wasn't until after Ryan left for about 15 minutes, they finally checked me and told me I was at a 6 and that if they try and check me again my water will break and the baby will come right out. I started to panic. They said if I wanted an epidural that I would need it now.

YES PLEASE. 

I obviously had my epidural at this point. 

The anesthesiologist was hilarious, and made me feel very comfortable haha. Him and the nurses kept wondering when Ryan was going to come because they said I was progressing way fast! And the next thing I know, I can't keep my eyes open and my body felt very strange. I had a reaction to the epidural and passed out. I could hear them all around me trying to talk to me but I couldn't move or do anything. My blood pressure dropped really fast and the baby went into shock a little bit. They did whatever they do best and I gave me what I needed to stay regulated. I was so upset too because I didn't want to throw up and what they gave me made me do that. They later told me that they knew something was wrong when I stopped talking haha. Typical me, never shutting up. 

By this time it was around 5:15am and Ryan still wasn't answering. I was at a 9 and still panicking because they said my baby was coming even though my water hadn't broke yet. My aunt finally answered the phone and apparently he had received my texts and such and was meeting her at Thanksgiving point to drop Blaire off. We should of just had her come to our house but we were all sorts of tired, and she was jet lagged from vacationing in Hawaii. We were all a little off our communication skills haha. It was funny because she started yelling at Ryan to hurry and come because of the situation and he was 10-15 minutes away. I just told him to hurry and that everyone was waiting as much as they could. 

He finally made it! :) It was such a relief to see his face and comforting. I didn't want him to miss anything and just wanted him with me. He is seriously the greatest support! 

They broke my water and nothing happened. The babe didn't move for another hour and half and I was at a 9 until about 7:45am. So during that time I tried to sleep but I had a headache from being so tired and was already anxious even though I hadn't slept yet. I was feeling some pressure to which helped and I knew he was coming soon! 

My epidural actually started wearing off on one side, so the next time the nurse came in she moved my heavy legs for me and checked me and said I could try pushing since the doctor was on her way. Ahh! I just kept smiling and was excited it was all happening so fast! (compared to last time which was like all day/night and 2 hours or so of pushing). 

So, I pushed and she told me to stop! His head was just barley coming out. I was like AHH! I can't stop! There was just a lot of pressure I had to push but I had to wait 10 more minutes before the doc came. I did mention above it wasn't my regular doctor, but she was also very nice! Very positive,  hilarious, and welcoming haha it was great.

I was being very patient but glad she came when she did because I only needed to push twice and our little boy came! :) They hurry and put him on my chest, cleaned him off, oh it was one of the sweetest moments! And Ryan didn't miss it! :) 

Thursday, August 14, 2014

8:15am

Brooks Ryan Bennion

8 pounds 6 ounces 20 inches long! 

First pic of little Ryben!

He looks so swollen in these pics! And he actually had the embillical cord wrapped around his face. There is a huge bruise on his nose/eye, he had it for about 2 weeks.

Ry and Brooks! Ryan doesn't think he looks like him
but everyone else does. He says he can't tell. Silly daddy.

We have always liked the name Brooks even before Ryan and I met really. And we felt good about it! :) He looks like a Brooks to us so haha it worked! Ryan's family has a tradition with the first born son taking hid fathers first name as a middle name which is why we have the Ryan. :) And Brooks is the first grandson for all our families! The Bennion name lives on!

Anyways, it is just a joy of overwhelming love to have moments like these. Especially having Ryan there. Brooks was so perfect, his little cries were the cutest too! :) 

It was as if nothing else mattered and we knew everything we had done in our lives was right because we had our little boy. And that we had done it before with Blaire made it that much sweeter. 

The rest of the stay was seriously amazing. I got to have my Lorne Doone crackers. I don't know why but they are my favorite and I could have as many as I wanted! :) We had so many visitors and we loved it. My family came from Washington for a couple days which they didn't get to do with Blaire.

Ryan loved the hospital socks, he had to document.

Had to capture this amazingness.

