What's in a Name?

What's in a name? A lot. Some believe it can shape a child's self-esteem and identity, influence how they're treated by others and even affect their future professional success. It will be written on her first job application, said by her husband when she gets married, and printed on her business cards. How common will it be? Will she have five others in her kindergarten class with the same name or will she be the only one?

Of course we started talking about names well before I was pregnant, but have started giving her name more careful consideration every day since our gender reveal party. A few years ago, we "chose" the name Sophia on a drive to Oregon and loved how Sophia Swanek sounded. We were all set on that name, until we realized it was number one in almost every state for the past several years. To check how common a name is, you can search the Social Security's database here.

There's too common, which isn't good and then there's too obscure, which could be even worse, according to people who study this kind of thing. For awhile, I had "decided" on the name Adira (ah-deer-ah) which is a Hebrew name meaning strong, the same meaning as my name. But then my husband made a good case for why he didn't like it, pointing out that no one has ever heard of it, and that people would be forever mispronouncing it as Ad-die-rah. And that is too close to ah-diarrhea. So back to the drawing board we went.

For the past week or so, Audrey, Julia and Autumn have been in the running, with Autumn slightly ahead of the competition and favored by Nathan. We are still in flux though, because just yesterday, I heard Madeline on the radio and fell in love with it. I haven't really wanted a name that can be shortened (I love Charlotte but do not like Char) but have to admit that I do like the nickname Maddy.

Officially in  my 2nd trimester, my pregnancy is going well; I still don't have any symptoms. The only cravings I've had are for sushi rolls (cooked, of course) and phở. I am tired more, and often feel a bit slower, as if my IQ has dropped by at least 10 points. 

I'm looking forward to fixing up her nursery with a chandelier, french doors, chair rail and crown molding. Picking out a color scheme (pink and brown!), decorations and looking at different furniture options on-line. I have imagined this time in my life for all of my life and now that it is here, its even better than I imagined it would be. Enjoying every moment, especially the fact that I'm starting to show.