Henry Keel Speert

Our sweet enormous hunk of a boy, Henry Keel Speert, was born yesterday weighing in at a gorgeous 9 pounds 11 ounces. 

He is named after some remarkable people in our lives and our hope is that this legacy will give him strength in life.  Kathleen's maternal grandfather was Henry and her mom, the last of four girls, was given the name of Henriette.  In high school she was actually called Hank by friends due to her tough tomboy nature.  She was an avid small boat sailor spending summers in the lakes of Iowa in her boat called 'Buoy Crazy'. His first name also comes from Jeff's paternal grandfather, Herman. Herman had an amazing sense of humor, was playful, generous and entrepreneurial. He was the grandparent Jeff spent the most time with and they had a very close and jovial relationship.

His middle name, Keel, is after our dear friend Keely who passed away this June.  The 'keel' is the underside part of a boat that traditionally was built first during construction. It provides the stabilization and strength that prevents capsizing. Jeff brought this to me and said 'isn't that just what Keely did for all of us'.  Her message to us all to be gentle, to be kind and to live life came from a glorious place of strength. She lived this message.

I hope our son is kind, gentle, strong and full of life.