My next OB appointment for baby #3 is quickly approaching and, since I am an old cow, I get to have tests run to make sure this wee babe is OK. We are going to find out the gender after this test, along with more important things like chromosomal abnormalities. I’m not dwelling on that topic though, but rather thinking about the gender because that’s lighter to deal with and there’s no sense worrying about the possibility of this nugget not being born 100% healthy. My worry won’t change the outcome.
So, I’m living in my bubble and focusing on the gender.
As you know, we are shooting for a boy. These weeks leading up to my next doc appointment have been slow because, regardless of if we have girl #3 or the first boy in this generation of our family, I just WANT TO KNOW. I’m about done with the guessing. Plus, if you know me, I’m big on naming things. Love it!!!! But, I’ve spent the last 10 weeks flip flopping between names.
I just want to be able to focus my crazy on one side of the chart, boy names or girl names.
The Fun of Naming
I’ve always been pretty big on naming things. I’ve come up with names for each day of the week that signify what my family is going to do that day. Like Money Mondays (we teach the girls about money), Teach-Me Tuesdays (we each take turns teaching each other how to do something), etc. It’s annoying to them, but it all feeds into my complex of loving to create.
I named our Christmas tree Mo, because it’s missing branches and is crooked, just like Scarlett’s guinea pig of the same name. She was offended, but I thought it was funny.
I named my inner voice Nancy so I could yell at her. I think we should all name our inner voice because, if yours is like mine, it never shuts up and annoys the shit out of me with the way she over-analyzes everything and can be downright rude. She has a name only so I can tell her to calm the F down and shut up for a minute.
And, even though I never wanted kids, I still kept a running log of baby names since I was like 11…just in case. Ironically, I have never used any of those names. But, that’s probably a good thing. 11 year old me read a lot of books that had some overly-unique names.
My Criteria for Names
As I got older, I came up with a more fleshed out set of criteria for selecting a baby name, besides just reading it in a book or seeing it in a movie.
1. I can’t know anyone directly or indirectly with the name.
I’ve had to veto A LOT of boys names this time around because of multitude of people and babies we collectively know. I do Facebook searches when I think of a name to confirm that no one in my immediate set of connections has a kid with that same name.
After I name my kid, it’s fine to come across someone else with the name. OK, that’s a giant lie. I get really irritated when I hear other kids named Gianna and Scarlett and even more pissed when they have another person in their class with the same name. It’s somewhat better when the kid is younger, because then I can validate myself that I thought of the name first, and that other Gianna or Scarlett is just a copier.
Petty, I know, but I’m being honest.
I also feel a little sparkle of satisfaction when we go places and the girls can’t find their names on any of the souvenirs. It’s another validation that their names are still somewhat unique. Why this makes me so happy is strange because I remember as a child being so disappointed when I couldn’t find my name on anything. But this was all before the age of Etsy and the ability for anyone to customize anything. I can put their name on every single item they own if they really want it.
Brief Ramble
Which makes my brain veer off for a minute. Blame Nancy. WTF is going on with people putting their kid’s full name on all their shit? I clearly recall that being one of the guidelines of avoiding child abduction when the ominous white van was snatching kids in our area. Don’t put your kid’s name on their bikes or backpacks. This gives kidnappers the ability to use their names and make the kid think they know them. Yet, I can’t tell you how many mini-humans I see walking around with their name brazenly embroidered across their backpack.
Stop putting your kid’s names on their stuff, unless it’s on the inside, because I do realize that kids leave their shit everywhere and you need a way to ID it later. That’s my PSA for the day.
Ok, back to the topic of names.
2. I have to like writing the first letter of the name as a capital letter.
I know I’ll be writing this name for the rest of my life and there are a handful of letters that just don’t look pretty in their capital form. Like F’s, I’s, H’s, and N’s. Really any letter that involves all straight lines. I find straight lines boring and difficult to create. I like my letters with some curves. G’s and S’s are really satisfying to write, which is actually how I came across Scarlett’s name.
She was originally going to be Ireland, because Vince is Irish, it was a unique but not totally odd name, and I only heard of 1 other person named that. It was this little girl at Disney who got picked to volunteer during the Lion King show. She was maybe 6 and I was pregnant with Scar at the time. She said her name into the mic in such a sweet little voice and immediately I knew that was the name I wanted.
