Six Months Gotcha-versary

Today marks six months since Hannah was placed in our arms in the Civil Affairs office in Zhengzhou.  It feels like ages ago that we were saying goodbye to our boys, boarding a flight to China and anxiously waiting for our daughter to arrive at the office.  I went back and re-read my post to describe that day.  When I reflect back on that day, on our time of preparation and on the past 6 months I am overwhelmed by God's faithfulness.  He has continued to show up and be faithful to us and to Hannah in very tangible ways.  

Before we were matched with Hannah and in the months after we were matched with her, our biggest prayer was that God would keep her heart soft and open to love.  We were of course praying for her health and safety-- but we knew that medicine could treat her physical needs, but that the scars of emotional trauma can run much deeper.   It was our greatest hope that she would be held and loved while there and that she would be open to us as her parents and bond well to us.

Those prayers have been answered with abundance.  Hannah is doing incredible.  It sounds so cliche, but it feels like she has been in our family forever.  Hannah is securely attached to us as her parents and to her brothers.  Hannah seems to find a lot of joy in the regular routines of our family - praying before meals, going places together in the van, our nightly bedtime routine and saying "Night night, ayoo (love you) and 'morrow (see you tomorrow)" to her brothers.  She gives and receives affection within our family well, seeks us out for comfort, has an appropriate fear of strangers, and is confident enough to play independently and do well in the church nursery.  Hannah is eating well, growing, speaking more, playing in age appropriate ways and showing many typical 2 year old behaviors including some small moments of drama ;).   To say that so many things with her are 'normal' or 'typical' is an incredible blessing and testimony to God's faithfulness to Hannah and to us.  We are grateful!

Hannah, we love you more than words can say.  You are adored, treasured, and a representation of God's love and faithfulness.  We are so proud of the progress you have made over the past 6 months and cannot wait to see how you continue to grow and change in the months and years to come!