u/OrchidOne4747

My due date is Dec 25. My company (small office, ~10 people) is closed Dec 21–Jan 1 for the holidays and reopens Jan 4. No one is working during this time.

I’m planning to take 16 weeks of leave (I’m eligible for up to 20 through my state’s PFML, so I have some cushion). My thought: if I give birth during the closure, it makes sense for my official leave to start Jan 4 when the office reopens, rather than “spending” leave days on a week nobody’s working anyway.

There’s no precedent at my company for this — I’d essentially be setting it. My boss will ultimately decide.

It feels odd to me to use a company holiday benefit — one that applies to literally everyone in the office — as part of my mat leave. But I also don’t have a great counterargument if my boss says “you asked for 16 weeks, why do you care when they fall?

Would love help thinking through how to actually message this to my boss, or hearing how others have navigated something similar.

My husband and I love the name Gilbert. To us, it sounds classic and familiar but not overly used. I also know Gilbert from Anne with an E and think he’s a great character!

My husband is Jewish and Gil means Joy in Hebrew, which is so fun. My family is Catholic, and Gilbert is technically a saints name, so it satisfies both sides. I know there’s been a “old-fashioned names” revival and I’m honestly always surprised I don’t see it on lists…feels right in line with Walter, Arthur, Gideon to me.

I also like the range of it. I imagine he’d mostly go by Gil, which I think sounds cool, but I like Gilly and Bertie for baby/younger nicknames.

My top fear is that some people think it’s a silly/ridiculous name, apparently? I’m potentially too deep into TikTok research and there are some videos that come up where people really make fun of it.

It doesn’t hit my ears as a funny name (I think it’s both humble and established) but I would hate to set our kid up for a tough road at school.

Thoughts? Curious if anyone knows Gilberts or Gils IRL who can provide insight. Or just impressions.