This weekend, we went to our friends’ house for brunch, and one of the couples was expecting their first baby, a boy. She was wearing a bright pink shirt over her round belly. “Have you chosen a name?” I asked them, while slicing bagels for my own children.
“We have a short list,” the woman told me. “But we’re waiting to meet him before deciding.”
I completely understood. With our first child — Toby — we chose his name when I was pregnant. We wanted a friendly name, and have you ever met a Toby you didn’t like? When he was born, the name suited him perfectly and we were off to the races.
With our second baby, however, we had a list of girls’ names but were stumped on boys’. And although we had some names in mind — Elias, Julian, Sasha — when the baby was born, he was so square-jawed and brooding that the more poetic names didn’t seem to fit. So, we went back to brainstorming and came up with ‘Anton.’ Now I can’t imagine him with any other name.
What about you? Would (or did) you choose a name before they were born or after meeting them? Curious to hear…
P.S. Toby’s birth story, and when Toby and Anton first met (sob!). Also, why kids cover their eyes when hiding.
