trying to be important

We had a hard time narrowing down names when I was pregnant with David. I had such a hard time picking a name for a boy: their names don’t change when they get married; it should be something “strong” sounding; it should ‘go’ with our four-syllable, semi-difficult last name; etc. We asked friends and family for name ideas and suggestions (we got a lot of jokes in return) and read and re-read all of the names in a baby name book.

I really resisted naming him “David.” I’ve never been particularly fond of the name, but David Carter kept coming to mind during my pregnancy. I started thinking of him as David before we had even decided on naming him that. We had a short list of names in mind when he was born, some that I liked more than “David.” When we held him, he was David. “David” is a common name on both sides of our families and Carter comes from Matt’s side, so his name comes with a lot of heritage.

So, people want to know: Do you have any names in mind for a girl? We do. It’s very different this time. I have lots and lots of girl names I like, and a few Matt likes, too. I had it narrowed down to two names before the ultrasound; one I’m already particularly fond of. We’ll keep the two in mind until we meet her, and then we’ll choose.

But I’m keeping them a secret.

Right now, I call her Coco. For people who are really persistant, I tell them we’re naming her Cleopatra.