Naming Z

Naming Z is a popular topic of conversation in our house right now, at least for me. Earlier in my pregnancy we quickly agreed on a number of names that we both liked for a boy and a girl, and since then, C feels like we're done. In fact, every time I suggest a new name, he rolls his eyes at me and says "I thought we were done; we have 5 names we like for either sex." And he's right, I like all the names on our list, but honestly, I'm not sure if I love any of them.

Within the first few weeks of becoming pregnant with Wild Man, I had found one name I loved for him--if he was a girl. Although C and I had agreed we would wait to decide on a name until he was born, I knew Wild Man was going to be Lucy if he was a girl. I was also initially certain he would be Liam if he had been a boy. Needless to say, Wild Man was not a girl, and he is also not a Liam. We added the name we ultimately chose for him to our list of names fairly late in my pregnancy. While I really liked the name, I wasn't 100% sold on it, but when Wild Man was born and the doctor showed him to me, I knew at that moment he was Wild Man. In fact, C and I didn't even discuss his name. I saw him and said "His name is Wild Man." C occasionally reminds me that I went back on our agreement to spend some time with Wild Man before naming him. I remind him that I had just done the majority of the work in creating and birthing Wild Man, so my vote on the name counts a bit more than his does. Our disagreements aside, Wild Man's name suits him perfectly; he is a Wild Man, without a doubt.

For Z, however, I'm not convinced we've found the perfect name. We have one girl's name that C is totally in love with, and I like it a lot. I am concerned, however, that it is too unusual (in fact, it is so unusual that C wanted to share it with his family during our recent visit so they'd have time to get used to it and to minimize any stupid reactions they may have). I've spent my entire life spelling my own name, and now that I have a hyphenated last name, I also have to spell my last name. It is a pain in the ass, let me tell you. If Z is a girl and we name her C's favorite name, she will have to spell both her first name and her last name, as well as tell people how to pronounce it. While it is a strong, beautiful, and name that is appropriate both for a little girl and a young woman, I'm not sure I want to inflict that on a child of mine. Wild Man will have to spell his last name, but not his first--as will Z if he is a boy (as an aside, I have to say, I do not understand why C's last name is so difficult for people to spell. It is a bit odd, but it is spelled exactly like it sounds). I also feel like it is too early to say we've decided on our list of names. Now that Z is starting to move around, I feel like I'm just beginning to know Z. I want to discuss naming Z some more, so I guess I will continue to annoy C with name suggestions until we find the perfect name.