The Name Game

I am one of those girls who has had my ten hypothetical sons and ten hypothetical daughters named since I was eight years old. And as my mother said would inevitably happen, the list has evolved quite a bit. I can hardly remember half of the names I was so in love with ten years ago. New ones have taken over - though I certainly don't have twenty hypothetical children named anymore.

Daniel knew about these lists, and fell prey to my wonderings long before conception was even possible (we were still dating, I mean). So, when we did find out that this little one would be joining our family, he almost immediately put the name game to an end.

"I am not talking about baby names until a month before the baby arrives!" He declared.

Well that would not do, I told him. We needed at least 6 weeks to discuss names and let them grow on us. So he "compromised," and said we would discuss our baby's name sometime in "late January."

**rolls eyes**

I kept talking about names, and asking for his input, and he stubbornly held to his resolution most of the time. It's true, there were times when I would ask about a certain name and he would give a yea or nay. However, the majority of the time he said, "We can discuss that in late January."

Can you imagine my frustration!? :-D I had had my fake children named since I was eight year old, and now I was actually having a baby, and I couldn't even talk about what to name it with its father!?! :-P

So, I insisted on a date. Late January in my mind was January 21st. In his mind, it was January 31st. So again we compromised and the magic day became January 25th.

Which is today.

**shouts and jumps for joy**

So, I am pleased to announce that the official baby naming game has begun in our home (and via text message). We have several favorites for both a little boy and a little girl, but middle names are not coming as easily.

We would like names that go well with our English last name, and Irish ancestry. I am mostly German, so a name with German roots could be an option, too. Daniel has some Scots blood in him, too, but not enough to sway us too much towards those names, unless it was something very special.

We also have a one syllable last name. This has proved to be the hardest obstacle for us! We love short names! But some just don't ring right. (Imagine Belle Wells. :-P)

Being typical Americans we also don't want a name in the top ten list. If a name isn't on the top 100, I get excited. Some of my favorites still are though, and that's ok. :)

We would also like our baby's name to have some significance - whether he or she is named after a person special to us, a historical hero or the name itself has a meaning that we can draw from. I've always appreciated the thought that we are naming our children for eternity. Daniel is not quite so sentimental about it, but I think he mostly agrees.

Lastly, we just want to love our baby's name! :) We'll be saying, whispering, cooing, introducing, shouting, groaning and repeating it for the rest of our lives. It better be good, right?

It's becoming increasingly popular not to share baby names with friends, and even family. I won't say that we're doing that... but I won't be blogging our names, or the name until Birth Day. If you ask me privately on a good day I may tell you... but honestly, since we really aren't sure yet what we love best, I find telling people our ideas too definite. Just because I mention a name doesn't mean that's what our baby will be called, but nevertheless it circulates through the crowds somehow. ;)

I've also experienced with several of my siblings and my little niece, that sometimes a baby is born and he or she just doesn't look like the name her parents had picked for her. My little sister was supposed to be something very different from Aliza Rose, and we had never even heard of the name Nevin until Dad called home from the hospital and said that the baby boy wasn't going to be Neil, but Nevin like Kevin, but with an N. Nevin most certainly wasn't a Neil.

All that said, Baby's name really won't be chosen until Birth Day anyway...

Ha! TMI Ashlee, TMI, right? ;)

But I am SO EXCITED to be talking about baby names finally!!!