Naming this baby wasn't easy...

...and I realize it was my fault.  I am the one with all the crazy baby-naming rules. 

But Jeff didn't make it any easier. He had no problem crossing names off the list without any real reason behind it.  He'd randomly veto a name because he didn't like how it sounded.  I, at least, had a clear set of rules to guide my decision.   

Here's a recap of the rules I had for naming this child:

• The name, when written, cannot go below the line.  No lowercase y, p, g, j, or q allowed.

• There are also some uppercase letters that I just don't like writing so they are out too.  (Told you they were strange rules.)  I don't particularly like writing the uppercase letters G, Y, A, or F.

• The name of my child my NOT be one of a pesky student that I had.  I taught for eleven years...that rules out a lot of names.

• I will not name my child the same name as a friend.  Friend can be a loose term these days with Facebook, Twitter, and all the blogs I read.  Since I make the rules, I can decide whether or not this friend's child's name is a contender or not.

• For those of you who know us personally, you know that our last name can be tricky to match up with a first name.  (Trust me on this one.)  It is a hard sounding, one syllable last name that starts with an S.  So guess what...S names are out too.  (Jeff would beg to differ, but I make the rules remember!)

• My son and daughter will not both start with the same letter, so L names are out.  We are already Jeff and Jen...Leila and L-something would be too much for me.

We are officially calling this baby boy...Carson.

We love it for many reasons...  

• It has a strong sound to it
• It's fun to write
• I don't know of any non-famous people named Carson
• It's not super-popular or super-unique (ranked #83 in 2012)
• It follows all my crazy baby-naming rules!

Thank you for all of the suggestions.  The name we chose was actually suggested more than once!

I know a lot of people choose not to share their unborn baby's name.  Many times they don't want to hear people's negative reaction or they want it to be a surprise for their family.  Sometimes parents can't commit to a name until the baby is born!  

Not us.  We chose to share both Leila and Carson's name before they were born for one simple reason...to help us connect with our unborn baby. Hopefully it helps you connect with him too! 

Carson, your big sister cannot wait to meet you.  See you in March!

Did you share your child's name before they were born?