Parental name disorder.

And you are a turd for posting this one.

She looks mesmerized by her hands and the camera.

Perhaps he now wants a divorce and then what will become of poor Marlo and co? :)

Oh, man, that was cruel! I predict a rash of babymaking tonight all over The Online! LOL!

What a sweetie!

Absolutely adorable!!! :-)

Oh!!! She is gorgeous!!! .You two make beautiful babies! .Heather I just have to say you look movie star serene in the other pics you posted.I looked like I'd been dragged through a bush backwards a few days after my daughter was born!
Congratulations Jon ,Heather & Leta;):).
ox

OH MY GOSH she is gorgeous and perfect and her wee hands sort of moving about are killer ... what else was the point of the video? I can't see anything but her beauty ...

Ohhh she's so delicious! I want to nibble and nuzzle on her. I love how everything seems in slow motion :) Good stuff, woman, thanks for sharing!

aww such a sweetie. I miss those quiet days and having an itty bitty baby. My daughter is 7-1/2 months and is already screaming and trying to get up and run. Congrats to you guys! Babies are such a blessing.

Precious! How is big sister enjoying little Lo?

You are all precious.

I wish I could see this video - stupid firewall at work prevents it. I will certainly be watching this later!

Oh my gosh, I miss those newborn days! She is beautiful! And yes, I call my daughters by each other's names often! Don't sweat it Jon! I want to see video of Leta and Marlo together!

By the way, her name does kick ass! :)

Oh my gosh - she's precious! I love her gentle little movements. She's perfect!

haha! So precious. Welcome to the wonderful world of names. My mom can't keep me and my sister straight to save her life. And my grandma goes through all of her large family before she lands on the right name.

Aw I think the mix-up is cute. Thank you for posting this when I sure as hell know you're bleary-eyed! She is so friggin gorgeous!!! She really looks a lot like Leta here, too.

Awwwww, how sweet!! She is very peaceful.

Aw, I had to watch without sound, and it just looked so precious. She looked sleepy and tiny.

haha, so preciously adorable. :) I love the mix up and you're matter of fact tone of "It's Marlo". :)

So so precious. I love the pure wonderment on her face!

And don't worry - my mom calls my sister by the dog's name, and vice versa, ALL THE TIME.

The first of many.

My husband says his name was Jesus Christ for a while since his mom would go through all 6 of his siblings and finally give up and yell, "Jesus Christ, you know I'm talking to you!"

I so wish I had videos of my kids this small...

Marlo will be using this in her teen years as proof that Dad most certainly DID like Leta best!!

You Armstrongs sure do make some beautiful babies!

Hello! First time commenting, I have been reading you for about 4 years! Just to say congrats, all the best xx

She is just perfect! I love her already......and I don't even know her.......
Congrats!

love it. and love the tanning bed shots. one of the photos I have up is my littlest one on his bed, with his goggles on, just chillin'

She is adorable. Congratulations !

My first baby had to have a "billiblanket" also for a bit of jaundice. I remember seeing the glowing bassinet in the middle of the night.

Oh wow! Look at the Marlo! So cute...

Oh well; my parents STILL have to go through the all of the kids' and pets' names to get to mine, and unfortunately I have 3 siblings and my parents have 5 pets. And I'm the second to the oldest. And an adult. Ah, families.

Marlo is a dollbaby.

She's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. And you know I mean it, we've never met, only people who know you would bother to blow that kind of smoke up your ass. For truly: most beautiful baby ever.

Oh my goodness, she is adorable. I love her hands.

She is so sweet.. How is Leta liking her new little sister?

She is such a sweet, quiet little girl. Wonder how long that will last, reckon? :o)

Wow, what an incredibly beautiful baby. It's hard to believe she's only days old!

Re: The other picture/post - Please have pity on us poor concerned Interneters, and briefly Twitter what your doctors told you about eye patches with bili lights? I mean, I'd like to give the Drs. the benefit of the doubt here considering they've been to med school, but ...

