So as you may have heard, we're expecting our third child in either early January or late December (date yet to be determined). We don't know yet if it will be a boy or a girl, but we'll find out on my birthday (August 21 - send presents!). And I've thought about it and talked with Shelly about it, and I've decided that since I've had such a hard time lately coming up with things to talk about on my blog, I am going to thoroughly document the process of naming our child for all the Internet to see, right here at the Welcome Matt.

A lot of people keep the name-picking process very private. For example, when my oldest brother was expecting his first kid (my first nephew), we asked him, "What are you going to name your kid?" and he answered, "We're not telling." So I said, "Ok, then, it doesn't matter what you name him - I'm just going to call him 'Scrappy.'" And I do. He's nine now, and I still call him "Scrappy." I think he has a real name, but I don't use it.

Even Shelly and I have been somewhat reserved about advertising our name choices before the birth of our two girls. With Ellie, we did tell people that the final four contenders were Elise, Johanna, Melissa, and Jane, but beyond that, the process was kind of private.

I suppose that's because people are possibly afraid that if they talk about what they're thinking of naming their kid, other people will make fun or offer unwelcome suggestions, or otherwise disapprove. And that's certainly a concern. But if you decide on a stupid name that other people don't like, they're going to find out eventually and disapprove anyway when they do. Maybe the difference is that once you've actually named the kid, it's not kosher to criticize the name.

But I don't care about that. Shelly and I really like to think about names (she suggests we put more thought into it than most couples, but I'm not sure - I think everyone just keeps it to themselves), and my blog is a place for me to think about things I like to think about. So in the coming months, I intend to lay it all out there for anyone who cares to see: what contenders we're considering, why we're putting certain restrictions on ourselves, why we eliminate certain choices, and where we're getting our suggestions. If someone happens to comment and criticize the name we like before the kid comes along, perhaps that will help us change our minds and the kid will avoid a lifetime of a stupid name. Don't worry - if I disagree with your comment or suggestion, I will just ignore it.

This third time around is a better time to do this than our first two times were, anyway. With Ellie, everything was so new and exciting, naming was just one of many great things to think about as we were preparing for her arrival. Now it's just about the only thing (unless it's a boy, in which case we'll have to buy some blue clothes too). Also, ever since Shelly heard that a couple in our Cambridge ward had named their daughter Ellie, she was pretty strong-minded about it, and my other suggestions didn't hold much sway. The opposite was true for Annie. I have wanted to name a daughter Johanna Lynn Astle for a very long time - much longer than I've even known Shelly. And since Shelly picked Ellie's name, I got the right to pick Annie's name. There wasn't even another name that was seriously considered (I humored some of Shelly's suggestions, but she knew as well as I did that this would be our Annie).

This time, it's wide open. Right now, there are probably 15 or 20 names of each gender that Shelly and I have batted back and forth (yes, we've already had several name-related conversations, even before we know which half of the name pool to disqualify). I'll disclose them soon (this post is already long enough). Any one of them could be the final pick - there is no overwhelming favorite. Heck, there aren't even three or four names that seem more likely than the others right now. It's going to be an interesting process winnowing this down.

And that interesting process is something I want to share with you, dear reader. Watch this space.