What's in a name?

Any pregnant woman can tell you that we get the same questions over and over again.

When are you due?

Do you know what you’re having?

Have you decided on a name?

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love pregnancy and babies, and I don’t fault people for asking these questions. I’m sure I’ve asked them to other women tons of times. And it’s not so much that I mind answering them. It’s just that the last one can be kind of tricky.

Everyone has an opinion on what you should name your baby. And some people are not even a little bit shy about sharing their opinion with you. “You want to name your baby what?!” “Have you thought about…?” “How would you spell…?”

I think that giving someone the name that they will have for the rest of his or her life is a really big deal, and it’s not something that I take lightly. But I think that I need to learn my lesson about discussing baby names unless I am prepared for the faces, questions and possible judgments that I may encounter.

Some people thought that it was strange that we kept my daughter’s name virtually secret until she was born, but every time I mention a name for this baby, I am reminded why. So while we may go with another “C” name (not something that was ever planned) or we may name the baby the same name as someone who happens to play a sport somewhere (no, my son was not named after Cole Hamels), I think that for now, we’ll just be happy to call this little guy Baby Tinsley. No one can make a face about that.