A Quick Warning on Names
Then, I made the mistake almost all parents do at some point. I told people her name. Of course, on came the onslaught of negative opinions and reactions. This happens anytime you tell people the name before the baby is born. Especially if the name is unique. Like a weak little duckling, I allowed myself to be deterred by the opinions.
What I’ve learned after two kids is to not share your name until the baby is born. Unless you know 100% you won’t let others change your mind. I still love the name Ireland, and Scarlett wishes that was her name. But, I don’t really like writing captial I’s. Too many straight lines. And Scarlett’s name suits her 100%. She’s fiery, strong-willed, emotional, and her favorite color for the longest time was “blood.”
She meant red of course.
3. The name can’t be easily mispronounced or that difficult to spell.
Remember, your 3 year old will have to learn how to spell their name in school. Give the kid a break. I might slightly break this rule if Baby 3 is a girl because these are my rules and I can break them if I want. The name I have tucked away at the top of the girl list is a little long, but there’s a good nickname she can use if needed.
And, that leads us to the fourth criteria..
4. The option of a nickname.
Not that I necessarily need to use a nickname, but it helps to have the ability to shorten names when you need to holler at more than one child at the same time. You don’t want to run out of breath before you are done saying their names.
Gianna was supposed to be Gia. That nickname was actually what helped me pick her name 12 years ago. Young me loved the name Mia (see diary list above). It was short and sweet and M’s are nice to write. But, then Mia exploded into popularity and I couldn’t do it. Gianna gave me Gia, which was close to Mia, but I honestly don’t think I have ever call her Gia. She’s G or GG.
5. The first name sounds decent with our last name.
Curtin is such a short last name in my mind, especially coming from my maiden name of Besspiata. I need to make sure that the name flows well with Curtin and doesn’t sound bizarre together.
Generally, that’s it. That’s my primary list of criteria. And, if we have a girl, I’m set I think. I know the first name. It’s been my favorite for over 2 years. But, what is causing me stress and agony is if it’s a boy. Which is what we were trying for.
But, with a boy comes another set of rules.
My Rules for a Boy’s Name
OK, it’s just one rule.
Rule B (for Boy). The name can’t sound weak.
Meaning, when you say the name, you think “ahhh, that’s a strong manly name.” I don’t want to offend anyone, but since this is my space to be honest, I can’t stand any of the names that end in lyn, ly, don, son, len, etc for boys. This is my preference and I wouldn’t ever name my boy with something that has that ending. I don’t say these names and think “strong”.
Now, I know a lot of boys with names like that, and they are wonderful people. I just wouldn’t pick the name for my kid.
I want my boy to have a solid name. Nothing too weird. Nothing he will get made fun of for. I want to set him up for success with his name because, chances are, this dude is going to be short. It’s hard to be a short boy. There’s so much that goes into a man’s height. For girls, it’s different. Short stature is not such a big deal. Sure, you get called cute for the rest of your life but that’s not horrible. Boys, it’s different. IT JUST IS.
People see a tall man and think strength, power, the ability to command attention. Short men, well, they usually have pretty amazing personalities and are hilariously funny to compensate for the height. But the perception of the shorter man is always different. Just look at the Rock and Kevin Hart in Jumanji.
My thing is, if I can’t gift my little guy with some height, the least I can do is give him a strong name to work with. But, nothing too strong. Like naming your poodle Spike or something like that. I don’t want the name to be ironic.
This rule, coupled with my standard set of criteria, has made choosing my top boy name so difficult. I have gone through countless names.
One Boy Name Still Stands
There’s still a name on the boy list that hasn’t been cut yet. It’s strong. Unique, but not odd. I know no one with this name. It starts with a good capital letter and sounds good with our last name. My only hiccup with this name is that there is one semi-famous person with the name…and one animal. I’m debating on if this bothers me.
Now I just have to find out what I am having so me and Nancy can stop obsessing over this and move on to more important things. Like selecting a breast pump or something, which I will also probably name.
Maybe I’ll call it Drac, short for Dracula, since I want it to suck good. 😉
Krissy that last comment just cracked me up look!!!!?♂️? You sure do have alot going on in that little head of yours. Keep it coming, I Love reading these, I’m still trying to figure it that name!!!!!?❤
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