Daddy may have lost rights to his hat

Exciting month of December!

Well, December is shaping up to be an exciting month for Porter.

This week his Grandma Chen and Auntie Jean are visiting.

Our handsome little boy is also learning how to smile.

Later on this month, Porter will get to see his Grandma and Grandpa Newman, along with his aunts, uncles, and cousins. Can't wait!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Porter is also 8 weeks old today - he's grown so much since week 6. Wonder what Aardvark is pointing out to him?

承恩

Porter finally has a middle name!

For those who cannot read the title (Daddy included), Porter's middle name is Cheng-En (承恩).

Now for pronunciation... The Pinyin spelling is Chéng-ēn however Chinese pronunciations don't necessary translate well to English, so this still may be difficult to get right. You could try google translate for an almost correct, but somewhat computer-y version here.

Another way to think of his name can be to break it down in parts:

1. The "Ch" is a little softer than in English. Move the tip of your tongue back just a little so that you're not quite making an "Sh".
2. The "éng" is an almost "ung", like in "lung" but the "g" sound is rather short.
3. The "ēn" is not with a "long-e", but with what is considered a flat "e", and is pronounced just as you would in the word "men".

If you'd like, we can make it even easier. For the western tongue, and to tribute a bit of his Irish heritage, we thought it would be good to also use the name Shannon as an alternative pronunciation.

Meanings:

• Cheng-En (承恩): Literally translates from Chinese as "being born with/inherit (承) grace/kindness(恩)". As a side note, Cheng-En is also the name of the Author of a famous book in Chinese Literature (See here)
• Shannon: Is Gaelic for "Wise River"...don't really know what that means, but we do like the name.

Porter at 6 weeks

Porter's hanging out with Aardvark.
(11/08/2012)

Visit from Grandma and Grandpa Chen

Porter had a great time this past week hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa Chen.

Thanks for visiting, Grandma and Grandpa Chen!

Porter's first Halloween: May the Force be with you...

Porter "decided" that he wanted to be Yoda this year. The Force is strong in this young one. Unfortunately, the excitement proved to be too much and he slept through most of the evening's festivities.