All right, dear readers, do you care to join in on the naming of our new grandbaby boy, due mid-January? It's only fair to say there is no prize offered here, nor any commitment that Jean will use a name you offer. Just want to see what you come up with.

First, a reminder, we have only one letter to contend with - U - and it should be Biblical.

Sorry it's the least appealing, in my opinion, but the family tradition has been to use vowels as initials. Abigail is the firstborn, a junior in college. Deborah Esther, who goes by Esther, started college late last summer. Isaac is well named. His name means "laughter," and a cheerful seventh-grader he is.

When our first biological grandson was born in 2003, and with long deliberation, his parents decided to name him Samuel Obed. His mom calls him Samuel, his dad calls him Obed, and when he's in trouble, he gets both names, of course. I'm not supposed to call him a nickname, but when it's just the two of us, he does hear Sam or Sam-I-Am or Sammy. His last name, Withnell, does not offer an easy initial to work with.

Obed, by the way, really has excellent credentials: It was the name of King David's grandfather, hence in the line of Jesus.

So, the sonogram says the new baby is a boy. Jean calls him Baby U, and I'll tell you later what they've already chosen. �

First, a letter from a pastor friend who obviously put a lot of research into this:

"There was man named Ulam from First Chronicles whose sons were mighty.�And then there is Ulla, and Ummah in the Old Testament, and don't forget Unni and Unno, and of course the Greek Urbanus, from Romans.�Uriel and my favorite Uzzia. If twins, there is Uzza and Uzzi to choose from.�See, lots of possibilities. Am I helpful or what?"

Or what, Ellie. Uzi?

I consulted several Web sites and found that Ulla means "to fill up." Not a good choice during a time of gas shortages and high prices, and not identified as Biblical.

A few more (not necessarily Biblical, but a middle name like "John" would take care of that):

Uilliam - Irish form of William

Ulrich - Power of the wolf

Ulysses - Hero of Homer's Odyssey

Umberto - Color of Earth

Uri, Ury - My light

Urian - Light from heaven

Uriel - Angel of light

Urso - Bear

Uther - father of King Arthur

Uziah - The Lord is my strength, a king of Judah

Here are a couple from Grandma:

Unity - Means just that, and could be a talisman in troublous times

Ural - The Euro-Asian mountain range

Ute, Utah - Member of Shoshone tribes who inhabited Western states

That's enough. Naming a baby is serious business. Your name becomes as much a part of you as your nose, and in its written form may precede you when you are applying for a position, for example, or writing an important letter. As the saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

The ancients believed that learning someone's name gives one an almost mystic power over him or her. I'm always startled when someone answers the phone, "Hi, Sallie," before I've even said hello. I know how they know, but I'm still taken aback.

The telephone used to impart something of a veil of privacy. That is no more, in these days of Caller-ID and speakerphones.

Don't think I'm on a campaign to upset Jean and Brian's plans. They both know how to ignore me cheerfully, without hurting my feelings. The last time I heard from them on this subject, Uriah appears to have won the competition, with a simple monosyllabic second name like John.

You recall Uriah, the loyal officer in King David's army. When David seduced Uriah's wife Bathsheba (or was it the other way around?) and she became pregnant, he ordered Uriah home for a furlough, hoping that Uriah would later assume Bathsheba's child was his own.

But noble Uriah insisted on sleeping with his troops, believing, as many did, that having sex would deplete his strength. The king further abused his power by ordering Uriah placed in the front ranks where he could not possibly survive the battle.

Ellie wrote: "Uriah is the Hittite and Bathsheba's dumped husband - not very inspiring for a kid. However, apparently Uriah was steadfast and had a high sense of duty."�

His name means "God is my light."

I'd love to hear your ideas. I can live with whatever they do, especially if they include a good simple (and also Biblical) name like John in the middle.

Just as long as my second grandson does not have to remain Unknown.