Stacy brought Blaire to us that night and oh was she so excited. It was such a sweet moment. She came up on the bed and just kept saying baby! With a big smile on her face. I cry every time I think about it even though I didn't cry when it happened haha. I just love my kids! :) 

First family photo! :) 

Ryan was able to take Blaire and just sleep at home since it was 1 minute away and I was completely fine by myself. We both were so tired and needed some sleep. My family wanted to take Blaire since they hardly get to see her so they took her for the day. She had a blast! They went and played in Salt Lake while we had more visitors and just relaxed at the hospital. 

My dad and Blaire :) 

Grammy Pammy and BQ! :) 

Our last night I won't forget because I actually was lucky enough and had a friend from back home as my night nurse! :) Rian (Funk) Deleo one of the best surprises ever! :) It was nice having someone I knew there, made me more relaxed to go home the next morning. I didn't have to stay the whole 48 hours but I guess but it was nice with all our visitors and very worth it having Rian there that last night. She is a great nurse and everyone should be lucky and thankful to have her! She was as great help to me more than she knows! 

We just wanted to say how thankful we are for all the family and friends that were able to come by at the hospital and after we came home. We felt so loved and glad you shared that love with us for little Brooks with support, hugs, and kisses, and gifts, and everything! 

Grandma Nae (Ry's mom) :)

My dad with Brooks :) 

My family, who lives in Washington, with the babe :) 

Grammy Pammy loves her Brooks :)

My sister Chloe :)

The AMAZING aunt Stacy and Chels! :) 

Cousin Ellie and Brooks! 

Ryans sister Karly :)

Karly's husband Wade :) 

Ryan's dad, Gary :) 

MaMaa Lori! :) 

Cousin Ivy! (Karly and Wades litte babe) 

My mom and her BF Mike came to see the babe
and make us a yummy dinner! :)  

Aunt Katee and Uncle Mike! :) 

My mom came back and stayed with me for
a couple of days to help out. Here she is with
the handsome lil' guy. 

My close friends Kenzie and Jessie came to visit us! :) With their
beyond adorable kiddos. 

My grandparents wanted to come see my cousin Hilary's new
baby Trey and Brooks! 

Thank you all again! Brooks is very blessed to have you all in his life! :)

Our kids seriously are the most precious things in this life. Heavenly Father is so gracious in letting us have such a great responsibility and I am so thankful to have the gift to do so. Recently, Ryan and I have heard so many stories of heartache with the loss of a friend, tragic accidents, and sweet little babes with illnesses, etc. We have much to be grateful for. Our life is truly a happy one and to know amongst heartache we have the plan of happiness to hold onto is a needed hope Ryan and I always cherish. Hope that there is a Christ and that He lives today is a great motivation to always want to follow Him no matter what we have to face each morning. We don't know how so many overcome what they do but what great examples they are to us. Thank you for your testimonies and strength in Christ, it doesn't go unnoticed. 

We are so thankful for you Brooks! There is so much love for you here! We can't wait to see what you do in this world. WE LOVE YOU! :) 

THE END. 

it's getting hot in here...

I can't say anything before I give a HUGE thank you to Ryan's dad and stepmom Lori! 

They let us borrow their AC window units and life is much more cool. 

{see what I did there?}

Ryan and I have never lived on a top floor before. Our apartments have always been fairly cool and comfortable. Love life at Murray Place but not so much in the summer! It can get up to 95 degrees in our little humble abode; also my pregnant body no likey. 

Again, thanks to the parentals, it stays in the 70's which is perfect. 

I LOVE COLD AIR AND I DON'T CARE WHO KNOWS IT.

Now on to more summer adventures

{Adventures 1-5 can be found here}: 

Adventure #6

{Hogle Zoo}

..................................................

Ryan's stepmom Lori and stepsister Brookell were around the area and asked Blaire and I if we wanted to go to the Hogle Zoo. Of course we said yes. Besides the fact Blaire hates loathes DESPISES her stroller, it was great! 

She was adorable. She wouldn't stop jabbering, laughing, pointing, or smiling at everything she saw! We think her favorite was the monkeys and the polar bear because of how much she screamed with excitement. It was very entertaining and perfect. 

It was pretty roasty outside so we had her play in this splash pad place at the zoo. I think we were quite jealous she got to do that haha. 

