Intelligender doesn't work.

So Brandie is 17 1/2 weeks pregnant.. nearly halfway along.

First - a product review of Intelligender. To be a good netizen consumer, I hereby submit to the Google Index that this product doesn't work. Brandie and I tried it out of curiousity. It says it is "urine analysis with a proprietary mix of chemicals reacting with hormones to determine the gender of your baby" (sounds kinda pseudo-science eh?) Our doctor said two other parents tried it and it was wrong in both cases. When we tried it, the pee turned to a murky mix that at our best guess seemed like the boy color. The result is probably more due to what you ate for dinner than the gender of the baby.

Today, we found out we will be having a girl! Finding out what my first child will be is exciting... if not a bit scary. I grew up with one brother, so raising a girl will be new territory. At least I've gotten to watch my brother go first...

Now that we know... the name games can begin. I have some very straightforward criteria for naming my child:

1. The name must be a classic, american, & timeless (e.g. no trendy names to be common in the Class of 2028 fraternities & sororities - like Kip or Heather of '92)
2. The full name must evoke proper consonance & rhythm when spoken (e.g. sixth sick sheikh = bad; crack apple jack = good)
3. Last but not least, the name must be rooted in a story and meaning (e.g. an ancestor or inspiring person)
   

When we didn't know boy/girl.. some of the boy names I liked were Andrew, Anderson (my mother's maiden), or some heroic, liberty rooted names like Clint, Wyatt, Jackson, Freeman, Jefferson, or Henry.

Now that we know it's a girl... there is one name that stands out for me: Sophie Ann Vincent (Brande prefers 'Sophia'). Ann is Brandie's mother's middle name (and part of Anderson). Sophie is a beautiful name... and inspired by Sophie Scholl - a brave girl who died at Nazi hands when she was captured pamphleteering against them. The name means "wisdom". We'll see.. it's still early & we may be inspired by a different name idea. Whatever her name will be, I'm looking forward to meet my baby girl!

---

UPDATE 9/9/2009:

According to the Social Security website, Sophia is in the top 10 popular baby names right now (#3 in California). That breaks my rule #1 on not being a "Heather/Jennifer/Amy" of the future. After going back to the drawing board, I must say we've agreed to the perfect name... I love it more than Sophia. It's classic, timeless, and deeply meaningful to me. It took some convincing with Brandie, but I conceded she'll have final name on the next baby. To be announced when she's born....