In Search of a Name

Picking a name is proving to be one of the harder decisions we have on our plate right now. I know it is a shocker that I don't have names picked out after all of this time. Yeah, I had names picked out once upon a time, but those were names for a different time and I've changed so the names don't work anymore.

As a school teacher, there are a some things that I am sure of when it comes to names for my child. First, there are certain names that are just off the list. Jordan, for example, is just not a name that I'm going to be using for a child of mine because of some negative experiences. Not that all Jordans are like the ones that I know, but because of my experiences, that name is not available for my child. Remember I've been teaching for almost 20 years, which means I have a sizable list of names that just won't work for me. Second, I do not want to give my child a name that is always going to make the teachers' eyes bug out when they see it. Teachers know what I'm talking about...that name that you have no idea how to pronounce and are at a loss as where to start. I can't think of any examples off the top of my head, but I would recognize them if I see them. Third, I don't want to give my child a name that is always going to be mispronounced or a common name that is spelled in an unusual way. For example, Dante, which I assumed was pronounced Don-tay, being pronounced Deon-tay. I understand that names can be spelled or pronounced any way that you want, but I'm not choosing that for my child. Fourth, I don't want to give my child a name that is going to get them teased. I know kids can make fun of any name, but some names make that easier than others and sometimes it's the combination of two names.

So with all of that in mind, we are searching for a name...well, actually two names because we don't know if our baby is a boy or a girl. We think we might have a name for a boy, but we are at a loss for a name for a girl. I'm searching the baby names books to see what I can find. I have determined that we don't want an A name, because then our child's first and last initial will be AA, which is just asking for trouble. It's a small step, but it is a step in the right direction! :)

While we are struggling to figure out a name, we have now started messing with each other. We are throwing out names that we know we won't use. Vince has suggested LeBron Jordan - to guarantee that our child will be successful in basketball. His other suggestion is Kal-El, which, for those of you who don't know, is Superman's real name. I have suggested LaJennifer - just because it made me laugh. Today I suggested Corvette, because I know he likes that car. We really aren't making any progress, but we are laughing a lot!

Wish us luck!