What's in a name?

"That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title..."

Right?  Doesn't matter the name... my baby will who he or she is no matter their name.

That is what I keep telling myself as I try to be a good wife.

Remember me telling you that I thought we had a girl's name and a boy's name that we both agreed on?  Well, turns out I lied... but I didn't know I was lying.

On our anniversary, Mark broke his silence that he didn't really like the name-compromise that I came up with for the boy and he told me his dream boy name.  I don't like it.  Turns out, he doesn't really like the girl's name I chose!!!  WAY TO SPEAK UP, MARK!!!  So, what I am trying to do is name-compromise in a different way.  If he is biting his tongue about my girl's name, then I should be able to bite my tongue about his boy's name.  If I know it's what he really wants.

I'm trying to be a good wife.  And sometimes I don't do such a good job at that.  So, I'm trying.

I say the name to myself in the mirror.  I practice "yelling" at my child (weird, right?)  I say the name over and over in my head throughout the day.  I try to picture myself with a son whose name is

Gotcha.  Thought I might slip, huh!?

But really, I am trying to imagine a little boy with his daddy's cheeks and his mama's hair with this particular name.  I'm tying to picture the little stinker with just a diaper on waddling around my house as I run after him as he's giggling the little baby giggle.  I try to picture him touching my face and laughing at his dad's goofy-ness.  It's hard, but I'm doing it for my husband.  He's doing it for me because I've expressed how much I'm really liking my baby girl's name and he deserves my support for his baby boy's name.

That's what a marriage is all about, right?  Doing things for each other that you wouldn't probably do for anyone else... agreeing on a name that you wouldn't have necessarily chosen yourself.

No matter what, my son is going to be amazing whether he's a Frank, a Kareem, or a Mossy Oak (actual suggestions from our family members.  Thanks, guys!)

Seriously, what's in a name anyway?