What's in a name?

I have formed some wonderful bonds with some wonderful women since our journey with Eli began. Some of these women I have been friends with for a while, some I have become friends with since losing Eli, some I have only met once or twice, and some I want to meet but have not had the opportunity. These women know where I am and where I've been because we all walk this road together. It is not a pleasant road to travel. It is bumpy and full of twists and turns that seem to take us backward sometimes. We all strive to move forward on this road and when it seems that one or more of us is lost and can't, the others are there to give directions. Directions that we take without hesitation because we know these friends have been in that place before. We weep with each other...we rejoice with each other...we defend each other...we pray for each other...we encourage each other...we hurt for each other...WE ARE A FAMILY OF SORTS. None of us would choose this family if we could help it...because, you see, we have all lost babies. Who would choose that?
Well before we told anyone (family included) about our current pregnancy one of these precious mamas sent me the sweetest message. Melissa sent me an email one day and in her message she told me that every time she sees her baby girl's name, she thinks of Eli. Her daughter's name is Amelia. I had never noticed it before, but Eli's name is in Amelia's name. She also pointed out that his name is in her name too. I thought that was just the neatest thing and so sweet of her to share that with me. At this point Jamie and I knew we were expecting again but were not sure if we were having a boy or a girl. We were throwing around both boy and girl names and really could not come to a decision on girl names. For a boy, we both knew what we wanted. Hold your breath and don't leave me any ugly comments and I will tell you what the boy name was going to be. If this baby were a boy it was going to be...I mean it, no ugly comments...Obadiah. I truly digress...
While still trying to come up with girl names, Melissa sent me a picture of Amelia's name written in the sand.

Now, I have always loved the name Amelia. It is just a classy name that feels full of adventure to me. In fact, Jamie and I had thrown it around before. Jay was always going to be a Jr. but we thought about it with Cooper. He turned out to be a boy and then the boys named Lucie Rose. To be honest with you, this time we had a block where girl names were concerned. If Eli had been a girl, we would had chosen the name Chloe Grace, but we just did not want to use that name for a girl this time. Anyway, Jamie was totally convinced that this was another boy and his instinct is generally more accurate than mine.

Well October 18, we went to our OB for an appointment and had an ultrasound. Michelle, who is pretty good at what she does, told us that she felt about 60 % sure that this was a girl, but her legs were crossed. Well, we now felt pretty sure we had to come up with a girl name. When I got home that afternoon, I had gotten a message from my friend Melissa. The message contained this picture.

Melissa said in her message that it appeared to her that the letters in Eli's name stood out more than any other letters. She said she thought at first she just wanted to see it but that she asked her husband and he confirmed what she had thought. I definitely see it as well. I immediately called Jamie in and he agreed also. This is the night that Jamie and I decided that if this baby I am carrying is indeed a girl, her name would be Amelia. We thought that it would be a wonderful tribute to Eli and to his friend up in heaven, Amelia. You can read about Amelia's story here.  We also thought about how meaningful it would be for our Amelia to have such a special name. We both feel like this is the name that our gift is meant to have. It was an easy choice to make and one that we love. We can't wait to welcome our Amelia Claire into this world.

Much love,