Thursday, April 28, 2016

So You Need A Name?


Picking out a name for your new baby can be one of the most fun, exciting, and creative things you will do in preparation of welcoming your child into the world.

It can also be one of the more frustrating,  tiresome,  and confusing tasks. I mean it is pretty important,  and it's easy to get overwhelmed.

So here's a few things to try and remember, that really helped me,  when it comes to choosing a name. We wanted something modern,  but not new age. Unique,  but not too popular. We started with....

Making a brainstorm list
I wrote down each name combination that came to mind, immediately. Even if I didn't like it at the time. It helps to keep you organized,  keep track of what you have thought of, and then as you sift through options you might think of more. You may not like one suggestion at first,  but reviewing your list over and over,  you might find one particular name growing on you before long.

Explore inspiration
Reading, watching movies,  browsing the internet-keep your eyes open for different sources for inspiration that you might not have thought of.  Google helped me a lot as I was looking for different avenues in search of a name.

I once searched "comic book names" just as a goof after being overwhelmed with things I was finding on different baby name websites. It opened up a whole new realm of ideas!

Repeat As Necessary
The best advice I ever heard for picking a name came from a friend I worked with in South Carolina years ago. When deciding on a name,  be sure to say it a hundred times-the FULL NAME-if you aren't sick of it, then it's a keeper. 

Makes sense,  because you are probably going to be saying, or even screaming, the full name if your kids over and over again for years, especially if they are naughty. I can still remember my friend mimicing her own test...

"Miguel..  Miguel...Miguel Carlos....MIGUEL CARLOS ESPINOSA! "

My cat became my guinea pig. And each name combo I came up with, I would yell repeatedly to test the "flow" of the name...

Bruce...Bruce...Bruce (insert middle & last name) x2...
After about twenty times, if I could still yell and like it,  the name stuck.  And that's how we picked our son's name.

The last piece of advice had definitely been the best for us. Now that I look back at that brainstorming list at some names I really loved at the time,  I can see how they didn't pass the above test, and I'm not really that keen on them now. My son's name fits his personality, and that's what's most important. 

How did you go about picking a name? Did you try outside the norm or more traditional? 

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