T'is the Season......

...to go, go, go, and we have been doing our fair share.  As if all of the Christmas festivities weren't enough, Hannah had surgery on both of her hands on December 13th.  She is now in double arm casts.

Yes, cast has become a "four letter word" at my house :)  But as always, she is a trooper!

Before....

.....and after

But once we got home, it was business as usual :)

And now for a few more festive photos......

Meeting Santa for the first time.  

Yep, the only reason she got this close was for the candy. 

 She was not a fan! :)

My big girl at Church one Sunday Morning. 

 She can stand with little support now. :)

Christmas Parade 

(little blurry, sorry)

And I can't leave this post without sharing my new favorite Christmas Song.  I'm sure it's probably been around forever, but I  just heard it today and could not hardly hold back the tears.  Loooooovvvveee it. Check it out.

Praising the Lord tonight that it's Christmas time again and now you're HOME, Hannah Grace.

This Mama couldn't ask for more.  I have all three of my precious babies at home with me, but please pray for those families that are in the adoption process and are spending Christmas apart from their sweet little ones!!!  Having been there, it is an indescribably lonely feeling.

One Year Ago Today.....

.....I opened an email and fumbled through several documents to see this precious little face for the very first time.

One year ago today we received Hannah's referral.  

We had completed all of the necessary paperwork......homestudy, fingerprints, trainings....  We had been logged in for six months, six loooonnnnngggg months and were pretty much at a standstill with our process until we found our child.  We had been given 5 referrals.  All of which after much prayer and tears we knew were not our children.  So, to say I was a little anxious when I got the call that Monday night, well,  it would be an understatement. :)

I cannot describe the feeling that came over me when I saw her picture and as we were reading over her file.  I knew she was the one!  I knew she was the daughter that the Lord had called Stephen and me to bring home.  I knew she was Hannah Grace McDuffie.

And just look at her now. :) (little stinker)

 

Tonight I praise the Lord for His calling and His faithfullness!! I thank him for that PRECIOUS little face that I saw on November 26, 2012.

and for a few more photos :)

Today was a messy/rainy day here so what better way to pass the time than by putting up the Christmas Tree.  Hannah was so sweet.  She loved every minute of it.

can't wait to celebrate her "first" Christmas!

Happy Halloween

I just had to post a few pics of Hannah's first Halloween. :)

She was the cutest little Georgia cheerleader EVER! 

Iron Man and a beautiful cat weren't too bad either :) 

It was a great night, and we had lots of fun. 

Fall Fun

Since my last post, we have been having a little a lot of  Fall Fun so I decided to share a few pics.

On Oct 7th, Hannah had an appointment with her leg Dr. in Atlanta so we went up early and spent the morning at the Zoo.  :)  It was great....weather was perfect and it was not crowded at all.

My Little Panda :)

Then it was on to the Dr. that afternoon, and Praise the Lord her x-ray looked great soooooooo

NO MORE CAST!! woohooo :)

We have also enjoyed visiting a local farm

and what would Fall be without a few football games :)

Please continue to keep us in your prayers!  Sometime before the end of the year Hannah will be put to sleep again and have the pins removed from her hip, AND she will have surgery on both hands AND be in a full arm cast (on BOTH arms) for 3 to 6 weeks.  Yes, another blessified cast!!!!!!!!, but the Lord has been so FAITHFUL, and we know he will be with us through this as well. 

JOY!!!

James 1:2  

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials

Well, the last two weeks have been very "joyous" at our house!! :)  As you all know from one of my previous posts, Hannah had her spica cast removed on August 28th after seven weeks in.  On Saturday, September 7th (one and a half weeks out of the cast) she fell off of the bed and BROKE HER LEG!!!  Yep you guessed it.....back in a cast.  

Praise the Lord that it is just the leg that is casted this time!!

So it has been back to the "boom bag" as Hannah calls it for the past two weeks.

Thankfully her pain is much better now, and she is back to scooting and wanting to be held. :)

I know this little stinker will have one heck of a testimony to tell one day.

We go back to the Dr. on Oct 7th, and hopefully the cast will come off and we will be cleared.  Maybe this time we can make it a whole lot longer cast free!!!!!  Here lately there has just about been more "joy" at this house than this Mama can take. ;) 

Correction!

It has only been five months! :) :) That just proves how crazy I really am.....or heck I'm really on the ball.  Getting things done early! ;).  Anyway it seems like she has been with us a lifetime and I wouldn't trade a minute.

A Whole Half of a Year

Today marks six months since our Gotcha Day.....six months to the day that I first got my hands on my sweet baby girl! :) :) :) Stephen and I were looking through our China pics last night, and it is amazing to see the difference only six months has made.

Six moths ago Hannah was scared to death and really didn't want any part of us.

 

(4-1-2013)

Today she is bubbly, happy, smiley, and says "hold you" about a million times a day. 

("hold you" is what she says when she wants us to hold HER)

(9-1-2013)

Six months ago Hannah had no idea what a family was all about......today she has one of her very own.

Six months ago no-one had any idea that Hannah's hip was dislocated.....today she has made it through surgery, a spica cast, and is on the road to recovery.

Six months ago Hannah had no idea where Georgia was.....today she can say GO DAWGS with the best of 'um.

Six months ago I thought I knew, but I really had no idea how much love I could have for a precious little girl that was born in my heart.

WE LOVE YOU HANNAH GRACE MCDUFFIE!!!!!!!

HAPPY SIX MONTHS