your chance to . . . .

suggest a name for the children.

Currently Emilia age 9, Maciej age 7.5 and Michal turned 6 on the day we met the kids, October 15.

I didn't realize that we are supposed to submit new names on this trip. I guess we'll do so for our court appearance on 5 Nov at 10 am.

I didn't bring any of the baby name books that I had. I'd love to hear any ideas for names if you have any. Emilia and I have tossed a few names around - the one that is sticking has been Stella. She is very fiery, smart and verbal. She has that mahogany colored hair, plum red lips and fair skin color. She can be very sharp and shrill with her brothers but also affectionate and contemplative (or maybe just bored sometimes.) I tend to call her Milla (Mee-la) and with all the polish conjugations is also referred to as Emilka - which I don't think will be very popular in the dairy state.

So Stella seems to be on the top of the list, but what 9 yr old girl doesn't want to change her name. She is an excellent drawer and artist. She like the Barbie style doll she picked out and the pink horse that came with it. She's also strong and fast - chasing her brothers at the playland and taking full advantage of the playground equipment when we are at parks. As I've written, she's used to being the head of the household, but quickly allowed mom to baby her at bath and bed time.

Before we met, I liked Emilia Jane Perry Wattleworth. I also liked Lucia (loo-sha or lu-chia) because its root is Lux meaning light, pure light. So Stella Lucia seems to work, meaning star light. Today, I'm thinking Stella Blue - Star of Blue, But her personality has always come off as red to me.

The boys may be best off with their original names and we'll use nicknames for everyday use. Maciej (Mah-check) is a form of Matthew, which Emilia and Maciej are tossing around. Tim has always liked it for a boys name and it is ok with me. When asked he said he likes Pawel (Pavel) or anglicized Paul. Maciej is very gentlemanly, bowing and directing me into the van when we are headed somewhere. His first line of protection/defence is charm. He's a bit impish trying something he's not supposed to do, and then beaming a huge smile to deflect any distractions that might give him away. He is physically affectionate and eagerly receives kisses from mom and high fives from dad. He'll sit on either one of our laps without thought. He is also very good at drawing and coloring. He enjoys order and can be very serene. Though he's awfully good at defending himself in a physical scuffle and making explosion noises during play.

Michal (Mee-how) said he liked Marek or Mark. As I've said before, Michal has the toughest armor. He has pulled it back for us but we are still unsure what is beneath. I'm guessing a fairly sensitive little guy who has had to toughen quickly in his rough life. He is incredibly strong and energetic. He is fairly good at coloring. Though Polish kids start kindergarten at age 6, so he's had more unstructured play/learning. He will accept a kiss when no one is looking. And he wants a sleeping partner though he's so chatty at night, Emilia and Maciej want to find their own corner. He slept with us from one am on, two nights ago. It has been the only night anyone woke in the middle of the night and called to me/us. We had just finished watching Harry Potter II so he may have had some scary thoughts. He is definitely the most cautious one and watches to see how his older brother and sister handle something before he'll consider something. He's working in his own time and that is pretty normal from what I know of other kids.

We met with the court appointed interpreter and I think we will meet with her tomorrow to see if she wants to help us communicate with the kids about new names and what connotations they will have in the US. She was a lovely lady and she is kind of like a woman from my church. In the short time we spent with her, (during an interview with a psychologist and a short trip in the car to drop her off) she asked if I had ever gone mushrooming. What a question! Though I know it is a popular Polish hobby. She said she enjoyed it better than a hobby like fishing because you can search for mushrooms and eat them without killing anything. She was excited to speak with native English speakers so I'm sure she would enjoy the visit as much as we would appreciate it.

pass along any ideas you like and hopefully we'll get them before our court appointment.