The Name Game

My phone just told me that I'm 33 weeks pregnant today.  I feel and probably look like I'm 43 weeks.  I guess that's what happens when you're 5'1".

Lately, both people I know and people I don't know have been asking when I'm due.  This is usually followed by, "Do you know what you're having?".  Followed by, "Do you have a name picked out?".

The last question is what has led to some pretty funny conversations lately.

When we found out that Marley was a girl, our name discussion was me coming up with names and Jared saying yes or no to them.

With Jake, he did come up with a few names, but we picked his name out pretty quickly.  The only other name I remember discussing was Wolfgang.  No, I never even considered that a possibility.  Jared, on the other hand, was convinced that being called "Wolf" would be the coolest name ever.

This time has been different.  Jared has come up with far more names than I have.

Here are a few of the names Jared has come up with since finding out that baby #3 is a boy.  I joke not about this.  I found out that these were actually recorded on a list when we went to dinner with some friends and this discussion came up.  Jared pulled out his phone and started reading off names.

• Wolfgang (again)
• Bear (can't get away from the animals names)
• Fish ...  This one needs an explanation.  Jared came to me one day and told me he had been thinking of family names that we could use.  (I loved that idea!)  He then said he'd been thinking of family names that were also animals.  Fish was that name.  (He was dead serious.)  
• Bruin (another name for a bear).  This is his current favorite.
• Edge (I joked that we might as well name him "The Edge")
• Crush/Krush (He thought I might like it better if it was spelled with a "K".)

There are a few names that we both like and are continuing to discuss.  Hopefully this little guy ends up being pleased with his name. 

After talking to a few friends and hearing similar stories when coming up with names for their kids, especially their boys, I have a few theories on this.

#1  Girls grow-up naming their stuffed animals, barbies, dolls, rocks, pets, etc.  We get a chance to use our imaginations with names in our pretend play.  When it comes to our own children, we're ready to let those names rest.

#2  Jared didn't really have many pets growing up.  Maybe if he'd had a pet dog named Bear or a fish named Crush, he wouldn't be so inclined to use it on our child.  In my family, our first dog was named Rambo (yes, my brother named him).  

We have roughly 5 weeks (my kids usually come early) to figure out this name business.  Wish us luck!