HFH: A Name by Any Other Name

Oh, boy. I’m not feeling so hot.

Sitting together on the couch, before our last date was even over, I got the feeling that there was an extra set of electronic pulses beating around inside of me. I didn’t feel so hot.

The next morning, I felt a little better. I realized, too, that any discomfort I would have would be temporary.

And when I looked at this amazing man sitting next to me, and I thought about what we were getting ready to do, I knew that I would put up with discomfort and a heck of a lot more in order to bring this about. This would be worth almost anything.

Just think. A bunch of little elderberries running around the house.

“So,” Forrest said. “You dudes know the drill. ‘First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes nooboos in the nooboo carriage!’ I guess we better start thinking up names pretty soon, right?”

“Won’t be long, right you two? I mean you two were getting pretty busy when I walked in on you yesterday afternoon!”

“Well, there’s nothing definite yet,” I replied, “but I’ve got this feeling that we will be needing to choose a name. Like real soon.”

“Seriously? A name for a nooboo?”

“What about Huckleberry?” Alex suggested.

“Huckleberry Wolff? I like it!”

“Huck Wolff,” Forrest said. “Dude! That’s sounds so cool!”

“Huckleberry Tea,” Elder said. “I like it. And we can call her Berry, if she’s a girl.”

“Huck’s a good name for a girl, too,” I said. “Hey, I’m Huck! Outta my way!”

“I love the name Huck Wolff for a girl!”

We all laughed.

“The thing about ‘Huckleberry’ is that it sort of fits with the whole Wolff legacy theme,” I said. “Maybe Raisin will want it when she gets to the H’s. Huckleberries have flowers, right? Besides, there’s another name that keeps on popping into my head.”

“Oooh!” Forrest said. “Maybe it’s like the baby’s soul name, and it’s trying to communicate with you before it even gets here!”

I grabbed one of the veggie burgers Elder had grilled up. Man, I was just feeling starving all the time.

“You know, Soul Names are a real phenomenon! Little souls do sometimes communicate with the parents before they arrive!”

“That’s what it feels like,” I said. “But when I tell you what it is…” I just shook my head.

“What is it?” Everybody wanted to know.

“Freezer Bunny.”

Freezer Bunny?

Everybody laughed, including me.

“Wait!” Forrest said. “It could work! You could call him ‘Free’!”

“Yeah,” said Elder. “Free Tea. Then when we called him in for supper, we could stand out on the front porch and holler, ‘Free Tea!'”

“Free Tea! Over here!”

“That beats hollering, ‘Free Wolff'” Olivia ventured.

“There’s lots of other variations,” Alex said, “Zer. I like that. Zer Wolff.”

“Or Bunny!” said Forrest. “Bunny Tea. Oh, that doesn’t sound so good. Bunny Wolff?”

“How about ‘Ny. Knee Tea!”

Maybe we don’t even need a name, and I’m just hungry from all the excitement and queasy from whatever.

Well, we didn’t have to decide right away. I mean I still didn’t even know if we were going to have a baby sooner or later.

I ran into Emma at the museum later that afternoon.

“Freezer Bunny?” she said, and we both burst out laughing. Olivia had texted her.

“Are you kidding me?”

When I left the museum, I felt a pop, and then I knew for sure.

“Oh, plum.”

Yup. We’re gonna need to choose a name sooner, not later.

I told Elder as soon as I got home.

“It’s for real!”

I knew from reading all the legacy blogs that the nooboo-daddies often do a fake-out, pretending to be disappointed and then showing how happy they are, so I was prepared to see the first frown ever on Elder’s face.

But my sweetie didn’t even try to hide his joy from me. That’s my Elder!

“Aww! We’re gonna have a Freezer Bunny!”

Guh! When I see how happy he is, I don’t even know if I can stand it.

“I just think it’s gonna be the sweetest nooboo ever!”

I decided I’d tell everybody, first chance I got. Well, not like they wouldn’t know. This little guy inside me was pretty big already!

“Are you kidding me?”

Aya wasn’t too happy at first, but you know good, cheerful Sims. Always looking on the bright side!

“At least the kid will be forced to grow up strong! Any kid named Freezer Bunny is going to have to be strong to keep the bullies away!’

Tani took a moment to take it all in. “I guess the house is filling up again, huh?” she asked.

Tani wasn’t sure how to take the news.

I hadn’t thought of that. It will be filling up. And chances are, Elder and I aren’t going to want to stop at just one child.

Later that night, I found Tani dancing alone upstairs.

“Tani,” I said, “No matter how full the house gets, I promise you. There will always be room for you. As long as you want to stay here, this will be your home.”

Forrest, Alex, and Aya had all individually mentioned to me that they were each happy to move across the street with Emma and Gray, anytime our house started feeling too full. We all know what it’s meant to Tani to live here, and we’re all going to make sure that the only time she moves out is if it’s her choice, and she’s moving so she can be even happier.

And if that time never comes, then she’ll be Aunt Tani, the one who, by enjoying her own happiness, makes our home happy, too.