Part Three: J.J.
Prepare yourself for a much less theological blog this time, because choosing to call our baby boy J.J. had no super-deep meaning. Jackson was the first name we decided on for our little boy. We liked it as a middle name, but were struggling with choosing a first name that we liked. So we started tossing out different initials to try to find a nickname that would guide us to a first name. Here are a few notables:
O.J. – OK, seriously, who would name their kid O.J. these days? It would have been particularly bizarre if our son had been born on his due date (6/17), the anniversary of when O.J. Simpson fled from the police in his white Bronco.
A.J. was a second-place winner to J.J. We were bandying about Andrew Jackson Wood, which we thought sounded epically Southern (even presidential?), not to mention my brother Jonathan’s middle name is Andrew. But if A.J. didn’t stick, we didn’t really like the nicknames Andy or Drew for our little one. So we decided to start exploring J.J.
When we first brought up J.J. as a nickname, my first thought was J.J. from Good Times. Meg was not as versed on Good Times as I am, so she thought of J.J. Abrams. Why I didn’t think of Abrams first was surprising, because I’ve been a huge Abrams fanboy ever since watching his hit show, LOST. Meg’s one question for me when we were considering J.J.:
“If J.J. Abrams gets accused of ruining Star Wars: Episode VII, the way he has been accused of ruining the Star Trek franchise, will we be OK with our son potentially getting hassled?”
This, dear reader, is proof that my wife both understands and loves her geeky husband. Did you notice that our son has an Ewok for a teddy bear? Did you know that while J.J. was in utero, we watched all six Star Wars movies? Bottom line, our home is pro-Ewok, pro-Star Wars, and pro-Abrams. I don’t expect Episode VII to be as good as Episode IV, but it will be fun to watch with my little boy. Regardless, at the end of the day, I didn’t see any reason to discard the nickname. If my son has to stand up for J.J. Abrams’ vision for Star Wars, so be it.
In the end, we thought J.J. would be a really cute nickname for a child. Not to mention, the nickname could last as long as he was comfortable with it–even into adulthood. But if he decided to shed the nickname, we still love Josiah as a name and would be totally comfortable with that change. So don’t be surprised to hear us call him both J.J. and Josiah. Both have been happening frequently in the Wood home. Feel free to call him both, but I have a feeling at the end of the day, he’ll always be our little J.J.
Dynomite, indeed.
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