My heartfelt Congrats!!! I know you will be the parents that will love patiently, be there for her fully, and understand profoundly who she is and what she needs! Love from a reader in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Congratulations! She is beautiful...None of that ugly baby syndrome. And tell Jon not to worry - my sister just had her second child too and her hubs was circling 3 different names for a while...

Ok, thats it. I want one! She is absolutely perfect.

Wow. She is just perfect and beautiful. PERFECT.

Congratulations to you, Heather, Jon and Leta. Welcome to the world, beautiful, perfect Marlo!

What a gorgeous child she is... so sweet... thanks for sharing her with us...

Love the newborn grunts and gurgles.

I guarantee she will at one point or another get called Coco or Chuck as well. and Leta should probably get used to being called Marlo at some point. I think it's one of those things that goes with having more than one kid.

I think Bill Cosby made a lot of people laugh when he capitalized on the 'running down the list of names' thing

Cute! All of it! I'm the oldest, so maybe I don't mind so much, but still: cute!

Just having a father PRESENT to call you the wrong name is a blessing.

Like that's the last time it will happen.

She's gorgeous. Love the co-sleeper -- both of my babies used it.

Adorable tiny slow-mo baby! So cute.

Awww, she's so precious!

And I know it's very early to tell, but her mouth does appear to be similar to Leta's (at least in this video)

You are weepy? Hahaha! I hope you don't have PPD and end up in the looney bin again. Newborn babies are so ugly and disgusting. I can't wait for her to turn out to be a neurotic ugly like your sorry excuse for a first child. Why is your nose so busted looking?

oh my. She is an angel.

makes me year for a bitty baby again!

congrats!!

hee hee. that is too cute. my husband calls me by our dog's name constantly : /

oh. and looks like someone is in need of a little attention ( #94, Veronica)

What a douche bag.

Marlo is perfection.

She is lovely. Congrats to your family.

My mom still calls me our damn dead dogs name from when I was a kid, when she gets flustered. She is just the sweetest little thing by the way!

Hey - my daughters are 27 and 24, and to this day I put their names together when I'm trying to call one or the other. K-Marnie, Mar-Katie. I have no idea why, except that parenting kills brain cells.

I am the youngest of four and my mother will go down the list until she gets to my name. It's normal lol.

Congratulations on your gorgeous new addition.

Aw, not to worry Jon. I spent most of my childhood being called, "Shar...Dee...Kar...Er...Kirsten! Kirsten!"

My younger sister just got used to being called "Ma-Suzanne!" when we were growing up. And even now, at 27 years old, I still sometimes get "Su-Maggie!".

She's precious, congratulations! :)

ha! when we were dating i asked my husband what nicknames his parents had for him. his reply? "mostly john or dan," the names of his brothers!

I was called Tiffy constantly by my father (the dog).
And for the record, I'm not scarred for life or anything. But I do still remember.

She's so sweet. Looks like you've got a billiblanket there in the background. My girl was jaundice, too and it's the worst feeling to have to drag them to get their blood tested all the time and have all of their newborn photos with the bluegreen glow of that dang light. I hope it clears up soon so you can get down to some serious cuddling.

Ummm...cute! Too stinkin' cute. I just want to wrap her up and take her to go...of course my bambino might get jealous so maybe not. ;o) Again, congratulations. She is absolultely magnificent.

"94. Veronica said:

You are weepy? Hahaha! I hope you don't have PPD and end up in the looney bin again. Newborn babies are so ugly and disgusting. I can't wait for her to turn out to be a neurotic ugly like your sorry excuse for a first child. Why is your nose so busted looking?"

Eat shit and die, you jealous bitch.

Good for you, Dooce. take care of yourself. I hope you're feeling okay and the next few weeks are easy for you and yours!

I see the glow of the biliblanket in the background here and just wanted to say that I know how you feel! Both of my girls were jaundiced and the biliblanket is not nearly as cozy and sweet as it sounds. It's a torture device for any new mom, and I feel for you. Those trips for bloodwork are brutal, too. I hope Marlo's bilirubin levels go down quickly so that you can snuggle to your heart's content.

Congratulations--Marlo is beautiful! Best of luck with everything!

