When I found out I was pregnant with my first child, I panicked. Not because I was pregnant, I was happy about that... I panicked because it is so hard to choose a name for a baby!
I remember the times when my sisters and brothers would call me with questions like, "Do you like this name?", "What about this name?" I would always tell them the same thing, "Don't ask me, I am terrible at picking names."
Well, since then, a lot has changed. After about the thirteenth nephew/niece, me and my other siblings decided to sit down and come up with a three step strategy for naming our children. The steps are as follows:
1. First, we decide on a naming scheme for all of our children that we plan on having. For example, all of my sister's kids' names start with the letter C for boys and A for girls. For my naming scheme, I chose to make my daughters' initials spell out their nickname/name. My daughter Danielle's initials are D. A. N. I. and my daughter Hali's initials are H. A. L. I.
2. Next, we come up with a list of names that fit our naming scheme. For this step, we found a list of baby names and chose names that fit our naming scheme. We wrote down names that we liked without getting each other's opinion on the name. We would stop choosing names when each of us has about five names each that.
3. The third and final step is to compare the lists. If there are any names that match... then BINGO! If not, then we would narrow the list down, one by one until we get a BINGO!
It is very important that both parents agree on the name. If one parent doesn't like the name, it may make that parent harbor a deep rooted dislike for the child (its a possibility).
Have fun naming your bundle of joy!
