What's in a Name?

The fact that Baby Donald 3.0 still doesn't have a name is a foreign concept to me because Annabelle and Corgan were named so early on! When I first found out that I was pregnant with Annabelle, I jotted down a notebook page full of names as I semi-listened in on one of Keith's first conference presentations (NFJS, Orlando in June 2005). Both "Annabelle Claire" and "Corgan Alexander" were on that list. For boy names, there were really no other front runners because we both liked "Corgan". There were a few more girl's names on the list, but we both liked Annabelle so it was an easy decision too. Then, over the next couple of years, we had both our "Annabelle" and our "Corgan".

I say all this to point out how strange it feels for me to be 7 months pregnant and still be calling this baby girl "Baby Donald 3.0" over 3 months after we found out that she's a girl! Keith and I have definitely narrowed the list down to the names "Aurora" or "Juliet" (middle name still TBD... although we do have a short-list for that too, but we're going to keep that to ourselves for now), and we have both accepted the idea that we'll pick her name when we see her sweet face. I am truly okay with that, and do genuinely like both names so I will be happy with whichever name we choose for her.

However, it's a little weird from the "bonding" perspective. From my experience, there are definitely different levels on bonding that I have noticed that I experience with my babies as they grown in my tummy. There's the initial bonding of just finding out that they exist. Then there's further bonding that occurs when I first hear a heartbeat or see them on an ultrasound. Then further bonding when I learn the gender... I suppose because at that point I am able to buy clothes and decor specifically for that child so things seem very real. In the past, finding out the gender also meant being able to call the baby by name, which, to me, also attaches a personality to him/her (whether it's his/her actual personality or not) and makes the family dynamic that is to come seem more real. Because I attach all of that to having a name, it's very weird not having that "personality" to bond with, as opposed to just thinking of her as "Baby Girl". Decorating her room in a very specific theme and buying her clothes that are different from the clothes that I picked out for Annabelle definitely helps with forming her uniqueness in my head, but then I get a little bummed in the decorating department too when I can't buy or make something personalized with an initial or name that is unique to her.

Maybe this whole thing has more to do with my need to organize, plan, and have everything perfect than it does with bonding, but either way, not knowing her name yet is a weird concept for me. I'm really looking forward to seeing her face and getting to know her a little bit so that we can decide whether she is a "Juliet" or an "Aurora". Hopefully we don't take too long to decide. :)

P.S. In case you didn't get the memo, the "Paris Melbourne" name was just an April Fools' Day joke, despite the fact that both Annabelle and I have started to fall for the name "Paris" (but not Melbourne) since then.