Thanks to all of you, Patrick and I had a multitude of suggestions available in our search for the perfect name for the new addition to our household.

There were a ton of great ones, though we had a tendency to dislike each other’s favorites, so that made things complicated. We most seriously considered Rufus, Reno (which we’d discussed on the drive home, too), and Porter, but in the end, my mother came up with the winner.

When we all showed up at my parents to do the initial introductions, my mother mentioned the photos I’d emailed her earlier in the week. “I was thinking he looked a lot like a Baxter,” she said almost immediately.

I looked at Patrick, Patrick looked at me, we both looked at the dog, and we knew it was going to work. To us, “Baxter” is clearly a dog name, which we wanted. It seems kinda smart but also a little goofy, too, which is perfect for him. And, amazingly, both Patrick and I like it. Plus, I think my mother secretly got a kick out of naming the “grand-dog.”

So Baxter it is.