Dear Reader,

Will you help me name the baby?

Save the congratulations, it's not mine. Don't plan any book club baby showers. I've raised four children and at this point in my life it would be a cruel joke if...well let's not even finish the sentence.

But my son and daughter-in-law are expecting their first child in January and they're finding parenthood a bit of a challenge right from the get-go. A baby boy is on the way, and they can't agree on a name--and believe me they've tried.

Last Sunday the soon-to-be parents even tried to convince their minister to poll the congregation. All those in favor of Paul, say "Amen," all those in favor of Owen, stand up and yell, "Hallelujah." The minister wisely side-stepped their request, but he did vote for his personal favorite.

I'm afraid to go anywhere with them anymore. It's getting a little embarrassing. Last week when we were in a restaurant I had to stop my son from tapping the water glass and announcing "Attention please. Would everyone put down their fork and listen up? My wife and I are in a disagreement and we desperately need your help. We can't decide what to name our baby..."

Of course I bought them a book. It has over 54,000 names and the cover assured me that, "Naming your baby has never been so easy." But I don't think so. My son and daughter-in-law read the book and they still can't agree on the same name. Naming a baby is complicated. The problem is they like a lot of names, but the ones they agree on like, Michael, David and Patrick, are already taken.

How can a name be taken? Well, my daughter-in-law comes from a big family and someone already has those names. And then there's the nickname problem, if they call their son William, the kids will end up calling him Will, or Bill, and if you really wanted a Henry, you might end up with a Hank, too.

The book suggests powerful names for winners such as Sydney and Graham. Want a doctor in the family? Name your child Suzanne or Peter. Trying to nurture a future lawyer, try the names Rachel or Quinn. Great names to grow up with are Samantha and Brian.

The names of two of my own children.) And Brian and Samantha were great yelling names too--another thing you need to consider when you're naming the baby. "Brian Tadd Beecher get in this house right now!" "Samantha Dawn Beecher I told you if you do that one more time...!" See how easily they roll off your tongue. They were great names to insert at the beginning of a get-in-here-or-else warning.

Will you help my son and daughter-in-law name their baby?

They've asked me to poll the book club readers. You get to pick the name. I'm not kidding. Whichever name gets the most votes, that's what I'll be calling my new grandson.

The choices are in alphabetical order: (please only vote once)

If you like the name, Owen Robert Beecher send an email to:
enter-to-win2@emailbookclub.com

Or, if you like the name, Paul Robert Beecher send an email to:
enter-to-win3@emailbookclub.com

Please cast your vote by Wednesday, September 6th. Of course, I'll let you know the results.

Gotta go, it's time to cast my vote!

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher