What's in a name?

Arno is an unusual name in the USA but common in Central Europe. It is a short form of the old Germanic name Arnold. There have been a number of famous Arnos, including the powerful 8th Century bishop of Salzburg who helped to establish the Church in southern Germany and was a great scholar and patron of learning. In the 20th Century, there was also the prominent German author, Arno Schmidt, and the controversial sculptor Arno Breker. Arno Penzias won the Nobel prize for physics.

We liked this name for another reason: the Arno is the principal river of Tuscany and flows through the great medieval and Renaissance cities of Florence and Pisa. Just a year before Arno's birth, we spent time along that river and adore the history, art, and wine of that region of Italy.
Here are two photos of the Arno in Pisa and one in Florence.

Grandma Barbara and Grandpa Ed

Grandma Barbara is making her 4th visit to see Arno and Grandpa Ed is making his 2nd visit. Arno is very excited to see his grandparents tonight.

Bath time

Arno at almost 2 months

Arno is getting bigger every day and his behavior is becoming more complex. Now he knows how to smile and has become much more expressive. He is getting stronger too. Arno remains an 'active baby', quite alert, quite noisy and difficult to put to rest. But he is ever more charming too.

At home with friends

First Halloween!

Arno enjoyed his first Halloween. He got dressed up as a ghost and as a pea-pod, visited UW Sociology Department and went trick-or-treating with Mom, Alexes, Alana, Jody and Sophie. Grandma Barbara bought him his outfit during her last visit. Arno even dropped in on Dad.

Saint Arnoldus -- Patron Saint of Brewing

Arno is a variant of the name Arnold, which comes from an old Germanic word for a fierce eagle. In Belgium, St. Arnoldus is celebrated as the patron saint of beer and brewing. St. Arnold's day is still celebrated in that country where the brewer's art has reached its greatest perfection. What an honor for our son to share this noble name!

St. Arnold (or Arnulf) lived in present day Belgium in the 11th Century. As an abbot of a large monastery, Arnold did much to advance the brewing of beer and encouraged common folk to replace their unsound drinking water with wholesome beer. He is credited with encouraging the brewing of healthier beer and the cultivation of hops.

One might honor St. Arno(ld) with this prayer from the Latin rite:

"Bless, O Lord, this creature beer, that Thou hast been pleased to bring forth from the sweetness of the grain: that it might be a salutary remedy for the human race: and grant by the invocation of Thy holy name, that, whosoever drinks of it may obtain health of body and a sure safeguard for the soul. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. "

Gran and Grandad coming!

Arno and his parents are very excited that Clive and Judy will be coming next weekend. Arno is getting bigger every day and his behavior is becoming more complex. Now he knows how to smile and has become much more expressive. He is getting stronger too.

Arno remains an 'active baby', quite alert, quite noisy and difficult to put to rest. But he is ever more charming too.

Arno just 1 day old

Here we are at Swedish Ballard hospital in Seattle duringArno's first day. In addition to an exhausted Mom & Dad, Gran and Grandad were there to greet Arno.

Arno comes home

Grandma Barbara visiting

Grandma Barbara will be visiting next weekend. Karen and Steve are very happy about this and so is Arno, who gets a lot of attention and baby-love when his grandparents are here. We like it because everyone gets a little more rest and everyday life becomes a little easier. So everyone is awaiting this visit.

Sleeping better

Now in his beginning his sixth week, Arno is sleeping better. Mercifully, he will now sleep three or four hours at a stretch. It is still hard for him to fall asleep initially and he can be quite fussy about this, but he will now sleep on his own for a few hours between feedings. What a relief to Mom and Dad! He doesn't like to lay flat on his back at all and so he sits in his reclining chair while resting. Good work, Arno.

Arno's Birthday

Arno Edward Snedker Pfaff joined the world in September 2007. He was a big kid: 21.5 inches long and 9 lbs. and 5 oz. It was a long and hard labor lasting more than 24 hours. Karen and I took him home 2 days later.

Thanks to the help of our friends, Sam and Clarissa, we have created a baby-blog for Arno.