What's in a name?

We've really been struggling with naming this second baby.  Like for real.  It's such a fun thing to be able to do, and it seems simple enough.  I mean, what girl doesn't have all of her children named by the time she is 12?   You just assume when you're 12, or even 25, your future husband will go along with all (first and middle) names that you've chosen.

It's a big challenge and huge responsibility to come up with a good name that the child will live with for the rest of their lives.

1.  If meaning is important to you, you have to be sure it doesn't mean anything strange, horrible, or depressing: 

 (Delilah actually means "weak or poor")

2.  You have to think about every possible nick-name, terrible word that rhymes with it or decide if it sounds like something else they could be made fun of.

(I knew a kid in school named Reginald, and was Reggie for short, then that of course turned into Wedgie.)

And here we have a few classics:
Ben Dover (bend over)
William Marimee (will you marry me?)
Cole Saar (cold sore)

3.  and last but not least, you have put the initials together to make sure it doesn't spell anything that would make one ask, "What were their parents thinking?!?"

(Caroline Olivia White) 

Here's what this poor girl's stationary would look like.

or worse, 

(Alex Samuel Smith).

This is just wrong.

We are actually guilty of the whole initial thing.
Noah's full name is Noah Matias Enger
so that's,
N.M.E.
if you say that really fast, it sounds like enemy.
and that's the first thing my mom said when we revealed the name after he was born.
We never even thought to say it fast.
This is one reason to consult with someone else before naming your child.

As if this wasn't enough to think about, we also have the challenge of coming up with a name that sounds decent in both languages.  Some sounds are pronounced so differently, that once you translate it to the way it would be said in the other country, it is the most hideous sounding name you've ever heard.

Take Herman.  In Norway, this is a pretty popular name, and they say it like "air-moun", (with a tongue roll and everything).  It sounds pretty cool.  But let's be honest, unless you're a huge Pee-Wee fan, not many new parents would choose to name their kid Herman in America.  I, for one,  can't get the "Guess Who" character out of my head.

Here are some other Norwegian (boy) names that just simply would not work in America:
Simen (pronounced semen) -talk about some funny jokes in 6th grade health class
Snorre (pronounced snore) -he could be the 8th dwarf
Odd (pronounced odd) - This kid wouldn't even have a chance
Bård (pronounced bored) - Hi! I'm Bored.  What's your name?
Balder (pronounced balder) - not a good name for any boy (or man) to have.

So, what I'm trying to say here is, despite our efforts, prayers and online searching, we are still unsure of what to call our sweet little baby boy coming in just three weeks!  

We know whatever we choose, you'll pretend to like it, even if you hate it.  

And that's just how it goes.  

Eventually it's not about the name, but the child behind it, and once you begin to know and love the child, you begin to love the name too.