We've had a lot of babies in our friends' circle recently...and four other couples we know are expecting in December/January. Which brings us to a very interesting topic of conversation- baby names! Most parents these days strive for "unique" names, because their bundle of joy is undoubtedly one-of-a-kind. So they go trolling baby name websites, Hindu (and Greek!) mythology, the meaning of flower/song/princess in foreign languages and whatever else they can lay their hands on for inspiration. I'm sure we'll end up jumping all the same hoops when we have a baby. But the most coincidental thing is that we now know SIX girls, all under the age of 2, three of whom have a Slavic rendition of the name Anna, and another three that have the Greek translation of poppy.  Quite something huh? And I thought my name was common!

Another major criteria for choosing names is how easily others can pronounce it. In the US, that's a big deal, because the wrong accent on an alphabet could perhaps turn your son from a prince to a frog..metaphorically speaking! So my husband's colleague has something that really caught my attention...its called the "Starbucks test". Take your name for a cup of coffee...if the barista can pronounce it easily, its yours, else go back to the drawing board. Ingenious, I tell you! :)