(Nathan) We had two years to pick out Eliana’s name, so
there was a good bit of discussion during the deciding phase. We chose Eliana’s name partly because we just
like the elegant sound of it, it’s unusual, and--as you know by now--it means
“The Lord Has Answered Me”. The meaning
is what cinched it for me.
But then Lisa started rattling off all the potential
nicknames for her. “Elli”, “Anna”, “Li
Li”, etc. But I insisted that “Eliana”
was such a beautiful name that I didn’t want it to get lost in the familiarity
of a bunch of silly nicknames. So most of the time we call her “Eliana”, but you’ll also hear a few sillies thrown in
around the house. Here’s a few of the
current faves:
- “Bo bo” – Her nickname at the orphanage, based on her name
“Hai Bo”
- “Sister” – Zack and Cameron aren’t the only ones who call
her that
- “Potatuh” – She’s porkin’ up pretty good and looks like a
potato head sometimes
- “Bean” – When I pick her up, she pulls in her arms and legs
and looks like a little kidney bean
- “Girly-Girl” – Lots of pink in this house for a change
- “Warthog” – Not endearing, I know, but that’s what she
sounds like when she’s stuffed up
- “Elli Belly” – You can’t pat that pudgy tummy and resist
saying that one
- “Stinky” – Face it, babies aren’t all roses all the time. Formula burps. Poopy diapers. Yuck.
- “Scream-iana” – She doesn’t cry all that often, but when she
does it is truly ear-piercing
- “Princess” – Just ‘cause she is