Behind the Name

"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."
Jeremiah 29:11 

This little girl is so special to us and we wanted her to have a name that reflects who she is, not only as an individual but as our daughter.  The meaning of names has always been very special to us and we wanted our child to have a name with a significant meaning.  Because we didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl we started searching for names for each.  We started going through baby name books and looking purely at the "meaning" column for meanings we felt were fitting for this baby.  One day I came across the name Harmony which means "A Beautiful Blending".  Because our baby would be adopted and a part of our family and their birth family, we thought this meaning was so beautiful and we fell in love with the name.

The first day we met Harmony's birthparents we talked about names.  It is very common for the birthmother to choose her own name for the baby.  This may be a name that has a significant meaning to her or it may just be the act of naming her baby that is special.  We asked her what she was thinking about naming the baby if it was a girl.  Her answer just about made us cry.  She said, "I was thinking the name Miah.  Because on the back of your profile book you have the verse Jeremiah 29:11 and I thought that verse was really cool so I was thinking I would call her Miah if it's a girl."   We were so touched that she had put this much thought into a name and had chosen a name that, because of where it came from, was so special to us. 

Then they asked us what names we had come up with.  We told them about our idea of the name Harmony and what the name meant.  They said they loved it!  They were touched by the meaning of the name. 

The night Harmony was born, her birthfather called to tell us it was a girl.  He asked us if we had made a decision on her name.  We said we still liked Harmony and thought Miah would make a beautiful middle name.  They said, "We love it...it's a great name for her!"

  Karl and I think it is just so special for Harmony that her name was a combination of choices from both her birthfamily and her adoptive family.  Also, the verse Jeremiah 29:11 has been the verse that has carried us through this journey to parenthood.  We clung to the fact that God knew the plans for us and our family.   This verse has now become Harmony's life verse.  She is a beautiful blending of both families and God does have special plans for this beautiful little girl.