Hit by a Pitch

So, it’s still really early (19 weeks today), but I’m pretty sure we’ve decided on a first name for the kid. It was surprisingly easy, and I think the name is totally awesome. If anybody cares, which I doubt, I’ll maybe let you know what it is after our big ultrasound on Friday (after which we should know that everything is okay with little Jose Mesa). We came up with quite a few good options, which I’ll share with you below. The list also includes possible middle names, which we haven’t decided on yet.

As you’ll probably notice, we have odd taste. I tend to like names that are unusual but not so weird the kid will get beaten up or made fun of every day. I prefer names that are not in the top, say, 500 names in the SSA database. B is pretty agreeable and has given me dibs on the first name because we’re giving the kid his last name (after much debate).

These are in alphabetical order. Some are more serious than others and some have already been eliminated. A few are first-middle combos.

Czar (how bad ass would it be to be named Czar?)
Duke
Gray
Jose Mesa (of course, but not really)
Marley (cool but too doggy)
Miles
Ozzie Guillen (bonus: O.G. as a nickname)
Sage (this is too girly now)
Soren
Tobias
Walden
Wesley Willis
Wynton
Xavier (we really liked this, but I’ve heard several people pronounce it ex-za-vi-er, with four syllables, which kind of makes me hate it)
Zappa

Picking a middle name is harder than I thought it would be. I like the idea of using the name you’d like to use as a first name but don’t have the guts to do it — something really kind of out there. That said, our first name will be a little out there, so I don’t know if we should balance that with a more normal middle name. We want to avoid a middle name that starts with a vowel (we don’t want initials that spell a word) or the letter T (bad initials with our likely first name).

Of course I’d be happy to hear any suggestions, especially if they involve naming the kid after a White Sox or Bears player or coach. Ditka! Time for dinner!