I second Rachel's comment (#30) as my uterus is also jumping in response to that absolutely adorable video....It's more like cartwheels actually.

My husband did that SO much with number 2. She is beautiful.
Many congrats!

So very cute! She's beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
And you're not alone. I called my son by the name of my girlfriend's son for the first few months.
Oh, and Jon, if it makes you feel better, my husband announced that my daughter was a boy first. The cord was between her legs when the surgeons held her up and it went a little like this,
Dad:It's a boy!!!
Surgeon:Um... Dad? Look again
Dad: It's a girl!!!
Yup, almost 5 years later and it still cracks me up!
Congrats again

congrats, glad it's all good. but aren't you forgetting to mention how skinny you are?

That cracked me up! I'm still laughing.

Yet also a bit weepy 'cause I want one.

Congrats everyone!

At least he got one whole name out of his mouth, instead of horribly mangling them both. My daughter's name is Iris and my dog's name is Ida. I call them both Ira on a pretty regular basis.

Her name was not-Maria, not not-leta!

What a beauty!

As much as I wanna applaud #122, I really think it's best to ignore those negative assholes.

Let's put our attention back on the little beauty named Marlo Iris. And at least Jon didn't call her That Girl. Heh.

So, that's what 4 days old baby looks like. So cute.

For most of my life I have been "Whit-na-Manda."
My sister is Whitney, I am Amanda.
It's a thing. She'll get over it.

In Therapy. ;)

She's even more beautiful with video...those fingers are working overtime! Don't worry too much about the jaundice. Back in the dark ages when my kids were born (1999 and 2001), we didn't have access to a Biliblanket and both of them recovered from their mild jaundice very nicely with good old-fashioned sunlight. The worst part was having their heels pricked for the blood test each day. This too shall pass. Enjoy your precious baby!

My boys are 25, 24 and 21. They're still .... YOU, the young one ... because I go through all three names trying to remember which one I'm calling. I'm grateful if an animal's name doesn't get mixed in. Ah, but we love them so. She looks so totally enraptured with what he's doing. Don't you just want to LICK HER FACE? Ok, that's just me.

oh my God, the Hell - you are amazing!! How do you do it? Give birth and instantly get back online for all us crazies to 'see'!
Thanks :)

Congratulations, she is beautiful. Our first was put in the hospital in the "light box" for jaundice and I thought I would die. Our second got to bring home the biliblanket. So much better without the nurses always watching you to make sure you don't "mess with the babies treatment".

In blog form, you are a great mom - aren't we all?! Keep up the good work, both girls are lovely.

My mom would make it through about 3 or our 5 names before finally yelling, "Dammit you know your name. Come here!"

That girl is going to be a concert pianist with those LONG fingers. She's ADORABLE!

and let's all give Jon some slack. At least he got a female in the family...

Our fourth (last) baby is a month and a day older than your gorgeous Marlo. He will be lucky if he can even discern his name from everything we call him. He's 5 weeks old, and I honestly can barely remember his name. He gets called his brothers' names, his sister's name, the name of the cat, even the two dogs we had until we moved 8 months ago. When I want to be really specific, I call him "the baby."

You know, I told myself two kids was my limit. Now, I'm not so sure. She is so sweet, it really makes me miss those first days at home with them. Good luck, she is beautiful.

Congratulations!

I used to chuckle when my grandma ran through the names, and now I do it. Lu, Moj, Cait...Isabella (finally the right one...hehe)!

Mojo and Caitlyn are our cats so Coco might eventually make it into the mix.

Perfection!! (silently thrilled that she's finally in the world so that mucous plugs and their posts are a thing of the past).

Congrats to the whole family!!

She is so precious.. my oldest, Isabelle weighed 7 lb 15 oz and had to have the glowworm blanket... in fact 3 of the 4 did and we called them all our little glowworms.. anyway, the more you nurse her the more she will poop out the bili stuff, nurse and poop nurse and poop!!!! thats her job!! (and sleep) Also sitting in the sun by a window indoors, or outdoors in the shade (indirect sun) helps too.

