Cool way to look at baby names

This website has a tool called the "Name Voyager" which displays the number of babies named a particular name over time stacked with similar names so you can see both the raw numbers of people with those names and the popularity trend. It's probably the coolest naming tool I've seen yet. You can easily see if a name is gaining or losing popularity.
One thing I've noticed is that the trend toward unique and different names is increasing, so the raw numbers and percentages of traditional names have plummeted. Sarema was way ahead of her time.
...and the popularity of Robert is falling like a homesick anvil.

Second Round of Name Polling

First Poll Results
Originally uploaded by Rob Wooldridge.

After 31 votes (some of those were repeaters), it looks like Hailey was the front runner. We have refined our name choices and put up the second poll with some new names. See what you think by taking the new second-round survey on the right side.

Single-Digit Niblet (9 weeks left)

Our daughter is getting pretty big inside Sarema's tummy; she's 31 weeks along with only nine weeks left to go. The doc says Niblet is over 3 pounds and Sarema can tell you that Niblet is large enough to make her uncomfortable almost all the time. The cool thing, though, is that Sarema can feel when Niblet is turned this way or that and can feel the difference between a foot and an elbow jamming in her side. Last night I even got to watch Sarema's tummy bounce and move a little bit when Niblet was practicing her kickboxing.
Then, after we went to bed, Sarema whispered "Niblet has the hiccups. Wanna feel?"
I leaned over and put my hand on Sarema's tummy and felt the occasional twitch. Hunter had the hiccups a bunch when he was in the womb, too. It's neat to feel Niblet and I can't wait to meet her in person.
And yes, we need to settle on a girl's name. Niblet won't do much longer. We've just been too preoccupied with buying & selling homes and moving to really hash out what we're going to name her.

Back from Orlando

Spent this week in Orlando at a military Human Resources conference. I was there to learn new stuff and to make a presentation on some of the web applications we've developed in California. No tornadoes, but it did rain quite a bit.
I was able to snag an early flight home and make it back in time to see Hunter before he went to bed last night. Sarema had been busy taking pictures off the wall and doing preliminary packing before the movers come on 12 March. At the rate Sarema is going, the movers are not going to need to pack anything; they'll just show up, throw all of her totes and boxes on the truck and drive off.

Gold Wings

Wings_N_Things.JPG
Originally uploaded by plummetskydiving.

Last time I was up at the drop zone, Bob Kreiberg presented me with USPA Gold Wings for 1000 jumps and a badge for completing 12 hours of freefall. I actually went over a 1000 before I deployed in 2005, I just never got around for putting in for the wings until a couple months back.
The folks gathered around me in the picture are some of my friends from the DZ. Sarema couldn't got the DZ that weekend, so that's why she and Hunter are missing from the pic.

In escrow

We've opened escrow on the house I blogged about below. Now we're getting estimates from painters, tile floor installers, and movers. God willing and the river don't rise, we'll be in the new house around 12 March.
New floor, new paint, new furniture.
I owe, I owe, so off to work I go...