It's all in a name

Emma. We've used this name for our child in several instances - like telling everyone we know.

We love the name Ai Li. That's who, to us, this twinkly, smiley kid is. We remind ourselves that statistically, when foreign adoptees are aware of their new surroundings, they want to belong. Especially the older kids. To them, an American name helps. Some switch back and forth - one minute not wanting to give up their identity, the other minute wanting to have a new identity that helps them to forget their past. So - it is a necessity for paperwork ahead of time in preparing passport and visa for her to have both names. We will be honoring her choice of what name she wants to be called and when, and we secretly hope she chooses to keep her beautiful Chinese name.

Emma is also a name we love. From the more recent pictures we have of her she is simply not an Emma to us. She is our sparkling child, full of a personality that shines through and Emma no longer feels right. I've been struggling with this. Steve's been in 'his box' giving it no thought at all because he thought the matter was settled and everyone had been told.

Out of left field, in church 2 Sundays ago a name came to me and we absolutely love it.

Ours is a church where we feel free to have urgent private discussions of this importance while Rod is preaching. He'd understand completely - we got a message in his church - how great is that?? Thanks Angels! Actually we think we need to rub his arm before we leave - every time we involve him in our adoption process and tell him our feelings, he has his pow-wow with his other preacher friends and voila! things start happening again. He's a good-luck charm of sorts, albeit a rather tall one, but he is "connected".
We are seated - he's talking and we are whispering - sort of. Ever tried a word with the letter 's' in it when you're not supposed to be saying anything at all? Comes out like a ginormous hiss, like it or not. So there we were, hissing and struggling with do we? don't we? let's; nawww - we've already told everyone. So what? Tell them again - it's our decision - no big wup - nothing's etched in stone yet.
Decision made. Two smiling faces get back into the Sunday sermon. Didn't we feel chuffed with ourselves!

This name that 'appeared' is Layne - or Laney. Not heard it before. Love it. Actually, we're working on the spelling right now. Love Laney, but it might be too cutsey later on? We try it on for size, picturing her as a successful adult woman on the phone .... "Yes, good morning, this is Layne Huber calling" - hey, not bad. It's a keeper.

Something similar happened to me when I was wrestling with a name for Molly, but I wasn't in church - I was in the shower. Both times I have looked the name up and both times it just felt right.
Molly = wished-for child (in the book I checked)
Layne = bright shining light (on the site I checked)
How could we not listen to these insights? It's a God thing. Bright shining light - seems perfect for such a sparkling personality.