5th Generation

We found out over Christmas that this baby will be the very first fifth generation child with our last name. Not just in our family line, but ever in time. When Nick's great grandfather came over from Czechoslovakia they changed his last name on Ellis Island. I have a theory that either the guy checking people in off the boat had a terrible hang over, or he just had a mean streak in him because the name he gave was not exactly normal. The first three letters are C-P-R. Yes, no vowels. So it is pretty clear that this name was given out only once, and that was to Nick's great grandfather.

I wasn't really planning to tell about the drunk who worked at Ellis Island, but whatever. What I was wanting to tell you was how excited I am to learn that this baby is the start of a new generation. Lots of the family find the constant spelling of our last name annoying. Maybe because they have had to do it since birth. I guess I can see where it could be annoying, but I actually love it. Maybe because I am new to the name, but I take a lot of pride in the fact that it is unusual. I now take even more pride in knowing that I am carrying the start of the new generation of this name. I really hope it is something we can teach the baby to take pride in as well. Both my side (which has been in America basically since the Mayflower) and Nick's have done a good job of keeping track of the family trees. I want to teach the baby where he or she comes from on both sides, but when that last name question "where is THAT from??" constantly comes up, I hope that he/she enjoys telling them of his family and how he/she is the very first fifth generation. Kinda cool, right?