Our baby has a name. Well, in theory at least. We have two names picked out — one for a boy, and one for a girl. But we’re not sharing. With anyone.
Adam and I have played around with baby names since we got engaged. We’ve had different baby name “lists” and even a “final” list at various points prior to this pregnancy. Spoiler alert: None of those “final” names are going to be “the name”. But, we love the name(s) we’ve picked. It’s different. It’s not too “out-there”. It’s completely our style.
So, why not share then?
Frankly, we aren’t sharing because we don’t want to.
As much as I love my friends and family, I don’t really care if they like the name(s) we’ve picked out. I don’t. I know that may sound harsh, but Adam and I love the name and that’s all that matters to us. I know that if we share the name(s) early, we open ourselves to all kinds of opinions on it…
“That’s a little too weird, don’t you think?”
“Wouldn’t you prefer something a little more traditional?”
“I don’t think that flows well with the last name.”
“Are you sure you want to spell it like that?”
“Have you thought of all the nicknames?”
“I don’t like it. Not at all.”
“Did you even think about family names?”
“I would prefer something else.”
“I guess I’ll just have to come up with a pet name I like.”
While the rest of the world is allowed to have an opinion on our child’s name — Adam and I aren’t required to care about that opinion. I don’t mean to sound rude, but that’s just the truth of the matter.
Now, by not sharing the name, plenty of folks are assuming that we’re planning some outrageous name like “Apple” or “Gadget Inspector.” Rest assured – we are not. But we also aren’t Top 100 name type folks so our choices are a bit unconventional in a way. I am very excited to see people’s eyes light up when they get to hold our bundle of joy and get told the name in person. Let’s face it — once you are snuggling up to a tiny baby, who really gives a flip about whether it’s the name you would have chosen or not? Not many people.
On a related note, I’m also struggling with what name things to share here on the blog once Baby “Florken” arrives. I’m fairly certain I’ll share the first name but I waiver on whether I should share the middle. Obviously, I’ll refer to the baby as a “Florken” even that that won’t be his or her real last name but I am starting to worry about sharing too much of my child’s life online before they are old enough to have a real say in it. For example, I actually go by my middle name and have since I was born. I hate my first name. It would have sucked if my mom had a blog and shared my full name with the entire world before I was old enough to say, “Hey wait. Let’s just keep it at Kate.” Maybe I’m overthinking this parenting thing too much. Maybe I’m not. Who knows. I’m not sure of a lot these days.
But I am certain that I love the name(s) we’ve settled on. They make my heart smile. They make Adam happy. And honestly, they already feel like they are part of the family.
What more could a girl want?
