Birthday Bash!

Well, today is Joshna's third birthday!  We are so excited, yet so anxious for her to come home.  The three of us--Chip, Ellie, and I--had a birthday dinner for her where we celebrated on her behalf.  The chair at the head of the table where Chip normally sits for dinner was kept empty with some balloons...it will be the place where she will sit to celebrate her 4th birthday next year.  We put four cupcakes with confetti sprinkles on our red "You are special today" plate, one for each person in the family.  Ellie did get to blow out Joshna's birthday candle for her--and eat the extra cupcake! :)--and we all signed a card and took pictures to let her know in the years to come that she is an important part of our family even though she is not present with us this year.  We are so very thankful for her birth and for her being brought to our family.

I think of her birth mother and what she went through on this day.  Was she alone?  Was she sick and in pain?  What I would not give to know her and to have been there with her to hold her hand, to tell her it was going to be okay.  It breaks my heart to think she will not see her precious child grow up.  God has a plan, however, and I hope to be connected with her to share in the joy of knowing Joshna.

It is strange to think that I do not yet know Joshna.  She is our daughter (despite the formality of approval from CARA and the Indian and US courts), yet I have no idea what her personality is like.  Is she silly?  pensive?  rambunctious?  artistic?  We are closer than ever to bringing her home and finding out all of these exciting traits (even if a trait is sleeplessness...at least we will be sleepless together!).  When I bought her some clothes and books recently, I asked myself, "Will Joshna like this?"  It is amazing to think that I will have a clearer direction in the years to come when she is able to communicate with me about her favorite colors, styles, subjects, animals, and so much more.  I long for the day when we travel to India to begin our amazing journey with her!  Until then, I blog!