What's in a name?

A WHOLE lot apparently!  Now that we have shared with the world that we are having a baby girl the next inevitable question is "Do you have a name picked out yet?".  Well...ya see...about that...

Over a decade ago I worked at a little cafe (with a handsome man who would become my husband) and each day would pass a little boutique with a name that I really liked.  As J.T. and I would discuss the future we would discuss names of our future children.  I suggested this particular girl's name and J.T. agreed it would be a nice name for a future daughter.  When we decided to adopt we added a middle name to this name and were all set in the event that the stork brought a little girl.

Well little girl is on her way and...I'm no longer sure about the name:(.

So after we found out we were having a girl, I had to lay this little bombshell on J.T.  He handled it very well and in fact offered a second suggestion that once upon in my daydreams had been the name of our second daughter should we ever become so blessed which amazingly we had never discussed, BUT I couldn't commit to that name either!

If we peel back the onion there are some valid(?) reasons...

First, I was one of six girls who had virtually the same name (my name is often a nickname for a more formal name, but I just got the nickname), and that name we selected all those years ago has gained significant popularity.  Such popularity that there are FOUR little girls with that same first name in this year's kindergarten class.  The lack of uniqueness to my name has always somewhat bothered me.  While I am not one who feels the need to name my child a totally outlandish name just for the sake of being unique, but I would prefer to avoid a trendy (which has a way of becoming common) name.

Then you have the fact that my parents were all set with a middle name to honor my late great-grandmother, but they had not chosen a first name.  For that matter, it did not seem like they were having a difficult time choosing, they did not have a first name, period!  Family lore explains that the delivery nurse was trying to be helpful and said "_____ is a nice name!" and my parents agreed and poof that became my name.  I love my parents dearly and wouldn't trade any part of my upbringing, but I want our little girl to feel like her name is special and name #2 while it represents a wonderful trip we had I don't know if it fits the bill for being special.

As a born and bred yankee I am accustomed to babies not being named (or those names not being shared) until baby arrives.  Well wouldn't you know it after living in the south for 16 years I somehow missed the memo that southern babies are usually named pretty early on in the pregnancy and those names become public.  Well one you have one yankee parent and one southern parent that makes things a bit tricky.

J.T. also accurately pointed out that we have been calling tiny baby "Baby girl" which is also what we use as one of (many) nicknames for one of our puppies and it feels kinda weird to have two "Baby Girls" traipsing about our house.

So I need to get cracking on a decision.  Hoping God gives me a sign soon...