Signature Suggestions

OK, so I knew I would take some flak for that best friend post. My sincere apologies to all those who didn't make the "honorable mention" list. All I can say is, your day will come. Bringing me a cheesecake with cherry topping might speed up its arrival...

The nausea is much improved. I very rarely have to take the Zofran now, praise the Lord. However, with improved appetite has come the dreaded weight gain. I gained more than enough with both my prior pregnancies, and was so hoping that this one would be gentler on me. Somehow, I suspect that I will once again more than make up for the losses in the first trimester rather easily.

As I've progressed nearer the half-way point in this little adventure, I've begun to fret not just about weight, but also what we're going to call the peanut butter cup when he (or she) arrives. My spouse and I have already named one boy and one girl together. You would think--at least, my dear husband seems to--that this would make the decision easy this time around. Simply choose the next name in line from the "acceptable names" lists from the previous pregnancies.

I however, have to complicate the issue. I want my next (read, last) child to have a name all his (her) own. I don't want to use a name that wasn't good enough before simply because it still sounds nice. And honestly, I've changed my mind about some of what I previously liked. Lately, I don't even tell Daddy about the names I'm considering. As I said, we've been down this road twice before. I can already guess what he'd think about my current favorites. I'd rather avoid the squished-face look and raised eyebrow that silently says "You want to call our kid what?"

I've also learned through experience not to share my naming explorations with the family at large. During my pregnancy with our son, we had a name poll online where all our friends and family could vote for their favorite option. Um, not again. People have very strong opinions about what you should call a child. Take my two new nieces, for instance--one of whom has a very traditional name, the other whose moniker is much more modern. Neither was an instant hit. I figure no matter how much thought I put into the PBC's future signature, somebody will still hate it.

My sister has been somewhat of a sounding board for my suggestions. She has a baby names book with an interesting twist--it uses the consonant combinations of the name to explore the personality likely to develop and perhaps predict the bearer's future success in certain areas. All of which might be a load of horse pucky, but hey, I'm going to eke all the entertainment I can out of this experience. I figure the kid owes me that much.

And I suppose as long as something slightly more reasonable than Peanut Butter Cup goes down on the birth certificate, whatever winds up chosen will either grow to sound 'normal' or, at the very least, be forgiven.