What's in a Name - to Alliterate or Not?

At this point in the game, with under 5 months to go, one of the few things Lyndsey and I think we can wrap our heads around in preparation for the new arrival is what to call said child.

We find ourselves in a unique situation in that, depending on the gender of the "child-to-be-named-later," or more affectionately "CTBNL," we will only have to choose a girl's name. Should our first child be a masculine child, we have decided we will love him and pet him and name him George. As much of a narcissist as I can be, however, this is not about me. It is about those that came before me. I can think of no better people and influences in my life to honor than my father and his father. Hopefully just by sharing a name with these men, it will give him a head start in becoming just as great of a man as they are.

Should CTBNL be of a female persuasion, at this point, all bets are off. We have had countless conversations and debates trying to come up with a suitable name, and the one thing we agree on is that there is always some reason not to name CTBNL that name. Whether someone else has already used the name for their child, you used to know someone by that name, or it happens to be your least favorite Scooby-Doo character (as much as I wanted it, Velma Haight is just not in the cards).

Even if you can find a name with little or no baggage, it can't sound absurd in the context of a full name. While alliteration and syncopation may work in poetry and Elvis songs, it rarely works in a name. How could we look ourselves in the mirror trying to raise Heidi Hannah Haight (although now that I see it, that does have a pleasant ring to it).

It has become an almost-nightly ritual - the search for a unique, but not too unique, combination of names. Lyndsey or I will toss out a name in conversation with each other, and the other will promptly exercise veto power (usually me) for one of the aforementioned reasons. We have a few good ones on a list (back-off - it's encrypted) and we may be getting close.

There is a school of thought, however, that we should at least see CTBNL before saddling her with a name she will have the rest of her life (sorry son - you're stuck with George). So perhaps we just arm ourselves with a few good choices and wait and see...I just hope that if its a boy, he doesn't look like a Gayle...that would be awkward.

Will you find out???

...if it's a boy or a girl, that is. It's the question posed to us immediately after someone hears we're expecting, whether it's coming from a close friend, distant relative, or just the clerk at the grocery store. Regardless of how well we know the person on the other side of the conversation, we can count on this inquiry. It really has been intriguing how curious people become. And, honestly, I've come to the conclusion that their interest is more in whether or not we are choosing to know the gender rather than in knowing what the gender actually is. And just as eager as they are to know if we're planning to know, they are equally ready to give their opinion on the matter.

We've heard strong opinions on both sides of the coin. Some are dying to know themselves, therefore strongly advocating that we find out as soon as possible. Yet others feel very strongly that we should wait and not find out. One friend actually equated it to our "last opportunity to experience what it's like to have the surprise of Santa's arrival Christmas morning". The votes from friends and family seem to be split, so it leaves us in an interesting predicament. It's particularly complicated by the fact that many of those who urge us not to find out have also expressed that they do not want to know until the baby actually arrives.

Well, we've got a couple weeks before our next ultrasound, so we have a bit of time to deliberate our choice amongst ourselves. Until then, we can all contemplate - to know, or not to know? Do you want to know?