All parents ruminate on what to name their child. They go through baby-naming books. Suggestions from family and friends. Fads of the day. Boy, girl, the process is nearly ceaseless. Sleepless nights. And even after the baby is born, there are still days, perhaps weeks that go by with nary a name but the sex of the child.
I have the extra benefit of being Japanese American. Traditionally, many third and fourth generation JAs had a Japanese middle name. It was optional. A number of my cousins did not.
My mom wanted a girl. She professed to me as an adult that she always wanted a girl (yeah,…