Goodness- did we ever have the HARDEST time deciding on
Kelly Elise for our sweet baby girl's name!
As pretty as
Song Jia He is, saying it properly is quite a challenge, so we knew we needed to give her the perfect name- one that did her justice, and one that people could actually pronounce!
Caroline was the name we originally thought we were settled on, but then we kept doubting it once we got her pictures. So we began discussing our options for names- of which, as you can imagine, there are millions!
We went around and around- everyone had an opinion... two of us would like one name, and two of us would hate it. (When your kids are 10 & 13 and you're naming the newest addition, whether you ask them to or not, they have quite a say!)
Negative associations would ruin several name options- then there were those names that were pretty, but seemed overused or already "belonged" to someone we know. We were even taking suggestions from family members, but we still just could NOT decide on a name!
I was getting to the point that I was obsessed with names. I was constantly playing names over and over in my mind. Kind of like when you're car shopping- how you start looking at every car you see to decide if you like it or not... that's how I was with names. But the more names I thought of, then less confident I was that ANY of them would work. I began to feel a tremendous burden, too heavy for me to bear, in naming our precious, little daughter! I realized what an enormous commitment and responsibility it is to choose a name for someone, and it was stressing me out! (Why it didn't stress me out like this when we named Caleb and Camryn, I don't know! But as I'm aging, I'm finding newer, more creative ways to stress myself out.
I'm so talented... ;)
I began to lose sleep over it, and I realized, THIS IS GETTING RIDICULOUS!
I decided "enough is enough," and I asked God to name her (!) I asked Him to show me a name, any name, and we would name her that. I asked Him to show me in a dream, or to let it pop off of a page- however He wanted to show me, I asked Him to please just show me. I went to bed that night and slept quite soundly.
The next morning, I woke up, and it was as clear as a bell!
I was not
supposed to name her, CLINT WAS!
I felt a peace I had not yet felt about her name and I
knew that no matter what he named her, I would love it.
Now let me just say, I have been QUITE opinionated about this whole naming process. Several times Clint would suggest something, and I would shoot it down for whatever reason... so the fact that I was at peace with whatever name he chose without knowing what it would be, was a miracle in itself!
When I told him what had happened and that I prayed and asked God to tell me her name, and that He basically told me that Clint was supposed to name her- he seemed shocked, but honored. He told me he'd think about it and pray about it and let me know...
Later that afternoon, I teasingly asked him if he had any names he was tossing around. He said yes, but that he would not tell me!
Stinker! But then he said he was still praying about it, that he wanted to be sure- so I thought that was pretty cool, and I backed off.
But later that night, I respectfully ;) asked again, and he said he
did have a name. He said every time he prayed about it, this was the name that came to him...
Kelly Elise.As soon as I heard it, I knew it was right!
"Kelly Elise" ... Of course!!
Clint has always liked the name
Kelly, and he said it just seemed to "fit" with her.
Elise was a name we had talked about giving her as a middle name, because it is Hannah's middle name. Hannah is Kelly's cousin, and since Hannah and Kelly share a special bond in that they were both born in China, and because Hannah is the one who really opened our eyes to the precious babies in China- it seemed only natural to give Kelly that special connection with Hannah in bearing her middle name. Oh,
and- Clint also just happened to like the sound of the two names together, "Kelly Elise," so it was just IT for him.
I know sometimes we can "spiritualize" everything to the point of silliness, but I have to say, I do believe God cares about every aspect of our lives, and He knows us so much better than we know ourselves. I believe when we ask Him to be a part of things in our lives, even the seemingly insignificant things, He is delighted to- because He delights in us. Just like I am honored when Camryn asks me for my opinion in what she should wear that day (RARE case these days!), I believe God is honored when we ask Him to be a part of our decision-making... even decisions He's given us the freedom to make on our own.
I now believe that we could not decide on a name all that time because God wanted Kelly's daddy to have the honor of naming her all to himself.
I just needed to get out of the way, and the good Lord knew that would take some time to exhaust me enough to finally get me to let it go!
I'm so glad that I listened and let go.
I know
Kelly Elise is the perfect name for our little girl, and what a special story she will always have to share- that her daddy, who loved her, named her.
This little turtle pattern outfit was too cute to pass up! And then I had this skirt that my sweet neighbor, Connie, handed down to me, that will also go with the turtle top, don't you think?
After I finished at Gymboree, I headed down towards Penney's before I left the mall. I really wasn't looking to buy anything else, but when I saw this last outfit, I HAD to get it. You see, my dad passed away 7 years ago (this month), and he used to love to sing "You Are My Sunshine" to my step-mom, Corie. Since he passed away, anytime I hear or think of that song, I think of him. It will forever be "his song." When I saw this outfit, it was as if my dad was right there with me, showing me in his own special way that he loved Kelly too. I knew I had to get it. I will keep it and one day tell Kelly it was from her Grandpa who loves her from Heaven! 
