In just a couple hours, I’ve received dozens of name suggestions—and maybe even more if my email worked. (If you’ve emailed today or yesterday, please resend.) Thanks for all the help, but it’s time for some criteria. As well meaning as some of you may be, Hayden-Jayden-Aiden-Cayden is, well, in violation of Naming Criteria #1.

1. Thou shalt not submit any trendy names. Check out any of the popular name lists. We liked “Ethan” for awhile, but being #3 on the Top Names for 2005 list, he got scratched.

2. Preference is given to names with more than one syllable. Bonus attention to names with three syllables, as all the siblings have three syllable names.

3. The name must have a good meaning. If we were Indians, I’d be happy with something like Sleeps Through the Night or Works Hard in the Garden. This is why “Aiden”—which means “fire”—would never work. Besides, Aiden is also in violation of Rule #1, being the #1 name for 2005.

4. My husband has to like it.

5. It has to be a little unusual, so the long held “Timothy” got scratched. But my four-year-old has a book called Timothy Turtle, and she’s still vying for it. I also thought it’d be sweet to have a plump cheeked, cookie fisted toddler that we could call “Timmy,” but this violated Section 4 of the Criteria list.

6. We settled on Charles Wesley Finney Sunday Moody, but our pastor wouldn’t baptize him.

So, thank you all for helping, and keep them coming!