What's in a name?

(forgive me for recycling an email here, but it was a damned good email, and I wanted to post it on the blog.)

I have ALWAYS felt I would have a Sam. Since I was young. Don't know why. So I'm leaning towards Samuel or Samantha. But then I was worried about using up Sam and not having a boy name we could agree on. Believe it or not, this has been one of the most difficult things about becoming parents, agreeing on names.

Gregg says he doesn't need to love the name, just the baby. I NEED to love the name. so we have finally agreed on more than one name for each gender:

Maxwell
Samuel
Samantha
Sophia
Julianna

I love Jacob (Jake -- And YES I loved this name before Jacob Black in the Twilight books), but Gregg thinks it's "too Jewish". If not for Sam being a common Italian-American name, he would say the same about that. He likes Louis for a boy's first name, but that's his father's name, and I don't want it for a first name, just a middle name. Besides, his brother is also Louis and I think it's just too much. I love the name Roman, but he thinks it's "too Mediterranean" for a black baby. I think he has too many rules! But at least we have a couple to chose from so the name can really fit the baby.

Part of me really, really wants to request a girl at this point. But part of me agrees with Gregg that this much should be up "to fate." If we had conceived we wouldn't have a choice of gender so we shouldn't here. I just dream of girls clothing though. For Thanksgiving, Annie (OH) posted pictures of Maya in a cordory dress w/ the turtleneck underneath and it just made my heart stop! Boy clothing is cute too, but there is NOTHING like a little girl!

Emma has now declared she will not have a boy cousin. She has re-named the baby, and calls it "Princess Baby!" When we say it may be a boy, she shakes her head emphatically, and says NO Boys Allowed!! Mom tried to convince her that "Prince Baby" was a good name too, and she said only Princesses. She then said that Princess Baby would be her little sister, just like Livy. She said "I Livy big sissy, and Princess Baby big sissy too!" I thought it was so adorable I almost cried. She is just the best. Maybe I DO want a boy, so I don't compare our baby to Em -- who is just about as perfect as they come.