Joaquin Rafael Eyzaguirre Sherwood

There is so much I want to write about. But I am enjoying living in the real world and less on the world wide web so I won't write as much as I could, yet.

Yesterday Daniel, Joaquin and I went down to Vital Statistics in Berkeley. Joaquin Rafael now officially exists! We filed the copious paperwork to get his official birth certificate. He was 14 days old. It took me a week to name him. I loved all three of our top choices. (See blog post What's in a name?.)

We like the name Joaquin. I like the soft sounds of it. Daniel likes that it is two simple syllables. My whole life I have introduced myself with the distinctive name Claudia Eyzaguirre. (say Cloud- dee-a Aze-a-gear-ray) I can't imagine going through life without a name the tells a story, hints at your ethnic background and adds mystic to your persona. So I hope the Joaquin prescribes that for my little boy.

Joaquin also comes from an Oakland redwood-filled park named Joaquin Miller. Joaquin Miller was a very cool California figure. He was a writer, an outdoorsman, a poet and an enlightened rapscallion. Read about Joaquin Miller on Wikipedia. In the park Joaquin Miller, I have spent many hours mountain biking and hiking.

So that's his name. Funny how few people commented on our name finalists when I posted them on this blog in August. Yet there were lots of opinions as I checked the name with family and friends last week. Aside from 'how do you spell that?', most people liked the name. I like what my friend Melissa said 'I think Joaquin is a sexy name'.

He has both our last names. Although his last last name is Sherwood and in the good ol' US of A, your last last name is your last name. If we were in a Spanish-speaking country his last name would be Sherwood Eyzaguirre. Daniel and I both want the baby to have our last name. But in the week of total bliss and magnanimity that followed the birth of my baby boy, I conceded this position of honor to Daniel.