For as long as I can remember, I knew I wanted a daughter. However, I married a man I shouldn't have married and then divorced. All of a sudden, I was 37 years old and single. How did I get to be this old?
Then I met the man I would spend the rest of days with. We wanted at least one child but didn't want to waste a lot of time. All of a sudden, I was bombarded with articles of adopting from China. I would share these with David and each time he would be moved to tears. We moved forward knowing that we were meant to adopt. Adoption runs deep in both our families. We (and our siblings) were all adopted. My father was adopted.
The name I had given my daughter in my mind was Lillian. I had a great-aunt Lilian...one less "l" but pronounced differently. By some spectacular coincidence, Lillian was David's paternal grandmother's name. What are the odds? The middle name was a given. It would be Hope after my younger sister who died in 1990 after a kidney transplant. We also wanted to use part of her given chinese name and we just hoped that it was easily translated. We also felt it was important to know WHO named her.
Yue Tao Jia (Yue being an orphanage name that all the kids share, is actually her "last name." Tao is peach, and Jia is beautiful.) While in China, we learned that the head nanny named her and she chose Tao Jia because it was April and the peach trees were blooming.
Lillian Hope TaoJia
It's a strong name that honors the memories of loved ones gone and her Chinese heritage. It gives her options. When asked what her name is she replies, "Lillian, but you can call me Lilly."
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