Why Thriller?

Several people have asked us to explain why we decided to call the baby Thriller. Morgan and I decided early on that we did not want to know the sex of the baby, which eliminated the ability for early name use or he/she references. A pet name was in order so we could stop referring to "the baby" or "it" all of the time.

There are a few circumstances that brought us to Thriller, and combined that might make sense to other people.

(1) There was a long standing joke when we were wedding planning that the groom and his groomsmen would approach the wedding tree doing the Thriller dance. I did not think this joke was very funny, however, it has stayed in the back of my mind. This spring a viral video went into circulation (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0) showing a wedding party dancing down the aisle. The original link I received with this video had a message about not taking life way to seriously, and how beautiful an event can be in simple playfulness. As we learned that we were pregnant, that we were moving and that our life was changing very quickly the idea of not taking life to seriously stayed with me, and honestly kept my head up some of the time. As well as causing me to think back on "what if" Morgan and the groomsmen had approached our wedding tree doing the Thriller dance. It might have been pretty fantastic, but I wasn't even open to joking about it. No fun Tappan.

(2) Surprise Pregnancy! Hands down getting pregnant has been the best thing that ever happened to us and we couldn't be happier. We are Thrilled! But there have also been some scary moments along the way and I think there will continue to be - it is just part of it. Hopefully Thriller will have a sense of humor and understand the nickname.

(3) The death of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson: We are children of the 80s, and grew up on MJ - Thriller is arguably one of his greatest contributions to pop music and our childhood. Whenever Thriller comes on the radio or through the turntable you are certain to find us on the dance floor.

Somewhere in the mix of these three points it occurred to me that maybe we should call the baby "Thriller" rather than "it." I suggested the nickname to Morgan before we went to bed one night and by the next morning the name was in full effect. Friends and family either totally love it or give us a weird look. For all those who think its weird, you shouldn't take life so seriously!

Its playful, it fits and I have a feeling that it might stick in certain circles. I kind of hope it does as Morgan and I have totally bonded with our little Thriller.