Oh she looks wise. Like a little buddha.

awe!!! She is so adorable! Marlo is an awesome name too!
Don't feel bad, my husband called me our Labradors name a couple of times, Gee, my name is Garth now. LOL

I had SWORN never to have children, but your little Marlo is so breathtakingly beautiful that she FORCES me to reconsider.

These little moments are so magical, no matter what name they go by!

Dang it! Why did we have that vasectomy! Truly a beautiful blessing from God.

She's amazing Heather. Thanks for sharing such intimate moments with us.

Heather she is gorgeous!!! :)

You just made my uterus ache. My kids are now 4 and 6-years old and oh how I miss that newborn stage. Marlo is beautiful and perfect. Oh, and I confuse my kids names, too, and they are a boy and a girl!

Is it my imagination or does that child have incredibly long fingers? Piano lessons!

Why does this make my womb itch? Geesh, my baby turned one today, this isn't helping!

She's absolutely stunning, congratulations to all of you!

She is beautiful!!! Congratulations:)

Thank you so much for sharing. Some of my favorite baby vids of my kids is moment like this when they were so tiny and they didn't quite figure out what was going on. I got a little teary eyed (still am as I type).

My husband and I constantly use the wrong names with our kids. Especially when #2 came home and we had only had one name to use 4 years prior :)

I *love* the very quick "I knew that!" Classic. :D At first I couldn't hear what he said and was just content to comment on the cute little "ah" noise she makes at the beginning of the video. Man, babies are cute. :)

Why is she so pretty?? Why is she not all squishy like a newborn? You must share your L&D story so that we can know how you accomplished this.

Awwwwwwwwww. She just ate, didn't she? I remember that contended, wide awake time after their bellies are filled!

So key-ute. Congratulations.

Oh, and the name thing, look forward to that for the rest of your life!!! I have three and rarely EVER get it right the first, or even second, try. And yes, sometimes I call them by the dog's name!

She's beautiful.

What a beauty, and such long fingers. When my dad called us, he'd go through all of my siblings names and the dogs' names before he got to mine. I now find myself doing the same thing.

Ha! My dad STILL calls me Heidi sometimes (my ten years older than me half sister).

Classic name confusion! It only gets worse the older they are and more frustrated you get with them! =o) LETA, MARLO, WHATEVER YOUR NAME IS?!?!? Get in here, who did this! LOL

don't worry about the jaundice, that's common with kids who are sushi eating meth addicts... it should wear off after a bit

just make sure she gets plenty of starches to aid her little system in soaking up the whiskey transferred through your boobs

; P

Don't worry, Jon. My dad still does that to me and my sister and we're 27 and 25;)
Sorry you can't snuggle, Heather. But Marlo looks happy, so there's something to hold you over:)

You guys did so good! She is breathtaking.

Marlo is beautiful! Congrats! I am amazed at how alert she is at four days old.

Oh goodness! If I didn't already have baby fever! Beautiful!

And I love the glow worm light. My daughter was jaundiced when she was born and I was hoping she would get a little glow worm blanket to take home like I had seen on the baby story shows. Unfortunately, we live in Southern California, and thus there is plenty of sunlight year round so I guess they don't use them here.

OMG I am currently 41 weeks preggo and seeing this makes me want my baby EVEN MORE. Congrats mama!! She's BEAUTIFUL.

Beautiful. Just a gorgeous lil glow worm!

My baby brother (he's 23, but still my baby bro, damnit!) is named Noah. I'm Noelle. Parents always, always, always said... "Nooooooooooaaaaa..." Not helpful. Both of our ears would tick in the direction of the voice to hear WHICH of us they were calling.

Oh, I love those little baby movements and the tiny little sounds and the moments of quiet when you can just hold them and take in the wonder of it all. Congratulations again! And mixing up the names will happen A LOT! And yes, he will call her Coco yet. :)

CONGRATS!! She's fabulous.

BTW, both my kids had jaundice (I was totally wigged out with the first one, and so laid back about it with the second), so if Marlo (love the name!) is going to be on lights much longer, if I may suggest, you might want to look into the service where a nurse comes to your house and does the blood draw daily, instead of having to pack it up and go to the doc/hospital to have it done every day.

