Our kid is officially registered!  Someone is gonna buy her stuff!  Cha ching!  We did some shopping around to find the right places.  Last month I voiced my registration frustrations at a few baby buying hot-spots.

Ok, I know what you’re thinking.  “Amy, you’re writing another post about other bloggers?”  My response, “I absolutely am.”  Not just because it’s the Day 7 task for the #31DBBB ProBlogger Challenge with SITS, but because I have read so many AMAZING baby/mom blogs.  I want to share some.

It’s not butt kissing.  These are all blogs I feel offer something different for not just pregnant women and new moms, but for everyone.  So read on for my latest finds….

1.  A lovely mom and her lovely blog
 
This is Cameron.  The Ingeune Mom.  She is my newest blog friend with beautiful doe eyes and a beautiful baby girl!  (I want to squeeze this child and shower her with kisses.  So sweet!)  Cameron dealt with some of the same naming issues I’ve been worried about.  Check it out.  The best line?  “Um, no you’re not.”  She also wrote a list of all the things that surprised her as a new mother.  Fascinating.  I look forward to writing a list like that too.

2.  Local girl

Our task for the SITS Problogger 31 Day challenge for Day 4 is to write about a top blog in our niche.  There are tons of baby/pregnancy/mom blogs out there.  I have tons I love reading as I blog about my own pregnancy and pack on the tons.

Analyzing a top baby blog is different for me.  A blog ranked very high on Top Baby Blogs and now Top Mom Blogs IS A PERSON I ACTUALLY KNOW.  Seriously!  I had lunch earlier this year with true baby blog royalty before I even got this blog up and running.  I really didn’t even know much about her blog until I was beginning mine because pregnancy got me into this niche.

Ok, Mommy Bloggers, brace yourself….I’m friends with Blair from The Heir to Blair.  Be jealous!  (I know it’s like saying “I was friends with Taylor Swift in elementary school and I braided her hair and that’s why it’s all perfectly wavy, blah, blah, blah…”  But, it’s true.  We’re sorority sisters.  No, I don’t have a pic right now for proof.  I know, that’s what all so-called-friends-of-celebrities say.  But, that’s how it’s gonna be today.)  

So, we still have no name for our daughter.  It is my understanding that the Federal Government, specifically the Social Security Administration, really likes for you to name your baby.  Plus, we gotta get this kid her own number so Mama and Daddy can cash in on our little 2010 tax deduction.  Yep, I said it.  Don’t act like you haven’t thought it.

But, we’ve run into some snags.  I’m now convinced there is NO SUCH THING as the perfect name.  Something is weird with every name on our list.  No, we’re not sharing any names.  We want it to be a surprise. (Apparently a surprise for us too.) We also don’t want opinions. But, on my blog I can post all the opinions I want.  (Nah, nah, nah, nah, boo, boo!)

Our top 5 baby name blocks- 

1. Agreeing-  Ladies, remember when you were a girl and you had a crush on a boy and you would put your name with his last name, imagining if you married him one day?  It was probably after the page in your notebook where you had played M.A.S.H. that morning on the bus.  In that game, sometimes you had to think up names for your kids and stuff too.  I loved thinking of names for my hypothetical children!  I pulled names from books, or my babysitter’s soap opera.  I’d make lists and draw little hearts around them.  Check your 5th grade diary.  I bet you have some there too.

Well, apparently boys didn’t do this and the first time they think of names is when they are grown men and their wives are pregnant.  They often don’t like the name you had your heart set on at age 11.  So, we’re working on finding the right name for both of us.  I want Greyson and I to agree.  It’s the first gift we’re giving our daughter.

2.  Too common- Amy is popular.  It was one of the Top 10 girl names in the 1970’s.  I missed that decade but, there were one or two school years I was forced to be “Amy T.” because there was an “Amy B.” in my class.  But, all the Amy’s born in the 1980’s had nothing on the Jennifer’s.  I cannot keep count of all the Jennifer’s I’ve known in my life.  Many of them quickly changing their names to Jen, Jenn, or Jenny to differentiate themselves.

Now, I feel like every baby girl born in the last year is Emma, Isabella, or Ava.  (They pretty much were.  Take a look.)  Here’s the thing.  There’s a reason these names went viral.  They’re great names.  Just like Jennifer is a beautiful name too.  I have mad love for all my Jens.  But, I’m not sure I want an Emma D.

3.  Too unique- Ever said to someone, “What’s your name again?”  “Oh, is that a family name?” “How do you spell that?”  That may be because their parents just made it up.  I feel terrible when I have to ask “What’s your name again?”  It’s obvious those people get annoyed when everyone they meet mispronounces, misspells, and generally gets their name wrong.

Then you meet a Mayghann who gets pissed when you spell it Megan.  Sorry!  I mean, it is a weird spelling.

I love it that parents take time to name their kids something unique.  It’s very special for a lot of people I know who love their names.  That’s great, but I’m not sure I want my kid to deal with the spelling/pronunciation hassle.

4.  Family names- We love our families.  Like them?  Not always.  But, we love them and it would be nice to name our daughter after family members.  Eh, maybe not.  The names of our female relatives are pretty low on the cool meter.

Which is better, Olga, Gladys, Dortha, Mabre, or Lucille?  Yes, those are actual names of some of our relatives.  (Lucy has become rather chic.  We’ll add that one to the list if it doesn’t crack the Top 10 in 2010.)

5.  Name recognition–  I’ve been keeping an ear out for names, and reading name blogs and message boards.  I’ll find a name I like and then realize some bimbo from some reality show has that name and it ruins it for me.  Or someone will say “My sister Janedoe and I…”  Then I’ll stop listening.  Wait.  Your slutty sister’s real name is Janedoe.  We always called her “Doe” well, “Hoe” behind her back.  Then that name is also out.

I’ll probably never find the not-too-common-not-too-unique-family-inspired-non slutty-name we can both agree on.  But, my quest continues.  While there’s no such thing as a perfect name, I think we can find a name perfect for our girl.

What name blocks have you run into?

Disclaimer:  I’m sure I’ve offended you or someone you love with this.  My apologies.  But honestly, I’m not talking about you.  These are just my thoughts.  This post is not about you or your name.  Relax.