How are you choosing names?

"Ross and I already knew our girl name even before we found out I was pregnant. That one was easy (we even have a back up name, just in case the first doesn't fit). Choosing a boy's name has proven much harder. In general we're looking to family and traditional names, but may have to expand that spectrum if we're to agree on a boy's name.

Picking a name is a lot more emotional and powerful than either of us expected. We have decided to keep all the options under wraps because we have heard many a story of parents-to-be sharing the name of their future child and then getting a rash of responses like, "you can't name her that!" or, "so you do love Uncle Tommy better than me?" or, "ugh, I had a teacher named Jane that I just hated," and so forth. Also uncomfortable for some parents was when friends and family would refer to the baby by his future name before birth. I hear it can feel somewhat ominous when that happens."
--Clare, 10/27/05