Baby Names

Often considered to be one of the most important steps in preparing for a new child, child naming can be a difficult task.

My husband and I began discussing baby names long ago. If your like me, you have theoretically thought of the name of that "someday" baby for a long time. A friend recently reminded me that, back in high school, I had the name Aphrodite all picked out for that little girl I was sure I would have one day (I was really into Greek mythology). Someone along the way did the inevitable- listed all the ways the name could be made fun of. I realized that complex and unique may not be the way to go. While you want something memorable for your child, you don't want to give them that crazy name that will get them pushed down on the playground (not to offend anyone with the name Aphrodite- I like that name, but I think you'll agree it's a risky move).

The other issue with baby naming is that name suggestions often remind us of someone we once knew with the same name. For example, after teaching kindergarten, there are a few little boy names that are just plain off-limits. My husband is particularly difficult to work with in this area. We really struggled to find one that didn't conjure negative images for him. Some were just downright ridiculous, others I could somewhat understand.  After much discussion, including the suggestion (by my husband, of course) of, First name: Chuck, Middle name: Norris, we finally have two names chosen. While these names may conjure a playground bully from your past, that promiscuous cheerleader you just couldn't stand from your high school days, or a dorky scientist kid on a popular animated TV show... for us, they are just right.

And what are these perfect-for-us names? If it is a boy, his name will be Dexter (Dex will be his nickname). If it's a girl, her name will be Zoey (Zoe for short). Now we just have to wait until late July to find out which name we get to use!