Jiliang - Okay, The Correct and Final Pronunciation

Jiliang in her snowman robe, with Oliver the Cat.


Jiliang is going to be pronounced "Gee-Lee-On" - her given name.

My poor Jiliang - We have pronounced her name so many different ways. At first, we thought her name was pronounced "Gee Lang" and then "Gee-Lee-Ang". Then, I went to China and was told "Gee-Lee-Anne", but finally learned and became accustomed to calling her by her proper name, which was "Gee-Lee-On". When I returned home, Scott called her Jillian, T.J. called her Gee-Lang, and I called her Gee-Lee-On. My parents were told they could call her Jilly. She must have wondered who we were talking to, amidst all of this English Language confusion.

Scott and I have agreed to call her Jiliang yesterday, pronounced the proper way: "Gee-Lee-On". Her nickname will be Jilly, but Mommy may call her a special Chinese nickname: Lee-On Lee-On. In case I have utterly confused you, and I assume I have, please default back to the first line of this post, and disregard the rest. :) No, seriously, please read on.

Lest I remind you all of the coincidences in regards to her given name, Jiliang (note the spelling):
Jill - my name
Lee- short for Leah, my sister
Anne - my mother's middle name, similar to "On"

We think that her name bears symbolism of all of the Harvey girls in my immediate family, which is very special and coincidental.

Jiliang (Gee-Lee-On) is such a beautiful, unique name. It is HER name. She left China with her given name and the clothes on her back, so how can we take that away or alter it in the slightest way? This beautiful name was imparted on her by her caretakers who raised her in China. This name was the original thread that led her to our family. Most importantly, this beautiful name is all that she knows for certain about her former home. From this day forward, she will be known as "Gee-Lee-On". Her formal name is: Jiliang Josephine Koeppe.
Josephine was Scott's beloved, late Grandmother. Coincidently, Eva Josephine went by Jo, and Scott did not know of her first name, Eva, until his adolescence. When she was a baby, she was born a "blue baby", due to lack of Oxygen at birth, but was otherwise extremely healthy throughout her child and adult years.
During the time that Grandmother Jo was born, it was apparently customary in her Catholic family to name children after Eve or Adam, if they were fated not to live. Therefore, they named her Eva after Eve. I loved the name Evie for a girl, but Scott adamantly said no, because his Grandmother never liked the Eve connection, and ousted her first name Eva, for her middle name, Josephine.
This week, our baby has been Blue in the lips a lot. We attribute the blueness to her vivacious, positive energy in her new family; and her constant laughing in our house. Scott asked recently, "Did T.J. laugh this much?" T.J. was happy too, but Jiliang is so happy to have a home, that she is always laughing and smiling, and knows no grounds for quitting. The blue lips are our sign to slow her down and force her to rest, which slowly lead to rosy pink lips once again.
I had not thought about the "blue" connection between Scott's Grandma Jo and Jiliang - other than the name's sake - until tonight; but we would like to think that Josephine's strong will and perseverance will endure through the spirit of her grandchild, Jiliang. Hopefully, with such a strong force in Heaven, Grandmother Josephine will be pulling strings for a Miracle down here.
In retrospect, I felt uncomfortable about picking a child's file back in November. When you are choosing your daughter, how can you be sure that you are not messing with fate? I was so much more comfortable with fate choosing our child for us. Yet, as Gao Ji Liang's file presented itself to us so quickly, I asked God for a clear sign. I didn't catch the fated name at first, but then I realized that in China, the last name is written first and there are no middle names. Therefore, her first name, Jiliang, didn't jump out to me right away.
I fell in love with her pictures and wanted so much for her to be our daughter, but I also wasn't prepared to switch to the Special Needs Program so quickly, due to the timing of everything, and the fear of losing our place in the long-standing Non-Special Needs line tugged at me. I didn't want to get my heart broken and wait even longer. Scott said, "That's our little girl, Jill! She's the one." As much as I wanted to love her, I looked for a clear sign and HE gave me so many signs! Never in my life have I experienced so many small miracles as I have with this adoption experience. God is so good, and HE was certainly assuring me that Jiliang was The One for us.
If you recall, we also received her file inadvertently by Amy at West Sands; and we received it on my lucky number date, November 6th. The number 1106 was my lucky number and my childhood address for 15 years. When God wants to be heard, HE speaks loudly. :)
It is always good to have faith. Do not be afraid to ask God to lead you on your journey or present you with a Miracle each and every day, no matter how small it may seem at the time. Blessings to all of you on this day. May your journeys in this life be as clear and profound. In closing, I leave you with one of my favorite quotes by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."