Posted: 05 Mar 2010 01:49 AM PST

Still doubt that sweet little promo that goes, "On The Office, it's always been Jim and Pam?" After "The Delivery" we reckon the objections ought to be more hushed.

Don't forget to catch: Should John Krasinski be Captain America?

Of course, it's not always about Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) on The Office. On this two-part offering, for instance, the second half clearly paled in comparison with the first, when the whole Dunder Mifflin gang was onboard. Sure, Jim and Pam grabbing the wrong baby was hilarious, but other than that, the two's charms only work amidst a backdrop of crazy Office scenarios.

On "The Delivery" Pam had been pregnant for around ten months, and that baby really needed to get out. To make the most out of their insurance, the two wanted to wait it out until midnight before they go to the hospital. Never mind that the interval between Pam's contractions were down to two minutes. Dutifully, the Scranton people did their best to distract Pam. The task included poetry reading (by a very preppy Ryan), doing the evolution of dance (despite a torn scrotum), and suggestions to stick spicy food up Pam's butt.

But alas, you can only do much. And in the pandemonium that ensued shortly after Pam's water bag broke, they finally got her to the hospital. Pam revealed, rather surprisingly, that the stalling for her wasn't just for the insurance, but because she was very, very scared.

We also learned that it was a girl - Cecilia Marie Halpert - and after a very long labor, it was finally done, and the next thing to concern themselves with was getting the baby to latch. Along the way, they mistakenly grabbed the wrong baby (they were sharing rooms) and Jim had to deal with a male lactation consultant (is there really such a thing?).

Elsewhere, Dwight and Angela (Angela Kinsey) signed a parenting contract because, apparently, Dwight can hear the biological clock ticking as evidenced by waking up cradling a gourd - happens to everybody, we're sure. Just to give you an idea of how crazy things are, the first item on the contract reads:

"Child will be breastfed by the mother for exactly six months, then on to a nutrient-rich vegetable mash, provided by the father Dwight Schrute hereafter referred to as Morpheus."

We'd like to get our hands on that parenting contract, and will pick Dwight and Angela Plus Baby over Jon and Kate Plus Eight any day.

And at last, Andy (Ed Helms), after giving Jim and Pam some advice on baby names on account of he's a "former baby," finally asks Erin (Ellie Kemper) out. The storyline was cruel to Kevin, however, and that seemed a trifle unnecessary. And how did it happen that we haven't seen a single second breakfast / lunch / second lunch / first dinner from Kevin and Pam if they've been doing it the past months or so?

Some Office fans are smelling series finale after watching "The Delivery." Valid points. Is there anything left to explore now that Jim and Pam have a baby, Andy and Erin will start their cute little relationship, Meredith is fine with channeling Clooney, and Dwight and Angela just inked a parenting contract?

(Image courtesy of NBC)

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Eric Dane & Rebecca Gayheart Welcome First Child - Access Hollywood

Posted: 04 Mar 2010 07:55 PM PST

LOS ANGELES, Calif. --

Eric Dane has become a McDaddy.

The "Grey's Anatomy" star and wife Rebecca Gayheart welcomed their first child – a daughter — on Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.

"Mother, father and daughter are doing great," Nanci Ryder, a spokeswoman for the actors, told the AP.

No further details were immediately available about the couple's bundle of joy.

When Access caught up with the couple in February, they had yet to decide on a name for their new addition.

"We have a couple of names," Rebecca told Access at the "Valentine's Day" premiere in LA.

However, Eric added that they'd get more creative with their next child.

"We've got a short list… I just wanted to keep it straight, down the middle," he said. "I think for the second one we'll get into more of the creative names."

Copyright 2010 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Baby Names - The Perpetual Post

Posted: 04 Mar 2010 09:13 PM PST

MOLLY SCHOEMANN: I figured it might be useful during this discussion to have a look at some of the most popular Baby Names of 2009. It is fascinating to see the naming trends being created and followed by new parents.

Popular Baby Names of 2009:

Tyler
A minimalist, utilitarian name for either a boy or a girl, this modern moniker calls to mind the sexy bad boy Tyler Durden from the seminal film masterpiece 'Fight Club'. Spelling variations include Tiler, Tielr, Ytileur & Tielyr.

:)
Edgier parents are beginning to embrace the idea of naming their children using emoticons. This kind of baby name is not for the faint of heart, but it is actually less of a burden than it might seem; since people tend to communicate more frequently by texting, emailing and otherwise typing to each other than by actually speaking to each other, introducing yourself by this name is fairly easy. It is also quite easy to spell. Variations on this name include :D and :> .

