Naming Jacob Robert Zufelt

If you've been following our blog lately, you know that we've had a hard time picking a name for this cute baby boy. We had forced ourselves to whittle down the list of potential names to about four first names with no idea on middle names. Friday morning, the day of the delivery, we were down to Jacob, Joshua, Nicholas and Jeremy. I was pretty hooked on Jacob or Joshua. Brian was favoring Nicholas. The moment I saw the baby lifted out out of me, up over the sheet I knew I wanted it to be Jacob. I started crying and knew it was the right name. Brian looked so proud. I didn't dare tell him what I wanted because I felt like I sort of got "my turn" to name Maddie by choosing Madison Mae after my Grandma Ellen Mae. I didn't want to have him feel he didn't get a say in the matter so I didn't say anything yet. In the recovery room we started talking about names again, but I didn't say much yet. Finally, the next day I fessed up how badly I wanted Jacob. Brian was totally happy about the name Jacob and I was relieved. So after Jacob was more than a day old, we finally had a first name. Now for a middle name. Every time Brian came to visit me in the hospital, we would talk about a middle name. We couldn't figure out what we wanted and had no good ideas. On Sunday, three days after he was born, Brian brought the kids to visit, then took them home to go to bed. Grandma stayed with the kids and Brian came back to the hospital to relax and visit me and baby Jacob _____ Zufelt. When he returned, he told me that our neighbor Claudia had told him today that we should name him with my maiden name as his middle name, Robinson. Neither of us really liked that idea, but it got Brian thinking in a different way. Family names. He suggested Robert instead of Robinson. Robert is probably the best uncle in the history of the world. I was instantly excited. It was almost midnight when we decided it was the perfect name. Jacob Robert Zufelt. It may have been midnight on the east coast, but Uncle Rob lives in California, three hours later, so we looked up his number and called him. We got his voicemail and left a message asking if he would mind us naming our baby after him and told him how much he has meant to our family over the years. Monday morning we got a call back from Uncle Rob. We called the birth certificate office of the hospital and made all the formal arrangements. Brian signed the forms and we checked out of the hospital, happy to have found the perfect name. I think the fact that Brian originally mentioned naming our son after Rob speaks volumes about Rob's character. Usually, people want to name their children after their own blood relatives, not their spouses family. I have always loved Rob. He's always been my favorite uncle. He was everyone's favorite uncle. He is one of the most kind and giving people I know. He would bend over backwards to help any and everyone. He welcomed my family into his home and watched Ben for us so we could go out. He has come to my home and played with my children on the floor. We miss our visits with Rob now that work has taken him to the West Coast. San Francisco is a long, long way from Washington, DC. We hope some day to be closer together so that our kids can get to know their Uncle Rob again as more than just a picture on our kitchen wall. He is such a great role model of how to treat others and make them feel valued. I love that I can talk to Rob about all sorts of things for hours and hours. We share many of the same feelings about life. It is good to be able to know that someone in the family actually enjoys experiencing the adventures of life outside of Utah. So many of my cousins and grandparents pressure us to move home every time we visit. They can't seem to recognize our happiness in the life we have built for ourselves. Of course we miss family, but we have created a good life in another place. Our experiences here hold value to us they don't seem to see. Rob understands exactly how I feel. Mostly Rob has chosen to take a real interest in my life. He makes me feel like a million bucks. Hhe never misses calling on my birthday or sending a card. It is good to be genuinely loved and not judged. He makes me and my family feel so valued by the care he takes to keep up with us. We love Rob and are glad to have Jacob Robert Zufelt share his name. We hope that he can live up to the measure and example of kindness and compassion Uncle Rob has shown us in his life.