The great name debate

I am admittedly indecisive when it comes to, well, everything. I could pay those closest to me to disagree, but it's  tough to hide the truth.

When our weekend date night rolls around, I'm out of ideas. Movie out or a cheap rental in? A stroll around the outdoor mall or the nearby park? Ice cream for dessert or creme brulee?

On evenings when cooking isn't' on my to-do list - a phenomenon that happens much too often - I never know what to grab in its place: Chinese? Pizza? Carry-our from our favorite eatery?

I seem to need a second opinion on everything from what flowers and shrubs to plant in front of our house to the type of decor needed to dress up our living and family rooms to the gifts to buy for birthdays and holidays.

I even seek suggestions about topics I choose for this column. In fact, I was so unsure of what to write this time that you were almost reading, "This page intentionally left blank." Much to the amusement of my editor, I'm sure.

So you can imagine my ensuing panic when I realize I'd have to decide on the name our baby will forever bear.

I'm having a hard enough time making a commitment to a nursery theme, which is only a short-term setup until the preschooler outgrows the cutesy newborn trimmings.

A few weeks ago, upon learning my husband and I are going to have a girl, I stopped into a baby store on the way home from work, eager to purchase her first outfits. I couldn't wait to finally shop for my own little one after spoiling others' for so many years.

But after walking in and out of the same aisles, overwhelmed by purple and pink layettes, I suddenly felt the urge to reach for my phone and dial my mom.

Surprisingly, I'd forgotten how to buy baby clothes. I couldn't decide on pajamas with footies or gowns; dresses or sweater and pant sets; or whether I should stock up on socks.

Surely she could tell me what to choose and what sizes I would need.

She could make up my mind.

But then I stopped, put my phone away, took a deep breath and refocused. Though it may have taken me a while I finally settled on an assortment of pajamas to get our baby girl through her first few nights.

And then I celebrated my mini victory, my first motherly moment.

Unfortunately, it was short-lived.

Later that night, when I pulled out the "100,000-Plus Baby Names" book - by first mistake, considering I couldn't choose between pink and purple - I slipped back into the old habit. Each name I considered I also second-guessed. Would family and friends like it? Would it fit our daughter as a toddler, a high-school senior, a career woman? Would she be filled with resentment about her moniker and one day demand it be changed?

After momentarily brushing these thoughts aside, I made my second mistake - I sent my mom a text with my wish list that included a name and its meaning I've long adored, but worried its rareness wouldn't catch on.

And she vetoed every one.

Of course I did the same when her list arrived in my e-mail inbox.

Fortunately, this game, which my co-workers hear weekly updates about, has subsided for now. Though I'm not quite sure who is winning.

I reason that whatever name we decide on, it could always be worse. We're not going with a name that's off the 100 most popular list, so she won't have to go by her last name throughout her school years.

And we're certainly not choosing to be part of the wackiest names contest, which Hollywood seems to be leading. Somehow, I can't imagine our daughter wanting to be named after a flower or a fruit - see Bluebell, Dandelion, Fuchsia and Petal Blossom Rainbow - or with no rhyme or reason, like Diva Muffin, Ever Gabo, Freedom, Java, Mars and Moon Unit.

You can't make this stuff up, yet it seems a few celebrities did.

As new parents, choosing our baby's name will be among the biggest first decisions we make. And I realize it should be an enjoyable experience, not one steeped in uncertainty.

So this is one decision I've made, at least until tomorrow when I change my mind: when the baby's delivery day arrives, hopefully in early December, she'll have the perfect name waiting for her because it will be the one only she can carry. And it will represent the first of many decisions we'll be making for her.