Watching this, all of my internal walls are momentarily shattered. I'm not particularly religious, but gazing at this video is like stepping into one of those magnificent ancient European churches whose every pore breathes reverence. (Despite, you know, the actual human history of such churches.)

Marlo's two tiny fingers tapped to her chin while her other hand rests in Jon's gives me pause, makes me feel good about the world again. Makes me think, if there's a purpose at all for being here and being good, a new born baby is it.

Beyond the impossibly perfect hands, her dewy enlightened eyes breathe in the sights and sounds: her self new outside the womb, you, the air, the blurriness beyond. Smells must be profound too. And the quiet. And Coco's bark. Heh.

More like this, please. There can't be enough more.

Don't sweat the mix-up. I have ONE kid and ONE dog and I mix up the names all the time. My excuse is that I'm really-really old, like, 45. And both of them like to cuddle.

She's beautiful, it made me cry. But I'm hormonal and due to deliver my first baby (a girl!) in three weeks.

Oh the joys of parenthood! I'm surprised my brain hasn't slid out of my ears by now! Marlo is just lovely and this video is hilarious and sweet!

She is so alert and beautiful. I love her long fingers, congratulations. Somehow the 2nd is less stressful I think. You will know that "this too shall pass" in a way you didn't with the first. At least it worked that way for me. And I didn't have post partum depression with my 2nd, which was another way it was easier. I wish you all the best.

Paige

Get used to being called Leta, Marlo! I've spent my entire life being called every name in the book...just comes with the territory of being the youngest!

Also? Uh, cute. Very.

How funny! When I saw the heading I knew what was coming. My husband never screwed up the names, but he would always refer to our daughter as "he" in the middle of the night and vice versa with our son. I never did understand that. Just another reason I'm glad I'm not a man.

Don't you think Leta and Marlo look so much alike? I was just looking at this one of Leta....

http://dooce.com/archives/daily/02_17_2004.html

Congratulations!

I've even called my kids by the dogs name! Hey.... it happens!

I am watching this video and vicariously enjoying the beauty of this peaceful, quiet moment broken only by little gurgles, grunts and the occasional misnomer. Right now, my house is filled with a gaggle of 7 year old girls giggling, screaming, asking for snacks, for me to adjust their tiaras, tie the bow on the back of the Southern Belle dress nonna sent, playing Miley Cyrus at level 11, and bickering over what to do next. MOOD: Envious. Okay, a little cranky too.

I hope he never makes a mistake like that when he's making love to you.

My ovaries were bashing me over the head until Jon called her Leta. Laughing snapped me out of my giddy, baby-desiring stupor.
She really is beautiful.

I just had my second daughter a few weeks ago. I do this all day, every day.

And I just have to share my word verification prompt, because it is a classic:

and/or humping

so beautiful - what a peaceful moment!

love how he asks you if it is fcousing and if it is "sharp" - and it isn't :-)

I think many of us grew up being referred to as "whatever-ur-name-is." I still answer to "Debbiedougiedarren." What a lovely middle-of-the-night moment. By the way, good job, Heather, on pushing the little sweetie out without smushing her head into a phallic symbol. She's got a sweet, beautiful little head, which means Mama did much hard work.

Ah the name mix-up begins. My mom still goes through my 3 siblings before she gets to my mom. Sometimes she doesn't even bother and just screams "HEY YOU, KID! GET OVER HERE!"

By the way, Marlo is beautiful.

Fun! Mine is 18 years old now. We had a good friend who had a baby "Ashley" 4 months before our daughter was born. I kept calling my daughter Ashley for the longest time! What fun!

Thanks for bringing back a great memory of my dad yelling "RoseLoreneElizabethPaulJason I mean Becca!" Jason was the dog. Your Marlo is lovely, and she looks so calm and wise. Thanks for sharing your life with us. I mean, I know this website is your bread and butter, but still, "you give too much". Now try to get some sleep already!

