How To Name Your Child

Once you find out you're having a child, chances are one of the very first things you start to plan is your Name List. Some people have their bag of favorites or family names way before, some just know. If it's a girl, it's ___, if it's a boy, it's ___ .
And others have no clue.
I am not surprised that most of my friends seem to be in the decisive categories.
Names are important and a lot of the people I know pass on family names or have a small list of maybe 3-5 choices from the beginning and either choose to share or not.

We, however, are in the "have no clue" category, at least this time.

When we found out Harrison was a boy (quite early at 14 weeks), the Name Game began. The short version is this: Eric and I figured out what type of names sounded best with our last name and went from there. "Son" names worked, George Harrison is my favorite Beatle and Eric has Harrison's in his family tree. Done and done.

Telling people this decision was not as easy.

When you decide to tell people the name, you better be damn sure it is THE NAME. Your friends and family can smell weakness. If you are at all sway-able. they will know. And they WILL try to talk you out of it/share their not-so-approving view/give you constant alternatives.

I know this because I was once one of those friends.
(Sorry Skip.)

You absolutely cannot go in to the telling of the name with hesitation.
If you say anything resembling, "We are thinking ____." it is over.
You are basically shooting your name in the foot and you will watch it limp around until you put it out of it's misery with a new "better" name you choose later.

I remember being nervous to tell people that we had picked Harrison. While casually watching TV once when I was newly pregnant, I said out loud, "I think I like the name Harrison."
"Yuck! I don't."
Yep. Mistake.

So, when it was officially picked, I psyched myself up and made the call. We told our parents, best friends, then spread the news. We showed no sign of weakness or budging.
Everyone loved it.
Acceptable nicknames were discussed and the name was officially approved.

See the thing is, a name can mean a million things to a million people. You really can't love it or hate it for someone if it's not YOUR baby.
I know, I know, it's hard. I am guilty of it too. When a friend names a child something I would never think of, I try to have an open mind, but until you see that baby, it's hard.
Ultimately, I have never met a child or person I think has the wrong name.
Go ahead parents, pat yourselves on the backs.

So with Baby #2 on deck, we are at it again.
I did not take my own advice up until now and it's been fine. We've made lists, read thousands (Seriously. Thousands.) of names and bounced our choices off of friends, family, strangers on the street. All really because we don't know what we want. And that's a good way to weed out the extras if you need help.
One name I really thought I loved was proclaimed as the worst name ever this weekend (Thanks Lucy!) but it did make me really listen to Eric and decide to cut it loose.
I mean, if your own husband can't come around to it, you really can't force it, right?

The good news is, we now have 2 choices. Two wonderful names that we both love. Two amazing names for our future daughter that none of you people will know until it's picked, decided, written in stone and deemed the absolute perfect name for our perfect baby girl.

That way you can all have a little decency and just say "yuck" behind our backs.