One of the most difficult things that you may do while you are pregnant is to decide on a name for your baby. Of course, the decision does not usually happen during one short conversation. Naming your baby may take weeks if not months of thinking, negotiating, and pondering.
Sometimes, a name might just come out during a conversation and either one or both of you will say, “That’s it! That’s the one.” That is what happened when my husband and I were naming our first son. I knew that I really wanted my father’s name (James) as the baby’s first or middle name because my dad is awesome, and he does not have any sons to carry his name forward. My husband was on board with that idea, as long as it would fit nicely with whatever the other name was that we chose. When he came up with Dylan for an idea for the baby’s first name, I was instantly in agreement, months before Dylan made his debut.
Often, a couple may have a difficult time finding a name for their baby until right before (or even after) the baby is born. It took us months and months of thinking and discussing the name for our second son before someone (my husband again) came up with the first name that we decided was right for baby. Blake’s first name was chosen a little while before he was born, but from what I can remember, we did not choose his middle name until a day or so before he was born. We were not expecting him until mid – April, but my due date had been calculated incorrectly and we found out that he would arrive about a month sooner than expected. Since he arrived so close to Saint Patrick’s Day, we chose Patrick for his middle name.
There are so many wonderful names to choose from, and you may wonder how some babies end up with names that are just plain awful. I don’t have an answer for that, but there are some things that you might want to avoid when you name your baby. A good rule of thumb is to remember that your baby’s name is for them, not for you. It’s great that you love that sports team, but your son may not end up being a fan even if he is named after them. Your daughter may be classy, but she may eventually dislike being named after your favorite brand. You get the picture.
Photo by taliesin on morguefile.com.