What's in a name?

I was awakened this morning around 6:20 am to a pathetic little cry. A meow of sorts that I, not my husband, could here. The new kitty had found her way into the closet, and couldn't find her way back out. Precious... after waking me up around 2:00 am eating some dog food (which my dog Maya was not thrilled about) and then again around 2:30 am to be taken to her litter box across the house. Then 3:00 am to play a little since 'Daddy' was asleep, I was reluctant to get up.

BUT it's a big day today for Dustin! My husband goes for his State Firefighter Exam! I'm sure he'll do well, but he was definitely nervous. I think he's just anxious to get things done, but he'll tell you he's worried about preparing mentally for all the physical application testing.

Getting the cat came at a perfect time. We picked up 'Lucy' after her surgery yesterday afternoon. The adoption lady asked if we'd decided on a new name for her. To be honest we hadn't really thought about it, so she left the name on the sheet blank.

Driving home 'Lucy' watched the windows and the road, tried to explore the car and then just ended up curled up in Dustin's jacket on my lap (his idea). Instead of using the new carrier we got for her 'comfort', I got to carry her upstairs to our place like a new born wrapped in blankets. I took our dog Maya for a walk to ease her excitement a little and left the other two at home to bond.

When we came back, the kitty already had her bed on the couch and was watching everything from outside of it. Our dog, frustrated with the attention, lapped around the couch several times, anxious to meet the kitty inside the bed. Dustin and I got to work on dinner while the two observed each other.

Our dog is VERY good with cats, she's just big, and a little intimidating for a cat on pain meds. She still wants to groom the kitty but she's respecting her boundaries and 'Lucy' is comfortable keeping her distance to a point. She'll warm up to Maya. They all do.

Last night while Dustin was reading to ease his mind, we discussed name ideas. He wanted to name her something ethereal and pretty, something we wouldn't pick for our own child. So I prompted him to pick a name out of his book. He liked the name 'Arya', the name of an elf from his Eragon series 'Inheritance'. I immediately approved (I had spotted the name in his book days ago...).

For a middle name, I had to do a little research. 'Lucy' was born June 8th. The birthstone for June is a pearl. The irony of certain circumstances surrounding this cat continue... Dustin's first gift to me when we were dating was a pearl. They were well featured throughout our wedding to showcase this. The meaning behind pearls is 'beauty', so Dustin chimmed in 'Belle'. The name seemed appropriate, she's beautiful, and we'd just finished watching 'Beauty and the Beast' that evening after dinner.

So, 'Lucy' is hereforth to be known as 'Arya Belle Hamzehloui'. God help us when we have kids...