She finally has a name...

Mike and I have finally agreed on a name for our new daughter. Here is the background to the story.

As many of you know, we had planned on naming Mary Kate "Hannah" until the very end of our pregnancy. Early on in our adoption process, we talked about using the name "Hannah" this time around. We threw around other names too, but Hannah was always at the top of the list. Last winter (about 3 weeks after Wu QingXi was born) I was reading a novel that quoted the verse Jeremiah 29:11... "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Even though I've read that verse 1,000 times, it hit me differently that time. What a great verse for an adopted child. I began considering the name "Hope" for our new daughter and giving her Jer. 29:11 as her life verse (we have given each of our kids a verse based on their name).

Thus began the conversation that Mike and I have had at least 20 times over the last year. Should we name her Hope or Hannah, Hannah or Hope. About 2 weeks ago (before we got THE call) we had the conversation again. We both agreed that we like the name Hannah more, but I couldn't shake the feeling that her name was supposed to be Hope. We reached no resolution.

Then we received our referral. We saw our daughter's face for the first time and we learned some facts about her. One of the documents gave details of Wu QingXi's name. "Wu" is her last name. It is the last name given to every child in the Wuhan City orphanage. "Qing" is her middle name. We don't know it's meaning, but it was the middle name given to every child who became part of the orphanage in January 2009. "Xi" is her first name. "Xi" is the Chinese character for HOPE. The paperwork says that they named her Hope because they wish her a bright future with sunshine and hope.

It gives me chills everytime I think about it. We've been talking about naming her Hope since last winter and the orphanage actually named her Hope. What are the chances??? So..... our daughter's name will officially be Hope Elizabeth! We are still considering giving her a second middle name that is Chinese, but for now, she's Hope Elizabeth.

We got the call!!

On Wednesday, April 21, we got the call!!! We were not expecting to receive our referral until June, so we were shocked! Here is what we know about our little girl. Her name is Wu QingXi. She is 15 months old and lives in Wuhan. She only spent 3 days in the orphanage and then was transferred to foster care because of feeding issues. It appears that she has been receiving good care. According to her medical records, she weighed 20 lbs. at 10 months of age. That's bigger than any of our other kids!!! She had her cleft lip repaired at 7 months of age, but she will still need multiple surgeries after we arrive home.

We are THRILLED with our news and we are hoping to travel in either June or July. Thank you for sharing in our excitement!