where we are in the process, and the name

First, this is Cindi's husband Bill posting tonight. I am not nearly as eloquent as my wife, nor as determined. But, at the risk of boring her readers, I wanted to post some details about our adoption journey.

We received our Referral on 6-9-08, Monday. On the following day, at 2 p.m., we got our first and only photos of Ahna, along with an official Letter of Acceptance that we had to sign and return that same day.

Now we wait for our travel approval. The China Center for Adoption Affairs has to receive and approve our signed Letter of Acceptance, and then they will inform our agency that we have the OK to travel. This usually happens between 3 and 5 weeks of receiving a referral. We are hopeful at this point, that we will depart for China as early as July 17.

Since June 9, our time has been consumed by one gigantic crash-course in all things China. China travel information, airline information, orphanage information , Nanchang information, applying for China visas, filling out travel paperwork, packing care packages for the orphanage, preparing for baby showers, deciding what we will pack, and many other countless things have overtaken our lives.

But, it is really all about Ahna. Her name was such a chore. We played a long game, almost 2 and a half years trying to decide what this dear one would be named. It was always harder for me, since it always seemed so surreal. But as the days inched ever closer, the urgency of the situation spurred us to action. We solicited ideas from family, friends, playmates of Eli, and anyone who would throw in an idea. We even went to a bookstore with some friends and stood in the aisle reading baby name books. The only thing we left any of those discussions with was confusion. Why was it so hard?

Then, within 24 hours of seeing her adorable face, we just knew. Her name was Ahna. Its a form of Anna, which is a form of Hannah. Its a biblical name meaning grace. In the book of Luke the prohetess Anna was in the temple when Mary and Joseph visited Jerusalem with their son, Jesus. Ahna means "Grace".

Zhen, is a Chinese name and word which means, treasure and cherish. Our daughter is both of these things to us, though we have yet to meet her. She is already our treasure and we will cherish her forever. Zhen is pronounced, jin, and is very short.

Eva is our daughter's next name and perhaps the most precious. Eva is a Hebrew derived name which in English is Eve. Eve literally means breath, and by extension, life. But, Eva was Cindi's grandmother's name. She passed away before I had the blessing of meeting her, in February of 1986. Though I never knew her, I know what she meant to my wife. She was a woman who impacted my wife in so many ways, and still does. Having three boys, we had been unable to honor her legacy, and then came Ahna. I know it makes Cindi glad somewhere in a deep place. So in turn, it makes me smile, knowing my wife is being blessed in this way.

So, we wait, we pack, we google all things China, and we think every day of Ahna Zhen Eva. Oh, in case you forgot what she looked like, here she is.