Happy St. Patrick's Day! I had some fun ideas for St. Patty's day things to do with Gia, but didn't really get around to working them all out. But I did get these fun shirts made for the girls (see pic below)! Shortly after I took the pics, though, Joanna had a blow out and ruined her. Glad I took the photos as soon as I got them dressed this morning! As you may be able to tell by the light in the pictures, it is another dreary, gray, cold, ugly Indiana day. I'm getting pretty weary of this! But, there were a few days of sunshine this past week. In fact, Tuesday was so nice that we all got out to a nearby state park for some hiking and campground site scouting. Gia loved mucking around in the mud and puddles. I made a rookie mom mistake-- no change of clothing for either girl! Gia had to ride home in just her diaper, but it was 65 degrees outside and she didn't seem to mind. It was so nice to get some fresh air! Joanna experienced her first time at the Children's Museum this week, too. It was definitely tough with two kids... I feel like poor Gia didn't get to do as much there as she wanted to/normall does because I had to keep stopping to nurse Joey or change her diaper or something. Next time we go I'll definitely need a wing man to hang out with Gia when I need to tend to Joey. Also this week, Joey has gotten much better at reaching for toys and actually grabbing them for brief moments of time! She's been a bit fussy this week (and by fussy, I mean crying a little, which is more than usual but she's still such a great baby!) but I think its because she's in one of those infamous "wonder weeks" where lots of change and growth is taking place. We still don't have a great schedule, except for our nighttime routine. I'd really like to get a better routine going through out the day for her naps and stuff, but so far, no dice. We tried Gia in a big girl bed but she wasn't too thrilled so we let her get back in her crib. I'd really like to move Joey out of our room since she's sleeping 8-10 hours straight at night. But, we need the crib in order to do that! Gia's also been wanting to use the potty a lot more this week... that's a good thing except we'd finally decided to wait until we get back from a trip to Phoenix next month before we get hard core about potty boot camp. We may not have that luxury! We shall see....
This week more than any other so far, I really think Joanna looks like Gia. Not so much even in their 10 week comparisons, but as I was editing this photo I just kept thinking it was Gia! Crazy! Sean was really busy with work this week, and had a lot of meetings and extra obligations he had to tend to. We are going stir crazy with the cold weather still lingering about. How dare it stay this long into March! Hoping the next week brings some reprieve and we can finally introduce Joanna to the sun! We are trying to get Joey to take a bottle, but so far haven't had any luck. I need to try to borrow a few different types of bottles to see if there is one she prefers more but we really, really, really want her to be able to take a bottle. Gia never did, and it was quite draining. Literally for 14 months, I was the only source of milk. It got better around 8 months when she was eating enough table foods that she wasn't nursing as much but it would still be really nice to get a break every now and then.
Joanna had her two month check up this week! She weighs 10 pounds, 3 ounces and is 23.5 inches long. Although I do think she's long, that measurement might be a little on the exaggerated side. There is one nurse at our ped's office whose measurements always seem to be a bit generous in relation to all the others'. Either way, baby is growing! And miraculously, she is still sleeping 6-8 hours at night routinely. She is starting to get a bit of a flat head in the back, though, from all that time lying down. I'm trying some new positions, like on her side, so that it doesn't get bad. We are doing a delayed vaccine schedule again with her (like we did for Gianna), so she only got the Rotavirus oral vaccine and the singular (not combo) DTaP shot. She didn't seem to have any adverse reactions to either, thankfully! Sunday was the Oscars! One of my favorite days of the year. Joanna was a great companion for watching the Red Carpet stuff. She cooed at all the right dresses. :) Just today, Joanna seems to have discovered her hands!! She held them up in front of her face while I was changing her diaper and just stared at them as she moved them around. She still prefers sucking on her fist as opposed to a pacifier.
This past week, my BFF came to visit! It was a Christmas present from Sean, and the best one ever!! It is hard to believe, but its actually been 5 years since we've seen each other in person. Way, way, way too long. We still talk on the phone several times a week, but life just got busy for both of us, and the miles between us are too great for quick weekend visits. Tracy got in on Thursday, and we went out to Olive Garden for dinner. Sean watched Gia and I took Joey with us. Joey was an angel and slept the entire time! As we were leaving, we got caught in a torrential down pour. It was pretty crazy. Friday we just hung out some more, then Saturday Tracy and I took both girls to see the movie "Frozen." Gia did good, and as long as I let Joey keep nursing, she was pretty good too. Joey has been sleeping and growing great still. She is cooing and smiling at us a lot! Gia was sick on Sunday and a little bit on Monday... it was interesting trying to keep a toddler quarantied from our newborn. Thankfully Sean was able to stay home part of the day and keep her company in the guest room. It was just a sore throat and mild fever that thankfully turned out to be nothing more.
