What's in a name?

So, many of you have been waiting (im)patiently for our decision on what we will name our son. After much deliberation and thought, we have finally made a decision and are ready to share it with you! (That is...if you haven't already heard.)

First, though, let me give you a little explanation. When we first began this process, my mother-in-law Jada wanted to know how we should/could refer to him. Apparently, they affectionally referred to Nate as "Ernie" during her pregnancy and she thought a similar name would be good for our son as he remained nameless in the early stages of our "paper pregnancy." Well, I wasn't excited about calling our son Ernie, so thinking quickly, I decided that, because all but one of the names on our list began with J, we would just call him Baby J...easy enough, huh? Well, the nickname quickly stuck and since the early months of last year, everyone has been calling our son Baby J, including us. The names on the list included Josiah, Jayce, Jonathon, and Jaylen. We were heavily leaning toward Josiah most of the time but wanted to wait until we saw him to make a definite decision. As time passed, even though I liked (and still like) the name Josiah, I just couldn't quite see it for our son. About mid-summer and up to the referral, I was pretty sure that Josiah just wasn't going to be his name, but we just weren't sure which other name fit, especially once we were able to see his picture and hear what his given Ethiopian name was. We really like his birth name and the meaning it holds, so we decided that we would at least use that name as his middle name, if not his first name. Going back to our list of names, none were really fitting, except for the one name on our list that wasn't a "J" name...and happens to be the name that we have chosen for our son. And now, for the long awaited unveiling (less dramatic if you already heard...)

Levi Conner

We wanted a name that had special and specific meaning and that coincided with his Ethiopian name (which will be his middle name), especially with the meaning. Levi means "attached" or "in harmony". I have been praying for his attachment to us and our attachment to him throughout our journey, and that God would continuously be preparing our hearts for each other. Furthermore, God is bringing two families together through this special little boy, forever attaching our lives through this biological son of two people in Ethiopia.

Alas, despite many months of guessing and going through every name that friends and family could think of....from Johosaphat to Jebediah and everything in between...every guess ended up missing the mark. hehe! But, we couldn't be more confident in the name that we have chosen and now cannot see him being anyone else but Levi Conner. We can't wait for it to become official, hopefully in early January!