Baby Miller has a name!

We've chosen a name for our baby girl! Our daughter's name is...

Lila Caroline Miller

I'm actually surprised we've decided on a name so quickly, but with Neil being so picky we had so few names to choose from, so the choice ended up being pretty easy. He really only liked Lila from my top choices for first names, and we compromised on the middle name. Lila is pronounced LIE-lah. I really wanted Lila Mae. Mae is my grandma's middle name and I really wanted to use it, but it does sound a little silly/country with our last name. Neil wanted a more substantial middle name to go with Lila. So, Lila Caroline it is!

It's funny, I wrote a blog post about baby names last October, and my top choice for a girl then was Lila Madeleine. So obviously I'm really happy with our selection and I'm glad Neil likes it too!

Now we're just waiting for Miss Lila to get here. We can't wait to meet her!

Baby Names Up for Grabs

I've got a collection of beautiful baby girl names that have been tossed out/rejected/vetoed by my lovely husband. Free to a good home!

Names we will not be using...

Fiona
Lydia
Adele
Maia

I'm happy to report we are getting closer to agreeing on a name, it's just none of those above!

This naming thing is harder than I thought. It would be super easy if I didn't have to get a picky husband to agree with me! He's worth it though.

Hopefully by February our little girl will have a name!

Baby Name Bonanza

I will begin this post with a warning: I am a little obsessed with baby names!

I have loved names and naming since I was a teenager and I bought a baby name book for $3 at a flea market. Since then I've purchased 4 or 5 more books on names and I've read and posted regularly on baby name message boards.

I realize it's kind of a weird hobby, but I love coming up with combos (first and middle names), sibsets (names for siblings that "go together") and of course dreaming up the perfect names for my future children. I also know a lot about naming trends, popularity, etc. I even read my baby name books before I go to bed!

Since we are getting closer to actually having a baby sometime soon, I'm really starting to try to refine my name choices and get down to ones I can actually imagine using.

I do have some qualities I'm looking for in a name. Nothing trendy or creatively spelled. Must be a real name with meaning. I prefer names that are short or can be shortened into a cute nickname. I want a classic but not boring name - I have a very common last name so it has to be a bit unique. No names with bad associations or are the same or close to kids we know.

Here are my favorites right now:

Girls

• Adele
• Lila
• Maia
• Felicity
• Clara

Boys

• Finn
• Ezra
• Colin
• Owen
• Graham

I have a lot of combos for these names - Neil and I both love Sebastian for a boy's middle name, so I'm thinking that might just stick. As for girls, I love Madeleine, Caroline, Isabel and Annabel for middle names.

There are a few boys names that I love but can't use for a variety of reasons:

Evan - bad association
Miles - bad association
Griffin - our best friends have a dog named Griffey
Kieran - acquaintances have a son with this name
Eli - I work with a female Eli (nickname for Elizabeth)
Kai - bad association (though I love the name Caius with the nickname Cai)

Oh well, this is definitely a work in progress - I'll keep you updated as we get closer to a name. I haven't found the one that I love yet. Right now the front runners are:

Owen Sebastian and Lila Madeleine

Here are some of my favorite baby name sites if you need some inspiration:

Message boards
Behind the Name
Babynames.com

Sites and blogs
Baby Name Wizard
Name Berry
SSA Baby Name Popularity