Ellie for Short

My friend Rachel asked me about Elena's name. Basically I chose her first name because I liked it! After working in the schools it is difficult to find a name because most of them already come with a face and a story! I've always liked "different" names and since working at my current school, I've come to realize that the names I thought were "different" pale in comparison to those of some of my students!
One of Elena's middle names will be Jacquelyn, after Elena's best "Giggy" ever!! My mom means the world to me and I am very thankful to her for eliminating every hurdle during this adoption process. I am thrilled that she will lend my daughter her name.
I'm not usually keen on multiple names...there are never enough bubbles on scantrons for one long name! However, Elena's other middle name will likely be her Chinese name. It is likely that she did not arrive at the orphanage (Social Welfare Institute) with a name or any other information so the orphanage will have given her a name. There is debate within the adoption community over giving your child a name to "blend" in versus keeping the only real connection she comes with....so I figure I'll keep her Chinese name along with all the others. She'll have "links" to both worlds. So her name until we are "matched" is Elena Jacquelyn Chinese Name!!