Suri or Penelope?

Before I got pregnant, naming my imaginary child was fun! I bought my first name book in the 5th grade. I'm not sure why there was a baby naming book geared towards the pre-teen crowd, but I thought it was awesome. Since then I've always been interested in names. Not other people's names, though - my future child's name. Maybe it's a female thing. I used to love going to baby name websites and reading baby name books at the bookstore. I started asking Brandon about names he liked before we were engaged. I actually remember naming our children before we even started dating. Julian for a boy, which was later given a big thumbs down by every man I know. It was so innocent then. The hypothetical naming of a child that doesn't exist was so easy! Like pasta!

Now that I have an actual baby on the way, naming her feels close to impossible. I'm supposed to name someone I've never met? And this name is supposed to fit her? Forever? I'm wondering if I'm putting too much pressure on myself. Rarely do I think about my name. I know a number of people who share my name, but I don't give it much thought. The forums I read on the baby naming websites I go to are generally pretty intense. It seems that everyone wants to name their baby a name that is unique, but not too unique. Sadly, I think I actually fit into that category. I'm not going to pretend we're cooler than we actually are and name our daughter Pilot Inspektor or Apple or Calliope, but I also don't plan on naming her something that is super popular right now. I'd like to find a balance.

I thought it would be interesting to look into Brandon and my family trees to find a name that honors our families. Kiki (my mom's sister) has done extensive research into my maternal grandparents' pasts, which she kindly sent me. It's pretty fascinating. I have always loved my middle name. Elizabeth was my mom's given name and her mother's, too. I learned from the family tree that Elizabeth was also my grandmother's paternal grandmother's name. Now my niece, Fiona Elizabeth, is carrying on that tradition and I couldn't be prouder (I like to think - pretend - that she was named after me, too). Yes, I changed my middle name to my maiden name when I got married, but so did my mom. And I wanted to honor my dad. See how complicated this can get?

The fact that none of my ancestors were named Amy doesn't bother me in the slightest. I asked my mom once why she named me Amy. She said it was because she thought it was beautiful. I can't think of a better reason than that. So, the quest to find a name for our unborn daughter continues. I think we have it narrowed down to about five names, but I'm pretty sure that will change in the next four months. I'm nervous about making the list public because, well, people can be tough critics. So, loyal blog readers, be surprised when Sunny is born. For she will most likely not be named Sunny. We think.