New Family, New Names

If the new names of our three boys have been confusing everyone, they confuse me, too. :) Jake has gotten on to me more than once for not fully converting. When they first arrived, I quickly noticed that when a kid is running off helter skelter and I called his new name, he didn't respond until switching to the old. Pragmatism took over!

Now that I'm trying again, half the time I'm too absorbed in the urgency of the situation to remember to use the new name. In a discipline moment or back at Casa de Amor, I don't feel it's a good time, either.

Sometimes we use both names together.
 
The boys occasionally use their new names amongst themselves, mainly during chore times throughout the day, since those are the names on their list! 

Jake usually uses their new names.
 
One of these days, I'm going to fully convert, which will probably help the boys go 100%.
 
When asked their name in public, they always give their new name with a big grin.

Slowly but surely.....!


First, a bit of history...

Luis Jesus arrived to Hogar de Amor II with me, on my 25th birthday, Child #25 in the houses at that moment. I had to leave a church rehearsal a little early to be able to pick him up from Cochabamba's Archbishop building downtown, from the office of a psychologist friend there. My first impression was what a sweet, easy-to-love little boy he was. I was excited to meet him and he was excited to meet his new friends. His birth dad was with him that day, but by the next year had disappeared permanently.
  

Luis Jesus' first birthday with Hogar/Casa de Amor on July 16, 2007

Arrival to Hogar de Amor: May 24, 2007 (age 3 years and 10 months) 

Joined our family December 24, 2013

Length of time in HDA II, III (Alseths), then back to II: 6 years and 7 months 

I still clearly remember the moment when I looked out our very first baby home (the building my family and I had built way out in Anocaraire during our Hospital of Hope days) and saw Rosa stepping up onto the porch with little Angel in her arms. He craved love and attention and was often very sad. His seeming depression, coupled with his malnutrition, led one of our original caregivers (no longer with us) to comment she was afraid he wasn't going to make it. But he eventually began to thrive!

A rare happy picture from Angel Isai's first days with us

 

Arrival to Hogar de Amor I: March 28, 2005 (age 19 months)

Back with relatives: September 11, 2006

Back to Hogar de Amor I: December 17, 2006

Joined our family December 24, 2013

Length of time living in HDA I, II, relatives, and prospective adoptive families before adoption: 8 years and 9 months

 

I also vividly remember where I was when I got the news of Marcus. I was actually in Texas for a couple of weeks visiting two of my sisters (the rest of my family was still living in Bolivia). Rosa had called me long distance just to ask if we had room for a little boy, and to say that the Alseths were willing to take him. From my grandparents car in front of my aunt's new house, I answered yes. Then I couldn't wait to get back to Bolivia and meet our newest!!

A timid Marcus David days after arrival to HDA III and the Alseth Family

 

Arrival to Hogar de Amor III: July 10, 2008 (age: 4 years and almost a month)

Joined our family December 24, 2013

Length of time in HDA III, II, and one prospective adoptive family before his adoption: almost 5 1/2 years

One of my favs from way back when!
(Jesus and Angel, best buds. Who knew they'd get to be brothers forever?!)

New Names!

Joel Jesus Beaty

Joel: "The Lord is God"

Jesus: "The Lord is Salvation"

 

Michael Angel Beaty

Michael: "Who is Like God"

Angel: "Messenger of God"

 

Samuel Marcus Beaty

Samuel: "God Heard" 

Marcus: "A Defense" (his birth mother chose the name Marcus after a missionary pastor from the US that she respects)

 

 

I love the pattern Jake chose (can you detect it?). We actually decided on their names months before we decided on Sophia's names.

 

Yesterday, January 29, we had our third and final court hearing, yippee!! Next week the judge's final sentencing will be issued, shortly thereafter birth certificates with our names as parents (and the boys' new names), and then we'll be able to continue with getting their Bolivian documents. 

 

The new Beaty Family is quickly becoming official! :)

 

 

(Baby Sophia was with Grandma Thompson)