Wow, long time no blog. Things have been very busy because, you know, I just had a baby. But i've really missed blogging and I am going to try and get back into the swing of posting a couple times a week.
One of the things I have always loved about having so many children is naming them. Of course there is so much more I love about having a large family- all the laughs and smiles and hugs- but naming my children has always been special and memorable and heartfelt for me.
With all of our biological children, Wren and I found out their genders before they were born. I am such a planner and have such OCD that I must know for planning purposes. You know, nurseries, outfits, names, etc. But it has been much easier finding out their genders than naming them. I am so glad Mother Nature (is it her? Not sure.) gives Wren and I nine months to pick a name, because if we had less than nine months we wouldn't be able to decide. With some of our pregnancies, naming our children was easy, but with others it was very hard and long. Regardless it was worth the wait!
Naming our adopted children was a little different. Of course the process wasn't the same as being pregnant. I didn't carry Kenyan, Amari, Ira, and Arlet for nine months and I knew in advance whether they were girls or boys. Both of our adoptions (Amari and Kenyan were one & Ira and Arlet were another), were very different and required a different amount of preparation. For example, with the boys we only had three months to prepare, but with the girls we had a year-and-a-half. This means that we had that long to choose their names... or change them if we wanted. Confused? Well, Kenyan, Amari, Ira, and Arlet already had names when we adopted them, but Wren and I were given the opportunity to change them. This is something we really struggled with. Should we give them American names OR should we keep the names that represent where they came from? Eventually we chose the second option and decided to change their middle names to American names. Our biological children have names that honor a family member and represent their history, so we wanted the same for our adopted children; and in this case, this means that honoring their Ethiopian heritage. I am so glad we did this, and whenever I say "Amari" or "Kenyan" or "Ira" or "Arlet" I always think about how special it is that my children have unique names and how much of a privilege it is, through the miracle of adoption, that my four little Ethiopians are magically mine.
Maya is named after her great-grandmother (Wren's grandma) who passed away a year before she was born. Maya was her her first great-grandchild, who she unfortunately never got to meet, so Wren and I felt like this would be the perfect way to honor her great grandmother. Now Maya will always have a piece of her great-grandmother with her, who was a wonderful woman, one that Wren and I hope Maya can grow up to be like- caring, powerful, responsible, and so much more. Her middle name is Caroline, after my mother, whom I also wanted to honor. Now and always, Maya will have a piece of two amazing women in her heart who are inspirational and role models. This is the perfect name for my Maya Caroline!
Kenyan and Amari's biological mother was from Kenya, so that is how Kenyan got his first name. It fits Kenyan perfectly and I am happy he will always have a piece of his biological mother and her history in his heart. Kenyan's middle name is Samuel, after Wren's father. When we told him we were going to adopt a baby (at the time we didn't know we'd be adopting twins), Wren's father suspected that the baby would be a boy. And he was right! Samuel is such a noble, wise man and Kenyan is just like him: very observant, cautious yet adventurous, and a leader. Such a perfect name for my boy. Add the first and middle name together and you get Kenyan Samuel!
When Wren and I found out that our second son's name would be Amari, we instantly fell in love with it. Amari is such a handsome name, and we knew it would fit a handsome little man. He was named by one of his orphanage caretakers who felt the name would suit him, and that it has. Amari means "brave" and this is one of the best words to describe him. Amari lived a very scary life in Ethiopia, one that gave him PTSD when he came home to us in the United States. And not only did he have to be brave in Ethiopia, but he had to be brave when he came home to a new world in the United States surrounded by new people. But Amari has adjusted well and he is now a thriving, strong little man. His middle name is Thomas, after my father. My father has five daughters and always wished for a son, so when he found out that we were adopting two boys he was SO excited. My father has always cherished having two grandsons and he loves my boys so much. He and Amari have always had a special relationship, and I can tell every day that Amari is truly a mini Thomas, just like his grandpa. What a perfect name: Amari Thomas!
When I found out I was pregnant with my second daughter I was absolutely thrilled. There is nothing like being the mother to a little girl; my girls and I just have such a special relationship! Anyways, Gianna was the easiest baby to name! The day Wren and I found out we would be adding a girl to our family, we went out to lunch and started discussing baby names. Ella- no. Ariel- no. Gianna- yes! We walked into the restaurant with no name for our baby and walked out with the perfect name. Next up was choosing her middle name. This was also very easy, especially because we knew we'd be continuing on with the family names. Wren and I chose Katherine after Wren's mother, who we felt would be just like her grandmother. When I was pregnant, Gianna was a very calm baby: she never kicked, I didn't have any cravings or morning sickness, and her birth was so easy. Just like my pregnancy, Wren's mother is kind, calm, and peaceful... and we felt like this would the perfect middle name for our baby girl. Five years later this name is still perfect for my Gianna Katherine!
