I personally prefer [name_f]Elena[/name_f], as it’s classic, elegant, and will age beautifully. I also love that she could choose whether to go by [name_f]Elena[/name_f], [name_f]Ellie[/name_f], [name_f]Lena[/name_f], [name_f]Leni[/name_f], or [name_f]Lainey[/name_f] as she gets older.
If your main nickname will always be [name_f]Lainey[/name_f], I’d probably spell it [name_f]Alaina[/name_f] or [name_f]Elaina[/name_f] - depending on if you wanted it to be more ‘uh-lay-nuh’ or ‘el-ay-nuh’. It feels the most intuitive way to get to [name_f]Lainey[/name_f] without people second-guessing it. I also think [name_f]Elena[/name_f] can sometimes create pronunciation questions, as some people may say it “el-AY-nuh” while others say "el-eh-nuh.”
[name_f]Lainey[/name_f] [name_f]Kate[/name_f] is absolutely adorable either way!