You are the echo of my heart..... but that name still sucks.

Does everyone else remember where they were when they heard that Shrimp and Eric were going to name their new beautiful baby girl Echo? I know, we were all shell-shocked that the baby got here earlier than expected and we found out it was a girl! And we were all just so excited that the only real downer for the day was the name. Echo? Really?

It just didn't fit. She was such a beautiful baby. In case you need a refresher, here she is, just a few days old.


Yes, she was gorgeous right from the start



Echo seems like a name that would belong to a fugly baby that was birthed from a crunchy granola chick with other kids named crap like "Birch" or "Shadow". Shrimp and Eric are (relatively) normal, so the name was a shock.



And middle name? Michelle. Seriously, there was just no upside to that name. Of course, now the name fits her because we're used to it but I still think she should have had a pretty name, like Juliania or Francesca. I mean, look at this kid. She's gorgeous! Not a granola bone in her body.

Ask her about recycling and she just says, "I no cycling, Anna". If that's not an earth-hater, I don't know what is.

But that brings me to the point of this blog. Names. It's what our parents cursed us with and what we'll do or have done to our own children, like it or not. I think it would be awesome if we could change our first names with every major life change: starting kindergarten, puberty, graduation, marriage. That way we'd have some control over what we're referred to as every day. As it is, we're stuck with our names. Sure, you could change it later, but good luck trying to get all your friends and family to call you something new.



Sorry about the birth certificate- I was trying to catch Osama Bin Laden



Take my name, for example. Anna. I hate it. It's boring, I have no alternative, the only thing it rhymes with is 'banana' (hey, spoiler alert every person on the planet, I've heard that one before!), and the worst part? Think about this: no matter what you're watching, and irrelevant of nationality, the small, hunched over cleaning lady that they call in to clean up the puke is going to be named Anna. Seriously, I've done my due diligence with this one so I know of what I speak. If anything, it could have been longer. I always wished when I was little and they were calling names out on the first day of school (when they read out the first, middle, and last names) that my name was really Anastasia so at least it'd make Anna sound cooler. And to suck it up even more? My middle name is Michelle. Just like Echo. I begged them to reconsider her middle name at least but that was a no go.

This subject has been the hot topic for the last week, as I suspect it will be for at least another  4 months or so, since Roughie discovered she was pregnant last week. Since then, the name obsession has begun. I get at least one phone call a day with the latest, "Tell me if this sounds stupid" name list. And I gotta admit, most of them do so far. But she's totally OCD and I expect this to not only continue, but to ramp up exponentially until she finally decides on some names. Forget about waiting to find out what she's having: that's way too far away. She needs help and she needs it now.

So here's what she's done. She's set up a website with her list of names and you get to go online and vote thumbs up or down on the names. She's very excited that everyone who reads this will get to go online and vote on her names; the more input, the better. But first, here's a little background. She has an Italian last name, so keep that in mind. For the sake of this post, we'll say it's Manicotti. Just imagine a first name that goes with that. And her other kids have normal names: Ben, Ryan, and Julia. So even if you like the name, ask yourself if a "Brogan Manicotti" would fit in with the rest of the kids. I'll give you the link at the end of the post.

Also, feel free to chime in with your comments. If you have a super awesome name but the thought of sleeping with that man that you secretly refer to as 'the future late Mr. your-last-name-here'  in order to reproduce another spawn from Satan is just too much to handle, then now's your chance! You could live vicariously through Roughie if the name is cool enough. Examples of a cool name? McLovin. Upgrayyed. Rebate.Wifi. Female pronounced to rhyme with tamale. I'm just trying to get your creative juices flowing here. But FYI, Bobby and I have dibs on all those names.

Here are the names to avoid, since they are the top 10 of 2010 (we want to avoid trendy- remember all the Makaylas and McKenzies and Brittanys?) :

Girls' Names Sophia Isabella Olivia Emma Chloe Ava Lily Madison Addison Abigail

Boys' Names Aiden Jacob Jackson Ethan Jayden Noah Logan Caden Lucas Liam

Although I have to admit that I like most of these names. What can I say? I'm a follower. And naturally, Roughie has Ava listed at leat 18 times on her list. We are such dorks.

One recommendation I have is to think of the nickname. If it's too short and there is no nickname, then that'll suck later for the kid if, like me, they hate their name because then there is NO ALTERNATIVE. On the other hand, you can have a really cool name like Harrison, but do you like the nickname Harry? Because it'll most likely happen. Imagine worst case scenario.

Okay people, it's go time. Go to the link, vote on the names, and give Roughie your best recommendations. Some poor kid is going to have to live with this name for the rest of their lives. No pressure!

http://www.babynames.com/namelist/9795779