What is in a Name?

Before we knew that our little guy was actually a guy and not a gal, Andrew and I threw around a bunch of names and decided on a girl's name and a couple of boy names that we liked but were not completely sold on. Of course we end up with a little boy (and we are very excited!) but we still had to figure out a name. Girl names seemed so much easier, there were several that we loved and one that we knew was perfect for our little one. Boy names were a lot harder for us and we seemed to like slightly different names. Most evenings we would go through the baby name book and throw out names to each other but for a number of weeks there didn't seem to be one that we agreed on, or one that really fit the baby that was growing bigger and stronger ever day inside my belly.

However there was one name that we kept coming back to, at first it didn't seem right but the more we thought about it the more it seemed to fit. As we went over every other name that was on our 'maybe' list they just seemed wrong and made the one name seem more right. I am probably confusing everyone at this point, but we have decided on a name. We have also decided not to share the name with anyone until he is born. We have several reasons for this decision. First we want to make sure that this is the right name for this baby and that it fits who he is. Second there are always those stories people tell you when you mention a name you are planning on calling your baby. Those "I knew a Sam once, he was a jerk" or "I went to school with a Tom and he was an idiot" stories and I would rather stay away from those stories and not be influenced by others opinions. Finally third, everyone knows that we are having a boy and it is kind of fun to keep one thing a surprise for when he is born. We will be able to properly introduce him to our family and friends for the first time when he is born, rather than having his name be common knowledge for 9 months before he even takes his first breath.

I know some people find this to be extremely frustrating, and want to know his name even more when I tell them that we are not sharing the information until he is born. It is kind of like teasing your little brother when growing up that you know something that he doesn't. I know I would want to know if I was in their shoes, but I really like our reasons for keeping his name a secret and I think it will be even more rewarding when we finally do get to share his name with everyone.