August 27, 2008 - Dear Alex,

Dear Alex,
You got your name today. Your mama and I were pretty sure we had your named picked out the day after you were born. However, we waited to be sure. Today we got perhaps the sign we needed. We gave you your name in front of friends and family and then we all did the Bernstein Traditional Dance around the dining room table.

We didn't expect to be one of those couples that takes our baby home from the hospital without a name. Perhaps we should be so surprised. We took three days to name your brother (and yes, I and my brothers did the silly dance around Max in the hospital when we named him). So taking four days with you wasn't too different.

Alex fit all the criteria we wanted in a name: short and easy to pronounce in several languages.

In addition to Alex, our short list of names included Leo, Luke, Adam, Noah and Paz (your mama's maiden name).

If you were a girl, your named would have been Luna. (I joked with your mama that if you were to be a girl I'd have a son and a moon. And if you were a boy you'd be the Second Son of a Second Son of a Second Son.)

The first sign that your name should be Alex came on Sunday -- the day after you were born. Your Aunt Vanessa Alexandra said "If you're looking for another named with an X you could use Alex." She didn't know Alex was on our short list and that we were planning on asking her permission if we chose that name. We almost took that as a sign and named you right then.

We were set to name you Monday morning before leaving the hospital until I remembered another name on our short list we forgot to rule out: Levi. Your grandma dressed your brother in jeans that morning and he demanded to skip school to be part of your homecoming. The jeans had a big "Levi" on the cuff. I thought that was the sign I was looking for. I wasn't convinced, so you left the hospital without a name.

You also were almost named Monday night. Your Aunt Vanessa Alexandra was over for dinner. It was just us and her. Your mama and I looked at each other because we knew this could be a perfect moment. However, we let the moment pass.

The final sign came on Wednesday. Your mama had her swearing in ceremony to become a U.S. Citizen. She was alone with you when a gentleman from India came up to look at you. "What's his name?" he asked. "Actually we haven't named him yet," your mama replied. "You snooze you loose," he said. "His name is Alejandro." Your mama was amazed. When she told me the story I must've scared the man as I asked him to come off the elevator so I could take his picture.

Later that night with your Grandma, Uncle Kenny, Aunt Norma, Cousins Brandon & Nicolas, friend Ramsey and, of course, Aunt Vanessa Alexandra you got your name and your dance.