It’s springtime, and our family tree is blooming!  My brother-in-law tied the knot last week, meaning that I now have a sister-in-law with the lovely name Solange.  (She’s pretty fabulous, too.)

On the other side of the Atlantic, Alexei’s godmother, Paulina, is now engaged to Bartholomew.  I haven’t met him yet, but I did learn that he has a niece named Ala.  (They’re in Poland, so name trends are more than a little different.)

Now, on to the news!

• I finally entered the Baby Name Wizard name pool, sliding in just under the deadline.  I’m not sure my picks were terribly inspired, but here they are:  for the three biggest gainers, I chose Emerson (f), Layton (m) and Adelyn (f).  My three biggest losers were Tanner (m), Ashley (f) and Scott (m).  And I guessed Bella as the tie-breaker at #132.  Laura Wattenberg revealed her picks here;
• Speaking of Ashley, one of Bravo’s Real Housewives of New Jersey, Jacqueline, is mom to teenaged Ashley and elementary-schooler CJ – and she’s got one more on the way.  I’m not expecting a particularly exciting name.  Compared to the New York wives, the kids’ names seem to be pretty ordinary;
• But on the extraordinary side, I just read a story about actress Sarah Clarke - she was on 24 early in the series – is mom to daughter Olwyn Harper.  I had a Great Aunt Olwen, so that caught my eye;
• The Toronto Star profiled parents who chose the name Sapphire Ann for their new baby girl.  She has big brothers Tyler and Chase.  I go back and forth on Sapphire – I love Ruby, but somehow Sapphire seems outlandish.  And the couple uses the nickname Fire which really puts it over the top.  Or not.  Because I do think lots of gemstone names should be valid choices;
• Brad Paisley and his wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, have welcomed a second son – but haven’t released his name!  Too bad, because William Huckleberry – nicknamed Huck - is one of my favorite boys’ combos of recent years;
• Singer Kelis (of Milkshake fame.  Sorry  if that’s now lodged in your brain) is expecting a baby boy with Nas.  The proud papa-to-be suggests that he might let the fans pick Junior’s name;
• I’ll admit I don’t recognize her name, but I like her naming style – Australian presenter Jessica Rowe and husband Peter Overton have welcomed a second daughter.  New baby Giselle Charlotte joins big sis Penelope Allegra;
• Lastly, two interesting spots at the Box Office – in the Zac Effron vehicle 17 Again, the school bully is named Stan.  The actor who plays Stan wears the much trendier appellation Hunter in real life, and most recently played Silas on Weeds.  Then there’s the animated Monsters vs. Aliens.  Reese Witherspoon gives voice to the animated heroine Susan.  Anyone think Susan could make a comeback, or is still all about Susannah? 

That’s all for this week.  Thanks for reading!