Sexy
Why wait until your little girl is all grown up for her to realize that she is beautiful and hot? Children need to learn how to have self-esteem, with a name like Sexy, their confidence in themselves is built right in! Parents also enjoy the fact that their child's name will already be embroidered in rhinestones on numerous items of clothing and track suits. Alternate spellings include Sexxy, Sexi, Sexxxy and Sessi.

Connecticut
This name brings to mind a very specific time and place, but mostly a place. It's experienced a renaissance in the last few months, ever since the state unveiled a brand new motto: "Connecticut: Name Your Baby after it and Win a $50 Target Gift Card". Nicknames include Connie and CT.

Sassafrass
This name's popularity can be traced back to a Facebook Group called "Wouldn't it be Awesome to Name Your Baby Sassafrass?" which was begun in late 2008. A related Facebook group is expected to form in around 2020 entitled "Sassafrasses United in the Fight to be Legally Emancipated from Their Parents".

Snuggie
The origins of this name are mysterious, but it is believed to be of Dutch ancestry from the root word 'snoogi' which means "to keep the hands free".

AKIE BERMISS: In the Bermiss family we have no illusions about having popular names. My parents, black radicals in the 70s who decided settling down and raising a family would be the most radical move, acted out their revolutionary fantasies by giving us all African and Arabic first names. And, while I go by "Akie" most of the time, my full name is actually: 'Aamir Lee Bermiss. And, of course, my first and last names are not pronounce AT ALL like how they are spelled. Needless to say I spent quite a few years trying to correct teachers and administrators over and over again before I came upon the provenance of a simple, yet still peculiar, nickname in "Akie."

And its been smooth sailing ever since.

I'm not sure how most parents or families decide on what to name new children. Of course if you check out the Social Security Administration's Baby Name Registry, you'll probably notice a few trends. Looks like the Bible never gets old for many Americans, happy to see that Noah and Sarah and Michael and Hannah still have strong showings. There are some names that seem to have particular cultural origins: Alexander, Sophia, Katherine, and Jose. Makayla — don't ask me where it comes from, or why its so popular…). And then you've got your sort of inexplicable winners. I'm not sure why Abigail is still such a top-seller, or why Aiden and Angel haven't puttered out at this point. The trouble with babies is they're cute. And a cute baby usually is going to inspire a cute name. Of course, these are first names. And while first names are sometimes the BIG decision when it comes to names, I've found that the real juice is in middle names.

My middle name, for example, is my Grandfather's middle name: Lee. Where it comes from? I have no idea. My grandfather and his family were descended from slaves in South Carolina. There's probably an explanation for it there. My oldest brother's middle name is my father's first name. My sister's middle names are the first names of her great grandmothers. (My older brother got a wild awesome middle name that goes with his first name to translate into: Studious Warrior — so he gets to sit this one out.)

Middle names are like family favors. That's where the ancestors get their send-ups. Someone has a favorite uncle, dead or alive, and they have a boy: he's going to perpetual Uncle Sylvester's name — whether he likes it or not. In my parents case, they'd had three boys before my sister came along and I think they new she was going to be the last one — so they had to get all their girl names in with her.

Of course, its somewhat corny if you look at it cynically. Passing on names from down the generations. So that you get curious combinations like: 'Aamir Lee. That's a somewhat difficult juxtaposition to grasp intuitively. Nonetheless, it has been MY lot all my life. Probably, when I was born, it meant a great deal to him to have a namesake. As a young man, of course, I knew where it came from, but it had no significant importance to me. Now that he's passed away, though, I think the importance of the name has actually transfered to me. Now I understand the significance of such a gesture. Not only do we pay homage to our ancestors when we name them but, by remembering them, we remember ourselves. That, while the name might be 'Aamir (or Akie, if you please), I am not sprung fully realized from nothing into the Present. I am the result of generations of people. The most recent generation of a family of vast and, indeed, somewhat mysterious lineage. Someone like Madonna — who we know only as Madonna — seems like an entity without beginning or end. Where she comes from, where she will go, we will probably never know. But you see 'Aamir Lee Bermiss and you know: that kid is from somewhere. From someONE, even.

When Juliet asks the ether, "What's in a name?" and proceeds to argue that perhaps its has no significant impact on the things to which they are assigned, we know she is misleading herself. At the end of the play, both of those kids end up dead. And that's what's in a name. The power of life and death. Naming is a ritual that recognizes the miracle that is conscious existence. Sometimes it is a celebratory recognition, sometimes it carries the yoke of shame. Still your existence is marked by your name. You have life, you have lineage, you came from somewhere. If you should pass on your name, it will be known that those who come after — came after you.

And no matter how popular or unpopular your name maybe (at any given time and among any given peoples), your name is: your own.

Tags: Baby names, Connecticut, family, first names, last names, Lee, lineage, middle names, Romeo and Juliet, Snuggie, Tyler

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