Lori is so giving and great! Blaire loved being around her and Brookell. We are so thankful for how kind her family has been and welcoming to all of us crazy kids. WE LOVE YOU GUYS! :) 

Adventure #7

{Ryan's Birfday}

..................................................

In past posts, I have talked about Ryan having an off the wall work schedule. Because of this he took a 4 day break this week. We weren't complaining! :) It just so happened this time fell during his birthday...smart move @ryben3 

His birthday started out with homemade breakfast burritos. HOWEVER, I was bummed because we didn't have any more strawberries for strawberry waffles {Ry's favorite}. Thankfully, he loves Mexican food so it worked out great.  

We then got ready for the day awaiting the time for our one-hour relaxation massage. 

IT WAS HEAVENLY {understatement}. 

We couldn't do them at the same time so Ryan went first and then I got mine. Both of us had never been graced with one before, they will probably be a more regular thing in our life. When Ryan came out he had this "massage drunk" look on his face, haha he was loving life. 

Right after my massage we went to drop off Blaire at my cousin Aaron and Caitlins house. They were very generous to watch Blaire for us because they gave us a one-night stay at a hotel in downtown Salt Lake. I had been watching their kids for sometime and they kept offering to do this for us. We didn't think we deserved it by any means but they kept pushing for us to use it. So thank you Caitlin and Aaron! :) VERY much appreciated. 

By that time we were hungry for dinner and the birthday boy chose none other than SUSHI. We ate at Simply Sushi, which was litereally 10 seconds away from our hotel haha. Worked out perfect. I am personally not a fan of sushi and just order the breaded vegtables everytime. I do however like watching what people get, there are cool names and crazy colored foods haha. Ryan had 4 rolls and loved everybite. Oh, our server's name was Nemo. He was pretty legit. 

After dinner, we took the trax to temple square and walked around. We also found the family history center in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and Ryan learned some knew things about the program! It was fun. It also was a goregous and beautiful day. And a perfect day because the time we got to spend talking and reminicising. You don't get that time very often alone when kids come into the picture. They do make life better of course but it is nice to have time together.

It was getting late so we ended the day relaxing at the hotel. We even got the hot tub to ourselves!

I am very thankful for Ryan and all he does for our family, he deserved a good day :) 

Adventure #8

{America's Birfday}

..................................................

America day started outside our apartment watching the parade. Yeah, we lasted 30 minutes. The child wouldn't sit still for too long and anyways it was almost 90 degrees by 9:30. But hey, we did get some salt water taffy's. 

 I usually go with my mom's family to party all day. So this year we of course we had the fam BBQ, and end the night going to Stadium of Fire. This year Carrie Underwood came. No I am not a fan of country, but she does a good job singing. And I do admit I sang along with the songs that I knew {Jesus Take the Wheel, All-American Girl, and the beloved Before He Cheats!}. 

Oh and she has a rockin bod! 

Before Carrie and the BIG firework show, they have little things here and there for entertainment. They always have the american flag come into the staidum by skydivers! It is pretty neat :) And Studio C came from BYU. It was alright, just more corny than funny with their skits and stuff. People are really obsessed with it though. A little side theme was superheroes so they had Batman, Superman, and some other superhero greats, do a jumping acrobatic trick show. It was fun to watch. The only thing I think we wish we could change was the traffic. It takes a way long time to get out of parking, very annoying haha but you know you have to deal with it. 

It was great to celebrate America's birthday! I love the reminder of the freedoms we do have, the history of it all. Just feels good to have pride on this day. #murica
(everyone loved saying this for some reason haha did u notice? Didn't know we turned to hicks)

Adventure #9
{I Hate Goodbyes}
..................................................

Ryan's bro Glen got into medical school up in Yakima, Washington! So we had a surprise get together to say goodbye and hang out before they left us for awhile. We spent the day going to lunch, talking, relaxing, just normal stuff. It was harder than I thought to be honest to send them off. I didn't think I would cry, it wasn't because I was preggers either. Just the idea that they are farther away and we won't get to see little Olive and them as much is very bittersweet. Happy for them, but selfishly want them to stay close! :) WE WILL MISS YOU GUYS!!! :) LOVE YOU!

Adventure #10
{July 24th}
..................................................

