What's in a name

He's 4 weeks old, and his name is Corinth Michael.

4 I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in Him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— 6 God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Corinthians 1:4-9

He's wonderful and we are awe struck by the reality that he's really ours.  We are a family of five.

I'm sure in the months to come, I will explore the juxtaposition of joy and sorrow we've encountered in his arrival, maybe even the subtleties of embracing his adoption.  But for now, I'll address his name.

Corinth [kor-inth]
aka Corey
aka Bro
aka Guacamole Bebo

When my water broke just after midnight on June 2, he didn't have a name.  When I held him for the first time, he didn't have a name.  And when we prepared a message to the family announcing his birth, we stared at him, hoping maybe he would tell us his name.

Don't get me wrong, it's not like we didn't talk about it.  In fact, I had spent much of the first part of my pregnancy weighed down by the sense that his name must be profoundly significant.  Considering the story of how he came to us, I felt his name must somehow reflect the entirety of the miracle.  It was daunting.  I read into everything.  Names within Bible verses taunted me and I (frankly) dreaded that I'd have to name him Emmanuel, God with us.  (Note: there is nothing wrong with this name, but Manny Cannon?  Nope.)

Once I let go of this unreasonable pressure, we made a short list.  We agreed that he would share his middle name with his father (and its meaning with his sister). Michael - Who is like God?  A rhetorical question, not a statement.

One Sunday while in church, I received a text from Ryan up in the tech booth (yep, I checked my texts in church...eeps!).  "How about Corinth?"

It's a little out there, but Ryan always names our kids, (I don't know why.  I always have great suggestions.  But, in the end, Ryan always chooses) and he's always done a perfect job at it.

So he coffee-shop tested it....

Parents do this, right?  Well, we do.  It's a great way to see how others will react to the name, how they will spell it, how they will say it.  We didn't encounter so much as a raised eyebrow.  And the only misspelling was Corenth - not bad if you ask me.

...and I mulled it over, and over, and over.  And now he's here and perfect, and so is his name.

Like the church of his namesake, he is God's provision.  He confirms our testimony and proclaims it to the world.  He is the living result of our prayers.

One Week

One short week ago, our precious son was just entering the world.
Has it really only been a week?

I'm sure many new mothers encounter the same contradiction of emotions.  For me, it's difficult to look at Corinth, perfect and healthy, and currently sleeping, and not think of his sweet sister that isn't here.  On Annabelle's one week birthday, we had a family celebration because we knew there wouldn't be much time to celebrate with her here.

Today, I'm celebrating Corey with a quiet day at home.  The beginnings of routine.  The returning to some normal.  Because he's going to stay.  It's been one of the hardest realities for me to grasp over the last 9 months - my son is healthy and he's here to stay.

I have a lot to process still.  In fact, I've been trying very hard to stay at the surface - not to plunge into the depths of the emotions that aren't really that far down - because right now, I need to just be.

Then there is the gravity of Corey's miraculous journey to our family.  It's huge.  Have you read our adoption story?  Because now that he's here, I'm amazed all over again and I'd love for you to know just how incredible it is that we could even have a third child.  I am reminded that God chose each of our beautiful children to be in our family for a reason, even if I never fully understand His plans.

One of these days I'll write something far more profound, but, for now, I'll be content with the facts of the moment.  Corinth is here!  He has two loving sisters.  One big sis is belting the Little Einsteins theme song from her room (does anyone actually like that show??).  One big sis is loving us from afar. And one little brother is the sweetest new addition our family could have wished for.