Joanna is 6 months today!!!!!!

WOW - How does this happen?  How is it that one day you get a phone call that a child is born....less than 48 hours later meet your new daughter....and then suddenly she is 6 months old already?

We usually don't do anything fancy with half birthdays or anything.  I think it has to do with so many birthdays and adoption days as it is...hmmm....  but today- our precious baby girl.  Our gift that healed our hearts that were broken and wounded is six months old.

So to review for those who may not have followed our blog that long here is Joanna's story part 1, Joanna's story part 2,  and then we have Joanna's story part 3.  What a whirlwind of events that took our breath away!

If you would have told me December of 2009 when our world started crumbling and falling apart that I would not be traveling to Ethiopia to pick up our daughter Naomi.  I would have said that is crazy!  If you would  have said that experiencing our total meltdown in January/February would have happened....I would have said no way.  BUT it did.  You can of course go check out my posts from those months, but our world crashed  in a BIG WAY!!!!

We were greeted home from our trip to go visit Jason's family in England of last year with a letter from uscis stating that we didn't earn enough income.  When our social worker asked them about it stating- we just got home from England (HELLO), and we were approved last year.  The reply- well I guess that must have been a mistake.  A MISTAKE???  What???  Yeah, so they said that even though part of our compensation is that we have housing, all utilities, and insurance provided by our employer here at the camp in addition to our salary.  That was not good enough.

We called, we wrote letters, we had others write letters on our behalf, we sent in documents proving our savings, our pension, everything and anything.  We were desperate.  You see we were matched with a beautiful waiting child in September!  Hello!!!!  We were her parents....and we needed to get over to pick her up- and should have no later than January of this year.  YES- it is still very emotional for me to think about at times.

THEN.........NOTHING!  Nothing has still happened uscis was "supposed" to let us know around the 6 month mark about their final decision- wanna guess what we have received- yep you are smart NOTHING!

Our whole WORLD CRASHED!!!!!!!!!!!  ..........crickets, crickets, crickets.........chirp chirp chirp............

Then ..........this happened.  Out of the blue for real you have to scroll back up and read the posts- the MIRACLE that God dropped in our laps was so amazing........it still blows my mind away!!!!!

This precious baby girl with all the cuteness, fun, and giggles......

The sweetest baby girl in the whole world and yes I am biased and don't care.  Was given to us.  A TRUE GIFT FROM GOD!!!!  Our healing happened - even though I still think uscis is wrong- he he he....my opinion.  We couldn't have asked for more!  She is the chunk of baby pie cuteness that we has come into our lives and brought more than we could have imagined.

***What happened to our Naomi.  Well that is not her name- that is what we were going to name her.  She is happy, healthy, and totally loved!!!  We are sooo grateful that her journey did not leave her as an orphan, but that she has a beautiful family to call her own.

And now for a recap on how stunningly beautiful Joanna is......

A ride we may not have seen....a ride we may not have originally wanted to be on......a ride we did not expect.....a ride that we really had no clue about.......THANK GOD HE MAKES ALL THINGS NEW!  That he heals the broken hearted.  That HE LOVES US SO MUCH that HE GAVE US this beautiful child to call ......Joanna.

Now just to make you laugh - her nicknames are.....Joanna Bobanna (you know that anna manna, bobanna, song), cutie pie wootie, sugar plum, sugar bear, and probably many other cutsie names.

This girl even has her own chant.  Rappy type thing- goes like this- Jooooooanna, Joanna, Joanna,  you're a cute girly your hair is very very curly.  You are the cutest little patootie I like to squeeze your little tiny bootie.  Go baby go baby go, go baby go baby go....it's your birthday, eat some cake now, have some ice cream.......   (and anything else our kids make up at the end :)