PS- This is Joey's poop face. She flares her nostrils every time!
To be honest, I'm a little behind in posting my weekly pictures so I don't recall anything spectacular from this week in Joey's life. I take the pictures each week, but getting them onto my computer, editing them and posting them is another story! Life is busy with 2 kiddos! Probably more snow, cold, snow, sitr crazy!


This week has been pretty much the same as any other week... we got another downpour of snow. I am so over this winter! Its difficult to find fun things to do. This week was Valentine's Day. Gia was so excited about it! Sean got her a Little Tykes basketball goal, which she LOVES! This week we had a little scare with Joanna- she woke up with what looked like a cold sore on her upper lip. I knew from my time working with infectious diseases that a cold sore could be the herpes virus, and that it is very dangerous & potentially deadly in newborns. I got in immediately with her pediatrician (they opened up after lunch because the snow had them closed that morning. Thankfully our neighbor with a snow plow on his truck helped us get the van out of our driveway so I could go to the hospital. God is good). She couldn't say definitely one way or another what she thought the sore was. She even had the other doctor come in and looked at it, and the consulted with an ID doctor at the Children's Hospital downtown. Since she hadn't had any contact with anyone who'd had a cold sore, we decided to just keep an eye on her and see if it got worse. The treatment for herpes in a baby is weeks in the hospital on IV fluids, which is why she didn't immediately want to jump to that course of action. I nervously watched the spot and thanks to God, it resolved on its own after several days. I'm thinking it might have just been from her pacifier or a scratch from her fingernail. Whatever it was, it is gone but it was a huge scare!!


This week Joanna gifted us with an amazing 8 1/2 hours of sleep! It hasn't happened again, but it was sure nice. We did get a couple of 7 hour stretches, which are equally amazing. The past few nights, we've been back to a 4 hour schedule or so. Joanna had her one month check up on Thursday last week... she is growing great! She is now 8 lbs 12 oz and 21 1/2 inches long! I've been worrying if she is getting enough milk because she doesn't nurse very long, but her weight gain is showing us that she's doing just fine! Joanna got to "meet" a few of her baby friends this week. Eliza is 3 months old and she came over with her mom Nicole on Wednesday night. It was nice to have company, since Sean is gone much of Wednesday and the day gets very long. On Thursday, Joey went to her first girls' night. It was lovely to finally paint my nails and have someone else hold her while I just sat and talked. I love my friends! Joey made her first appearance at church this weekend. I've been hesitant to go because I don't want Gia getting sick from all the germs, but I couldn't stand the idea of another morning alone in the house. So it was a nice break up to the monotiny. Gia loved being with her friends and Joanna and I chilled in the cry room with her almost-birthday-buddy, Conrad and little Ailith & her mom. That night, we all went to a Super Bowl party with the youth group. Gia got to go up early with Sean, and she was so cute-- she had blackout under her eyes and was cheering with a pompom and tutu. Joanna slept almost the whole time!

I feel like this week has been much of the same as the previous 3 weeks: eat, sleep, poop, poop some more, cry. Joanna is nursing great and as a result, she poops all the time. Usually right after we change her into a clean diaper. Seriously, I will wait 10 or 15 minutes to see if she is finished, then as asoon as I put on the clean diaper, she explodes. Its no wonder our diapers are going so fast... we are literally using them twice as fast as you should! Joanna marked the beginning of her 4th week by giving us the longest stretch of sleep to date: almost 6 hours! She slept from 11 pm until 5:45 am one night!! She slept almost as long the next couple of nights. Now we are back to a more regular 3 hours or so, but those couple of nights were excellent! Its amazing what sleep will do for you. Joey's had a bad diaper rash that we are trying to get under control, and as a result of that (I think), she's been crying a lot. She's awake a little bit more this week, but most of the time she's been awake she's been crying. Except when Sean is holding her. This girl loves her daddy! He makes funny faces at her and sticks his tongue out at her; she will smile back at him and try to stick her tongue out too. Its the cutest thing. We've had sub-polar temperatures outside again this week so we've barely left the house. We're all going a bit stir-crazy... having a winter baby is tough. I'm just ready to go to the park and go for neighborhood walks! I haven't even put Joey's seat on the stroller yet! Looks like this next week will be more of the same. We have her one month check up on Thursday, and I"m excited to see how much she has hopefully grown!! I think we're getting into the swing of things, at least as far as being home with the girls during the day... today was a really good day with them. I know there will be ups and downs, which is why I am so especially thankful for such a good day today!
So I never got around to posting Gianna's birth story, but I wanted to document Joanna's while it was still fresh in my mind. I'm trying to battle this second child syndrome, so maybe getting this done will help stave that off from the beginning!
