Haiya: The Meaning Behind Her Name

A lot of people have been wondering where we came up with the name Haiya. It is definitely different, but a very meaningful name to us, and I am excited to share that meaning. 

  Haiya is a unique name but not a new one. It was first given anciently to the Mother of All Living. Today, we know her as Eve.  Unlike its English equivalent however, her original Hebrew name possessed deep, sacred symbolism. It embodied the entire idea of who Eve was and of her divine role as our First Mother and as a daughter of God.

   Haiya's most basic translation is "the living one," referencing a mother's sacred ability to not only create physical life but to instill within her creations the gift of life experience. She enriches and nurtures all facets of her children’s lives, encouraging them to achieve their fullest potential, just as the ultimate Creator, The Living One, enhances the lives of His children through His covenants and promises.   The etymology of the name Haiya additionally embodies the concept of joy,  testifying of the joy that is to be experienced by all daughters of God through their divine role as mothers and co-creators with Christ.

   I was first introduced to the name Haiya while living in Jerusalem several years ago.  Its beautiful and complex meaning immediately moved me and as a result, the name has lingered in my mind and heart ever since, becoming a symbol to me of my time in the Holy Land and of the deeply personal and sacred things I experienced there. Because of what those experiences specifically meant to Caleb and me as a couple, we knew there was no name more perfect or profoundly meaningful that we could give our daughter.

   It is our hope that in a changing world, when the sanctity of women and motherhood is increasingly marginalized, that our Haiya will look to the name she has been given as a reminder of her purpose and power as a daughter of God, that she, like Eve, might be steadfast in faith, resolute in wisdom, and through it all have joy.   

Haiya's Birth Announcement

(Front)

(Back) 

I am also so excited to show off her newborn photos! I am in LOVE with them and am so grateful to our amazing photographer Ashley Williams for taking them! She did such a fantastic job and was such a patient photographer. Beckam was not about to pose or smile for one single picture- he was a crazy handful that day- but she was so sweet and patient to try to work with him for over an hour to get him to hold still and smile. As you can see, we still didn't get very many shots of him, but what can you do, right?!

Sorry ahead of time for the picture overload, but there were too many good ones not to post!