Our youngest, Liam, turns seven today. He is, more officially, known as William Henry Thompson IV, son of William Henry Thompson III, grandson of William Henry Thompson, Jr., great-grandson of William Henry Thompson.
When we had Phoebe, we were thrilled to name her after a bird we loved--one that nests right here on our farm. Three years later, here came a boy baby and we struggled with what to name him. A bird name? Martin? Jay? Raven? Dick-cissel? Pewee? Boy bird names are hard. If we'd had another daughter, she was going to be either Lark or Wren. Julie finally suggested William Henry Thompson IV.
I always thought I'd want to name a son after my dad and grandfather (whom neither my dad nor I got to know, he died when my dad was 2). But when it came right down to it, it did not really matter to me as much as choosing a name that fit the baby--a name we all liked. William IV seemed to work, but we really didn't need another Bill or Billy confusing things at family gatherings, so we chose to call our son Liam. Liam (not Billy) is the shortened version of William among the Irish. Liam seemed to fit.
We have called Liam "Popo" and Po, nicknames derived from mouth noises Julie made at Liam when he was a tiny squirmer. We also sometimes call him "Shoomie" for a sha-sha-sha-sha-shooooom sound Lima made as a slightly older baby, trying to talk. But now that he's a big boy, Liam is pretty much the name we all use. It's not a common name and gets mispronounced and spelled Lima sometimes. But it fits our boy.
So Happy Birthday to my sweet namesake, Liam, he of blonde hair, blue eyes, and a freckled nose--a combination you don't see everyday. But it's what you don't see that makes Liam such a wonderful child.
I love you, Po!
Daddy.
Sweet Liam on a long walk. He's humming in this picture.
Mr. Incredible is not impressed.
It might be tough to TELL your big sister that you think she is cool, but you can say it in another way if you create a work of art just for her.
Liam's Code: If you step on the Family Jewels while wrestling with your dad, write him a note of apology.
I was going along nicely smiling at the images until the end. I guffawed and cringed at the same time.
ReplyDeleteHe's a cool kid.
Phoebe is as well, I just relate to boys more as I have two of my own.
Wow, am I the only one who never put 2 + 2 together on Liam/William?
ReplyDeleteI almost choked as I was drinking water on that last image. Priceless. It's a perfect thing to pull out of an old box when he's courting a future wife.
This post is very special, indeed. How many Dads in this world would (or could) write such a heartfelt birthday wish for his son?
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday, Liam!
ReplyDeleteBill: Hope your nust are okay.
Happy Birthday Liam!
ReplyDeleteBill, thank you for explaining his name...it makes sense now, but I had no idea before!
Wow, thast last pic made me laugh out loud. Not a good thing when you're trying to discreetly look at blogs when your class is taking a test.
ReplyDeleteMy own son will be 7 in January. They are so amazing. And, thankfully, I don't have to buy a new computer as I didn't have a mouthful of coffee when I read the last note of apology!
ReplyDeleteFunny last image. And thanks to Google cache, it will live forever.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the laughing fit prompted by the last picture. That's priceless.
ReplyDeleteOuch!
ReplyDelete