Blake Bizayehu and Silas Sintayehu

Several people have asked us to share the story behind changing the boys' names. Unfortunately, there is not much of a "story" to share!

We had discussed long and hard before we left for Ethiopia whether we were going to change our sons (very difficult to say and spell for most people) names. Lincoln was more "for it" then I was. I felt like their mother had picked their names for a reason it wasn't up to me to change them. I went back and forth with it, feeling like I wanted to honor their birth family, but knowing that if the situation were reversed and my kids were going to a different country to be raised, I would want them to have names that they felt comfortable having and that everyone could pronounce and relate to. So...I was torn to say the least.

While we were in Ethiopia we talked to several people, other adoptive families, social workers, locals, etc. about names in Ethiopia and their importance. Although some of the adoptive families were keeping their kids names, others weren't, and all of the social workers and locals told us that names are just not that important to their culture. In fact, many times people will go by different names depending on the season of their life. This sealed the deal for me. I had felt all along that "naming would be claiming" for me, but was not going to do this at the expense of the kids or the respect of their birth family.

So, on Friday we sat the boys down with a social worker from Layla and she asked them if they wanted American names. She explained that they did not have to have them, but if they wanted them, Lincoln and I had picked out names just for them. Bizayehu was very excited "ouw, ouw!!", and Sintayehu asked what the name was first. (just like my sweet hesitant boy...). So, I shared the names with them, and they both agreed, that yes, they would like to go by their American names in America.

And so it began, the slow transition to calling them Silas and Blake. They still call each other Sintayehu and Bizayehu (and may always, which I think is a precious gift for twins to have), and we still call them that once in awhile. But for the most part, they are Silas and Blake, starting a new life here in America, with our family.


Their legal names will be Blake Bizayehu Gabriel Redburn and Silas Sintayehu Gabriel Redburn...and they'll go by whatever they are most comfortable with.