The pink eye kindly given to me by my kids prevents me from reading all the other entries (in which others may have given this advice), but I want to say that Marlo's bili will be fine. Nurse. A. Lot. The more they eat, the faster it goes away.
My darling son who is a red head looked bizarre with his yellow skin and flaming hair. Glow worm, indeed.

Yellow or not, she's a beauty and I am so happy for you all.

Welcome little Marlo girl. The world is a lot cuter now that you are here.

Lizzy.

Too funny. She should just get used to it - my mom still can't get our (mine and my sisters') names right. At least Leta and Marlo start with different letters.
She is totally adorable!!

I found the Billi lights soothing - but by the time he had to be under them we had spent a week in the NICU so perhaps it was just the release of finally knowing he was getting better.

The nurses called his billi blanket a wallaby - not sure if taht's the company that makes them or just another name. DS had so many sticks in his foot he looked like a voodoo doll by the time we got him home.

Congrats on such a healthy happy little girl!

Hello beautiful baby! I think my heart just melted. Congrats to your beautiful family!

Very cute. She does look like a glow worm!

I am trying to leave a kicky little comment - but I am practically speechless. Marlo is so tiny, and her slow hand movements are like watching stars. She is absolutely breathtaking.

You've gone and made the Internet proud, Armstrongs!

Congrats Heather, she's beautiful. Doesn't help that her parents and sister are good looking too! :)

Stop it!!! You're making me want another one. Love her name, guys. You have done SO good :) *teary*

And Jon may still call her Coco yet. Or Chuck, for that matter. Our daughter was more commonly called Jazz or Pepper than her own name in her first few months....

We keep calling Jason, our 3 week old, by his 1 year old cousin's name, Ryan. Which is what we might have named him if my sister hadn't picked the name first!

Oh well, at least we haven't called him Emily yet. That's his big sister's name!

Marlo is lovely! Congrats again. :-)

She's beautiful!

I think that happens often when your second child is the same gender as the first. We have two boys, one two years and one four months. My poor husband still calls the little one his brother's name from time to time. I probably stopped after the first month, but I did it several times in the hospital. ;)

My BIL did that same thing when his daughter was born. Our oldest niece is named Ashley Marie. HIS daughter (who is 14 years younger than Ashley) is named Haley Marie. He was taking a video of her and said, "And there's our Ashley Marie, born on December 20." Close, but uh... Anyway, MARLO is beautiful (as is Leta).

Just discovered the full screen option. Oh my God.

I wouldn't get any sleep either for the wonder of it all.

Is this kid a beauty or what?

On another note: my ovaries need Advil cuz they're aching something terrible.

Marlo Iris: I can haz broke the will of ur ovaries?

YES.

I'm dying to know...is she more calm than Leta? Less screaming, more sleeping?

Dear Dooce. She is so beautiful. And so calm and peaceful and alert.

And dont' worry about the parental name disorder, my mum has it too... !

Congratulations dears!

Love the video....especially at the end where Jon is trying to say (I think) 'I did that on purpose...' LOL!

She is totally and wholly precious and beautiful. Job well done.

OMG, look what you guys made!!! I have three kids and sometimes forget just how magical it all is.

She's just perfect.

After watching this video I would get pregnant in a minute. Marlo is so amazed and amazing. She is beautiful, just like Leta. She looks pretty cute as a glow worm, too.

As for the names, my mom definitely calls us by each others name and has forever.

What a lovely laugh out loud moment. Welcome to having two kids - I get names wrong so often my 5 year old mocks my mistakes with "I know mom or whatever your name is." Marlo is amazing. XO

He'll get the last laugh. You'll be doing this in no time. My girls just know to answer to whatever name I'm calling them as I look at them. And yeah, I've been known to call one of them "Trixie" on more than one occasion. Trixie, of course, is the dog.

She's beautiful. Congrats again.

She's thinking Blogspot!

I can see it!

My Mommy is so Cool dot Blogspot dot com.

Can she type yet?

She's already so present. Amazing.

My son is 21 and I still get him and whoever the current dog is mixed up. Though, for some reason, I've NEVER called him by one of the cat's names!