My third daughter and fifth child's name is Ira. When I first met my daughter in an orphanage in Ethiopia, I had never seen a picture of her and was eager to put a face to the name. All I knew was that her name was Ira. But when I walked into the orphanage and was surrounded by tons of little girls, I knew, just knew, that the little girl with the gorgeous green eyes sitting in the corner was my girl. And I was right! I walked up to her and said "Hi, i'm your Mommy" and she looked up at me and said "I Ira." Ira, what a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. Her name means watchful, and this is perfect for her and fits who she is: a very watchful little girl with very watchful, observant, big eyes. Ira's middle name is Alexandria, after my grandmother. Grandma Ira loved children so much and passed away right before we adopted the girls. She was the first one to tell me "I think you should adopt again" and soon after Wren and I made the decision to do just that. A year-and-a-half later, my beautiful daughter became mine. I love my Ira Alexandria so much!
Elaina was another easy baby to name. Just two years before I became pregnant with Elaina, my aunt passed away in a car accident. I was absolutely devestated and wasn't sure if i'd ever be the same again. My Aunt Elaina was one of my favorite people ever; we were so close and had a very special relationship. Before we found out if we were having a boy or a girl, Wren and I decided to name the baby Elliot for a boy and Elaina for a girl, both in honor and memory of my amazing aunt. Well, at 20 weeks gestation, when I found out I was pregnant with a girl, I began crying at the thought of having a daughter to name after my aunt. This name fits my daughter perfectly, and not a day goes by where I don't think about how Elaina is the spitting image of her auntie. What an honorable privilege! Elaina's middle name is Rose, which is the name my Aunt Elaina, the mother of four sons, had always loved. Such a special name for my special girl, Elaina Rose!
One night I had a dream that I had just given birth to a baby girl named Scarlett. It was a very imactful dream and stuck with me for the next couple months. During the couple months that passed, Wren and I were approved to adopt Ira and another baby girl, who we later found out was named Arlet. When I learned of this, I was shocked. Arlet is the same name as Scarlet, just without the first two letters. Looking back, I realize my dream was a sign that another baby (or two!) would be joining our family within the next year. How amazing! Her name is a type of spice and this is the perfect name for Arlet: a little spice! Arlet is adventurous, sassy, and has a little attitude... she sure is one spicy little girl. Arlet's middle name is Olivia, after the social worker who has helped my family with both of our adoptions. Thanks to her, four beautiful, special, amazing children have joined our family. How lucky are me and my family?! I cannot get enough of my daughter, Arlet Olivia!
As I have mentioned on this blog, my very last pregnancy was the toughest for deciding on a name. Wren and I found out at twenty weeks that we'd be having a baby girl, and dove immediately into choosing a name for her. Little did we know we'd have a very difficult time naming her... as in nine months! We just couldn't agree and probably threw out every single name in the world before we decided on Gabriella. I have always loved the name Gabriella, and all nicknames that come along with it: Gabi, Briella, Brie, etc. When I was pregnant with Maya, Gianna, and Elaina, I asked Wren if we could name the baby Gabriella, but every time he said no. Finally, with this last pregnancy I said, "you know, what if this is our last pregnancy? I love the name Gabriella and would be very sad if after four pregnancies, I didn't get to walk out of the hospital with a newborn named Gabriella... especially after a painful, long labor. Please honey, can we name the baby Gabriella?" and he said yes! But this was after nine months of struggling to figure out a name, so I suspect Wren was just sick and tired of trying to decide on a name. Her middle name is Lynett, after my husband's childhood nanny; who my husband just admires and adores. This baby was born eleven days ago, and it has been eleven days of bliss and blessings with my little Gabriella Lynette!
Well, there you have it! A very long post about how Wren and I came to name our children. How's that for a first post after a blogging hiatus? I love how each of my children are named after special people in our lives. This makes my children even more special! I cannot imagine different names for my babies, and, every day when I say their names, I am reminded of how lucky and blessed I am to be the mother to these eight children.
To me, they are named Maya, Kenyan, Amari, Gianna, Ira, Elaina, Arlet, and Gabriella, but to them I am named Mommy. How special!
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