on Leif's name

I think all new parents must have moments of sudden realization that there is actually this new amazing little person here. A soul, a presence who will push all your buttons and bring out of you a dimension that has until now been asleep. In addition to getting to know this little one who himself is coming into sharper focus each day, I am slowly getting to know his name. I am not sure anymore how he even got the name Leif but I like it. I really like it. I think this has to do with the fact that it had no significance to Rachel or me before Leif got here. We had a list of names, maybe twenty or so, that we love, and we thought one of those would stand out once we got to see who came out. But it didn't happen that way. Days went by and we couldn't give him any of those names. My friend David asked if I was waiting for an epiphany. I said I probably was. It never came though. It wasn't until a week later that Rachel and I came across the name Leif. We had been looking through lists of names compiled from the US Census over the last hundred years, columns and columns of names. Then we saw this little name, four letters, starts with L (so too Luna), one syllable. It is both masculine (think viking) and feminine-sounding (think elf). It means 'heir' or 'loved-one'. That fits. I like this name. Rachel said she had always liked it, had even thought of it once, and so we thought, Wow, ok.
Now he is Leif. We have chosen the pronunciation "leaf" but "lafe" also works. One of our friends told us she had a friend who started out the same and changed the pronunciation to "lafe" when he came of age. At first Rachel and I kept calling our son, whom we had just named Leif, "Finn" or "Teague" or "Life". It was a little embarrasing that it took a while for his name to gain strength. Somehow this was ok, though, and we stuck with it. Leif was gaining strength too. In two days he will be six weeks old. This time has gone by quickly, it has also been an eterninty. Rachel is referring to it as his fourth trimester and I think that is apt.
Now, about the name Snowcloud. This usually draws blank looks from people, and at least one friend said we shouldn't go with such a hippy-dippy name. But Snowcloud is a beautiful middle name for this boy. In the morning, when Leif is wide awake and looking around with his startlingly big blue eyes, he makes a face that reveals his serious nature. Yes, Leif is a serious boy, and sensitive too. His brow furrows just a little and he is just watching. When I look at him I wonder what he is thinking, what is awakening in his mind. That's when I think of Snowcloud. It is a metaphor for the incipience of his consciousness. And just think how beautiful it was when it began to snow right after he was born, a rare event around here.