Utah loves this holiday and for a good reason! In Idaho I just remember going to a simple field of wards/stakes that had booths and food. In Utah, people get the day off, everyone has parades, its a huge party all over! I went to the Mapleton parade with the babe and my moms family. My uncle built a WWII authentic jeep and he was in the parade. He does all those Saints and Soldiers movies, he loves the war stuff. So it is always fun seeing someone you know in a parade makes it more exciting! Blaire was actually pretty good at this parade, MAINLY because I had my aunt Stacy literally chasing her around the whole afternoon at the park and all the festivities. I don't know how I could have done it without my family. Being pregnant you can't run around as much haha. I was so thankful!! Blaire kept running away from Stacy though saying no over and over again because she of course wanted to venture on her own. Typical but I love that little personality of hers :)

It was a good first official Utah Pioneer Day for me and I loved it! Hot, but fun to be with loved ones.

Adventure #11

{Graduate School}

..................................................

Well, this adventure has been a challenge. Ryan worked really hard in trying to get in his top choice schools, unfortunately to simply put it he didn't get in after taking part in the whole process even after the interview. It was hard because he did all he could and felt discouraged, defeated, etc. I don't like seeing him like that. HOWEVER, I have never seen him more encouraged to try again. He took a week to think about his next step in achieving this goal and found a solution. He talked with the University of Phoenix and went through their submission process for an MBA with an emphasis in Marketing and he GOT IN! :) No, it isn't the way he thought he would be getting his MBA, but he didn't want to put off another year of time wasted when he could have been in school. 

I totally supported his decision and couldn't be more proud of him. It was a struggle for him at first but he realized that his goals are possible and everything does happen for a reason. 

Faith definitely played a role in this process, as well as prayer and support from many family members. It was a neat perspective because we had that support but the end result didn't rule in our favor. Sometimes it is easy to think "oh we are doing everything right...etc...so it will all work out a this or that way." This experience was a good reminder that the Lord truly is always there for us and knows what is best at the time even though we can't see the whole picture.

 It is a great comfort to know that we have the Savior to lean on if we allow ourselves to do so, why wouldn't we want to have that type of perspective in our life. FAITH is very very key in this life. And I have learned that more being married to Ryan and the experiences we have shared. 

SO...September 30th is the first day of school for the hubs. :) He will take one class for 6 weeks, and move on to the next for a year and a half and then finish out that second year working on his emphasis. He will work full-time while going, but work is very lenient and support him going to school 100%. I am thankful that I will be able to still stay home with Blaire and the future babe still. Seriously, Ryan is my hero haha as corny as that sounds. No,  life isn't perfect we are poor, we want things we don't need, we need things we can't get, but I wouldn't change it for anything. Love you sweetie! :) 

Thanks for bearing with me with all these words, I can't get my pictures to load so this post may have been a lot to take in! :) If you read the whole thing, thank you. If you didn't, understandable because I don't know if I would have haha.

Until next time!

Much Love,

JPB

Baby Update:

August is going to be amazing because a babe is on the way very soon! I am due the 5th which has already passed, haha it is the 7th today. I was expecting this to happen so I was already prepared for it. I haven't had contractions, or other signs he is coming. Besides the fact I have to pee a lot more and kicks me in my crotch constantly. Silly kid. But I am hoping by Sunday I will start progressing more. I haven't these past two weeks. Still at a 2, same effaced percentage. So we will see. Our life will be changing in a great way though I KNOW FOR SURE the 14th of August! That day I will be induced. On the 11th I go in for a stress test to see if the baby is still functioning okay, if not I will be induced that day. The reason for the 14th is because Tuesday and Wednesday is full of women already taking up time to be induced. There is a lot more people in Utah than Rexburg, Idaho. Especially at IHC haha. But SERIOUSLY WE can't wait!!! :) 

As for cravings: mainly ice cream, Neapolitan which is strange haha but I love it maybe too much. Also, re-watching The Office for the 4th or 5th time in my life. Seriously the greatest.
Domestically: went crazy with the nesting. Cleaned out my whole house it feels great haha. And I sewed a car seat cover that I love. I did one for Blaire so I figured I shouldn't use the girly one for the baby boy.
Names: No idea. Sad, but true. You will all know his name right when we do! :)