For weeks Luke and I have thought about what name would best suite our child, but this task is harder than some may think. You don’t want to give them a name that will scar him/her for life. We all remember the kids in elementary school that would pick on the chubby kids or the ones with names that rhymed with something gross (Deon Pee-on and Doug the Slug). I don’t desire for my child to endure that torture….school/life is hard enough.

Luke and I are still on the hunt for the best name for our child, but we found these great steps to consider before naming a child on babycenter.com. Take a look and hopefully they will help you too if you are in the same boat as we are.

Here are some important factors to consider when you’re deciding on a name:

• Sound and compatibility. How your baby’s name sounds when it’s said aloud is one of the most essential things to think about. Is it melodious? Harsh? Does it go well with your last name? One thing to avoid: Choosing a first name that ends in the same sound as the beginning of your last name. Bradley Yardley and Sierra Adams don’t exactly roll off the tongue.

• Uniqueness. An unusual name has the advantage of making your child stand out from the crowd. On the other hand, a name no one has heard of and few can pronounce can bring attention your child might rather avoid. Spelling variations can help make a name unique, but choosing a name with numerous spellings can sow confusion in your child’s life for years to come.

• Relatives and friends. Many parents choose to name their babies after a grandparent, other relative, or close friend. Don’t want too many Johns in your house? Look way back in your family tree for hidden treasures. And if you’re worried about hurt feelings, consider a first name from one side of the family and a middle name from the other. According to a BabyCenter survey, middle names are a must for most parents; 98 percent give their child a middle name, with 7 percent of those parents giving their child two or more middle names.

• Ancestry and heritage. Your child’s heritage is an essential part of who he is, and you may want his name to reflect that. Read history books focusing on your family’s country of origin to find appropriate possibilities.

• Meaning. No one is likely to treat your daughter Ingrid differently because her name means “hero’s daughter,” but the derivation of your baby’s name is something you may want to think about. Use BabyCenter’s Baby Name tool to learn the meaning of over 5,000 names.

• Initials and nicknames. People, especially kids, can be cruel when it comes to nicknames, so try to anticipate any potentially embarrassing ones. Consider your child’s initials as well, so you don’t inadvertently saddle him with a doozy like Z.I.T. or P.E.E.

How your baby’s growing:
Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces, and he measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the length of a small zucchini. His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine, and the hair on his scalp is sprouting. This is a crucial time for sensory development: Your baby’s brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. If your baby is a girl, she has an astonishing 6 million eggs in her ovaries. They’ll dwindle to fewer than two million by the time she’s born.

Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby’s development.

How your life’s changing:
You’re just a week shy of the halfway mark. You may notice some achiness in your lower abdomen (perhaps extending to your groin) or even an occasional quick, sharp, stabbing pain on one or both sides, especially when you change position or at the end of an active day. This is round ligament pain, and it’s caused by the stretching of the muscles and ligaments that support your growing uterus. It’s nothing to be alarmed about, but if the pain is persistent and continues even when you’re resting, or is severe or accompanied by cramping, call your practitioner.

We’ve begun the process of registering at the various places one sets up a baby registry. We’ve only just begun to add items but feel free to start shopping or to make suggestions or recommendations. It can be a bit overwhelming so anybody with a little experience can probably offer an idea about items we may have missed or problems with the things we’ve selected.

So far we have our Amazon Registry and our Babies”R”Us Registry. We will likely be adding individual items that are not available at either store but you can check out our Baby Registry page.

We have our ultrasound next week (July 26th) so after that, you can expect to find a plethora of rugged-boy or dainty-girl stuff plastered all over the registry (and our sites). And believe me, it’s been hard to resist the urge to add certain items already. Some things are just so darn cute (or cool) that you just got to have them. Even if you can’t use them. It’s bad enough I bought a pair of 12month old shark swim trunks - just in case.