DISCLAIMER: This is a birth story. While I don't plan to throw my dignity away to the interwebs, this is a birth story. There will probably be a little TMI for some of you. If words like "dilation", "contraction", "effaced", etc skeeve you out, you should probably skip this one.
Joanna's actual due date was January 4, 2014. The last few weeks of my pregnancy, I was worried about her having low amniotic fluid. I had no reason to be worried about that, other than both Whitney and Gianna had low amniotic fluid. In fact, that's why I was induced with Gianna on her due date. I had mentioned this to my doctor, and she didn't seem too worried. I was still measuring good and baby seemed fine so she didn't really see a need to do anything just yet. At my 36 or 37 week appointment (I don't remember which), my doctor was stuck in surgery so I had to see one of the other docs in the practice. He was nice enough, but every time I saw him, he kinda lectured me about not inducing this baby early for no reason. I alway assured him I wanted the baby to cook as long as necessary, but wanted to be sure she was safe. He asked me at this appointment if I was still worried about the fluid levels and I said yes, so he scheduled an ultrasound for me the next week.
At my next appointment, it did indeed show that Joey's fluid levels were on the low end. I think they want at least a measurable 5 to 25 centimeteres of fluid around the baby and Joey's was just at 6.25 (or something like that). However, I did have a pocket of fluid that was 4x4, which was good and my doctor felt we'd just keep an eye on it. We also decided that we would schedule an induction for December 31st, if she hadn't come by then. Yay for getting her on this year's taxes! And my doctor was going to be on vacation for a while after that date. I really wanted her to deliver me, so I jumped at the opportunity to schedule this. At my next appointment (Almost 39?) Joey's fluid was a bit improved, and I was dialted 1 cm and 75% effaced. This was a Thursday-- Dr. K told me she would see me on Tuesday morning for my induction, but wouldn't be surprised if I maybe went into labor before then on my own. Eek! Really!? I didn't care when it happened, really, as long as my mom made it there before the baby came. She was set to arrive from Egypt on Friday. My doctor was also on-call that weekend, so I felt good knowing if it did happen before Tuesday, she would most likely be there.
Well, baby held off Thursday night, and mom made it to Indianapolis safe and sound on Friday. We were so excited to go pick her up at the airport. Gia knows good things (people we love) come from the airport! We had a nice weekend... mom was able to get a little sleep, and we had our Wilson family Christmas on Saturday. Sean's dad and step-mom, brother and sister-in-law came over and we had lunch then opened some gifts and visited. It was a great day!
We went to church on Sunday, and Sunday afternoon, Sean was gone most of the day. He went hunting with a friend (last opportunity of the season- who am I to say no?) and then had dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings with our college students. (After church on Sunday, we took some pics by our Christmas tree, since I'd forgotten to do that all season. I"m glad I did, as this was the last time we were home to do so before Joey came!) After putting Gia to bed, mom and I sat down to watch an episode of "The Next Iron Chef." About half-way through the episode we were watching, I realized that I was having contractions and that I probably should time them. This was nothing new, I'd been having mild contractions off and on since I was so sick a month ago. But this time, they didn't go away when I laid down or drank water. About 9:30, the contractions were consistently 6 minutes apart or so; I decided I should go take a shower, just in case this was it. When I went to the hospital last month when I was in labor from dehydration, I had "winter legs" (you know, hadn't shaved in a couple weeks). I joked with the nurses about it then, but had no intention of going in with hairy legs again. :) (The nurses said they didn't care but c'mon, its weird!) So I told mom I was going to go shower, but she was already passed out asleep on the couch. I couldn't wake her for anything! That jet lag was finally getting to her.
I stopped paying attention to the contractions while I was in the shower, but once I got out, I still noticed them. So I made sure I had all my hospital bag things together, and texted my friend Heather to tell her about the contractions. Sean came home about 10:30 and I told him he probably needed to get his bag together. Shortly after that, I decided it was time to call my doctor. My contractions were still 5 or 6 minutes apart but they were getting stronger. They had told me to wait until they curl my toes and are 3 minutes apart, but that was just too much for my comfort. When I called my doc she said she could hear the worry in my voice, and it would probably be good if I came on in to the hospital. Hearing her say that made me feel both relieved and freaked out at the same time. We called my friend Caitlin to come over and spend the night with Gia so that my mom could come up to the hospital with us. I am so thankful that she was willing to do that! I knew that when Gia woke up to us not being here, she would still feel safe and secure with "Kiki." I went in and woke mom up and told her this was it! I was still thinking it would probably take me a long time to actually have the baby, so I told her she could sleep a little and come up later if she wanted to. But the temps outside were dropping and it was getting alittle drizzly, so she decided to come on up with us so she didn't have to drive later and/or risk missing the birth!
