Happy 1st Birthday, Nora!

September 30th...today is our sweet little girl's 1st birthday!

Can you even believe it--1 year old already?!?!

One year ago today, we were enjoying a fun time at a Nebraska Volleyball match with our friends Ryan and Janel...completely oblivious to what was happening in a tiny Haitian hut.

One year ago today, a young mom was birthing her second-born baby girl...completely oblivious of the family who would graciously take her as one of their own.

One of our first photos of Nora-the day her parents brought her to the orphanage at 1 month old

One year ago today, Josephine (Nora) entered the world completely oblivious to the fact she already had two moms loving her in the very same moment.

Nora with her Mamas-2 months old

Although we were all oblivious of each other on the day she was born, God was anything but oblivious.  He was probably delighting in the moment where one special little child of His Creation was about to make the paths of very different people cross like they never dreamed of.  I have no doubt in that moment, we--our family, Nora's birth parents, as well as Nora herself--were all changed and blessed forever.  It was a day the angels rejoiced.

This Mama's heart aches that she is not in Haiti today celebrating the first year of life the Lord has given Nora, but I have faith we will be in Indiana celebrating it next year together for sure.  To make sure she knew we were certainly still celebrating her birthday, we sent down this video to Nora this week and even have ice cream on the menu for today in honor of her birthday.  We heard from our orphanage director's assistant that she smiled and giggled when she watched the video.  Oh how my heart delights in that thought and longs to hear those giggles with my own ears.  I have heard they come frequently from her but have yet to ever hear them for myself...giggles, unfortunately, don't magically come through photos : )

We were also blessed to hear Nora will not go unnoticed on her birthday in Haiti.  She will be celebrating with her orphanage brothers and sisters today complete with birthday cake!  We have been promised photos of the event soon--I can't wait to see them.  I'm so blessed to know she is being cared for at an orphanage willing to throw a party in celebration of her big day and that we will have pictures for her to treasure for the rest of her life.

Happy 1st Birthday, Nora Josephine!  You are such a gift to us and we can't wait to be a gift to you in a much more tangible way!