Many of you already know but for those of you who do not, Tiffany and I are expecting our second child in June of this year.

We’re excited at the possibility of raising another child here in Marengo County and look forward to treading back down the paths Lizzie took us down with her arrival in 2004.

Tiffany and I had an agreement when we found out that we were expecting Lizzie: If it was a girl, she got to name the baby. If it was a boy, then I got to name him.

Obviously, we were blessed with a little girl, thus naming rights went to the mother.

Shortly after Tiffany picked out her name, I added an addendum to our verbal agreement.

Should we be blessed with a second child, I would pick the name, regardless.

That sounded all well and good nearly six years ago; however, being saddled with such responsibility is more than what I expected.

Your name is a big deal. I should know. You misspell one name in the newspaper, and the phone rings all day.

Your name says a lot about you, and as a Dad, you want your kid’s name to be cool.

I’ve often wondered if a person’s name has anything to do with their life’s successes and whether or not it provides any direction in that child’s life.

With that in mind, I’ve taken quite a shine to George Washington Cannon or Vincent “Bo” Cannon if it’s a boy and Harper Lee Cannon or Marie Curie Cannon if it’s a girl.

Those names are surely good ones to lay the foundation to success in life.

But, while those names are nice, they’re not overtly “cool.”

I’ve been trying to come up with some names in my head. It helps to use them in a sentence.

When I’m thinking of boys’ names, I think to myself: “Now starting at middle linebacker for YOUR Dallas Cowboys, (insert name here.)”

If I’m brainstorming girls’ names I think, “Paging Doctor (insert name here) to surgery. Doctor (insert name here) to surgery. STAT.”

I have promised myself that I would pick out a name before we find out the sex of the baby, which we will likely know next week. I do not like calling the baby “it,” “him” or “her.” It should have a proper name and I’m bound to find one by my self-imposed deadline.

The name of choice is likely to be the first one on the tip of my tongue as soon as the sonogram comes into focus, so let’s hope I’m focused.

I would hate for the starting middle linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys to be named Celine Dion Cannon.

Jason Cannon is the editor and publisher of the Demopolis Times.