Frequently Asked Questions about Henry

FAQ about Henry

Where did the name come from?
Don't ask, because we don't really know. Henry's parents combed through hundreds of potential names and somehow found one that both of them liked.

What would you have called him if he were a girl?
India was the top choice. But Maya, Lulu and Lola were also in the running.

I thought his name was Fogbert. Why did you change his name?
Fogbert was always a nickname, or beta name, in geek-speak. We never intended to give that to him as his proper name.

Does Henry's name have any family connections?
As far as we know, there are no family connections for Hal's first two names (Henry and Xavier). But Murphy is Tara's last name. And Wolverton, of course, is Troy's last name.

What other names did you consider?
Well, Tara liked Zazu, for some reason. Troy really wanted to name him Emanuel (Manu for short), after the Spurs' Manu Ginobili and after his great uncle, Imanuel Lucchesi. But Tara wouldn't go for it. They both really liked the name Jasper, but decided against it, because they heard it was becoming very popular. Another favorite was Stetson, which Troy's cousin Shannon suggested.

So what will Henry's last name be? Murphy-Wolverton? "Murphy Wolverton?" "Wolverton?"
Harry's last name is Wolverton. We thought about going with Lowenstein, which is the last name of our cat Kayla, but thought better of it.

When was Tara's "official" due date?
April 7.

Wow, so he was early. I heard that's unusual for first babies.
Yup. But his due date was always suspect to us. And three weeks before his due date, he was already 7 lbs.

Besides, we think he chose a great day to come. Not only was it beautiful, sunny and warm on the day of his birth, but April 2 was the birthdate of his great-great-grandfather Joseph Reiner, from whom Troy got one of his 15 middle names. (Troy's full name is Troy Glenn Reiner Wolverton.)

How long did Tara's labor last?
Really, isn't that asking for too much information?

No, I really want to know, how long?
Tara started feeling contractions about 2:45 a.m. on Friday, April 2. Henry met his parents and the world about 17 hours, 40 minutes later.

Wow, that was a long labor. How did Tara do?
Tara was a trouper! She did great. And while the labor lasted that long overall, the pushing part lasted less than an hour.

What do the animals (Kayla, Haillee, Grace) think?
As Troy suspected, Kayla has really taken to old Hal. She loves to sit on Troy's or Tara's lap and cuddle up with Henry. And she's pretty much decided to make Henry's room her own. Grace and Haillee have been a bit more circumspect, but they seem to tolerate him well. Of course none of the pets particularly like Harry's screams, but they'll adjust. We've all more or less gotten used to Haillee's barks, Kayla's mews and Grace's claws.

How soon after he was born did Harry go home?
Henry went home on Sunday, April 4.

How much sleep have you gotten since then?
Umm. An hour? Two? Who knows at this point?

How many diapers is Henry going through each day?
Interesting question. We haven't kept track yet. But including the mess-ups by Mom and Dad (like when he soils a second diaper immediately after changing his first one), it's probably north of 10 a day.

Plastic or paper?
Plastic. Can you imagine keeping that many cloth diapers around? My god, we're already going through enough laundry!

Aren't you concerned about the environment?
Definitely. But the kid's gotta whiz and poop. And cloth diapers aren't exactly eco-friendly either, with all the water needed to clean them.

What brand of diaper are you using?
Well, we started out with Huggies. We've moved on to the Target brand. The Huggies were not great. Hal's pee and poop inevitably soaked through them and got on his clothes, no matter how quickly we changed him afterward. Thank goodness we stocked up on box after box of Huggies brand diapers before he was born!

Any other new-parent frustrations?
Yeah. Why is it so hard to find long-sleeve T-shirts for newborns. Onesies (bodysuits) are a dime a dozen. But T-shirts are nearly impossible to find. Which is really funny, considering newborns probably shouldn't wear onesies because the outfits can irritate their belly buttons, which are still trying to lose the umbilical cord. Ugh.