Caitlin got there just a few minutes later, and I called Heather once again to tell her we were headed to the hospital. She asked if she should come on up now, but I told her to wait until we got checked in and knew for sure that they were going to keep us. We were out our door by about 11:30, on our way to meet our sweet little Joanna (hopefully!).
(To be continued...)

This was the last week we had with my mom here. It has been so wonderful to have her with us for almost a month! Gianna has loved all the extra attention and we've loved having the extra hands. I can't beleive we didn't get a single game of Settlers in, though! Joanna is doing great! She has a bit of a diaper rash, which is so sad! Gia never had a diaper rash when she was little, but we're just keeping cream on it and trying to get it to go away. Joey is still nursing great. She had one day where she slept literally all. day. long. And that night, she was awake for several hours which was not so fun. But overall, I really cannot complain because she's been sleeping pretty great at night for the most part. I just hope she is still gaining weight as well as she has the past two weeks! We took Joey out for the first time yesterday... to (where else) Chick-Fil-A! It was about 30 degrees outside yesterday, which I realized was going to be the warmest weather all week. So I suggested we go out for one last lunch with Mom. It was nice to get out and Joey slept the whole time! I've been kinda crazy about not going out with her, but so far it has worked to keep us healthy. Indiana (and much of the country) is seeing really high rates of flu this season and I don't want to take any unnecessary chances. I am so ready for warmer weather, the end of flu season, and for Joanna to be a bit older. But for now, I'm relying on the goodness of breastmilk antibodies and leaving the rest in God's hands! (BTW, have you read up on the amazing components of breastmilk? Its absolutely fascinating.) More snow is coming our way today... oh boy. Mom has to leave tomorrow, so we will be on our own again... I'm nervous/scared/sad about mom leaving but looking forward to finding our rhythm as a family of 4.
Our tiny sweetheart is growing! We had a weight check at the doctor on Friday, and Joanna has surpassed her birthweight! When she left the hospital, she was 6 lbs 11 oz (down from her 7 lbs 4 oz birthweight). Just a week and a half old, she weighed in at 7 lbs 8 oz! They doctor and nurse were very impressed with her weight gain. Its good to know she's getting enough milk and that it seems to be doing good. She is still sleeping pretty well... we generally get a 3 hour stretch at night, then its every two hours again after that. I don't know if its because sleep was so uncomfortable in the last trimester of my pregnancy, or because I know I can't just get in bed and sleep for hours on end, but my bed seems even more comfortable than I remember it being. A cruel joke, I say. Joanna experinced her first red carpet watching and awards show in the Golden Globes last night. I can't wait til she and Gia are old enough to stay up late with me and we can ooh-and-aaah over the gowns together! My mom is still here with us which is such a tremendous blessing. She is helping with Gia and cleaning, allowing me to rest, and its just so good to be together. We have her with us for one more week before she has to leave-- we will all be so sad to see her go! Gianna is still doing great in her new role as big sister. She's eager to help and usually asks to hold Joey a few times a day, though she doesn't like it when Joey stretches a hand toward her face and touches her. Silly girl! We're still going a bit stir crazy as its been super cold, but thankfully not in the negative degrees this week. Gia and I even go outside for a nice little walk this evening. Sean has a cold right now (hoping its nothing more than that) so he's in the guest room tonight, which means I am on my own with the babe tonight... I'm pretty nervous about it. She's been sleeping all day so we'll see what tonight holds for us.
Joanna Payton
"After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 3 Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means." (Luke 8:1-3)
55 "The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it." (Luke 23:55)
"On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.
9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense." (Luke 24:1-11)
There is just so much I love about this woman who is only briefly mentioned by name twice in the Bible. Though not much is written about her, by looking into the facts, we can learn a lot about the kind of woman she was, the heart for her Lord, and the influence she had on those around her. After studying this woman, there are 5 things about Joanna that stood out, and have in turn, been praying for our daughter Joanna. (I'm writing those prayers in italics below.) (I got a lot of this commentary from Biblegateway.)
A Sick Woman Healed by Christ
Joanna, along with Mary Magdalene and Susanna were among the “certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities” (8:2). Whether Joanna had been demon-possessed or suffered from some mental or physical disability we are not told. It is evident that this female of the upper class, restored to normal health by Christ, gave her life to Him. She is here seen as one of the traveling company who went before Christ and the Twelve to arrange for their hospitable reception. We don't know what she experienced healing from, but her response to Jesus' healing touch was huge and personal. Out of her own resources many expenses were met, and in this way she ministered unto Him of her substance. Having freely received His healing touch, she freely gave of herself and of her means for His welfare.
God, we are all sick and in need of a Healer. Sin has separated us and we need the Great Physician to heal our darkened hearts. Draw our daughter to you. You've placed the desire for YOU in every heart; I pray you will cultivate a deep longing in her from an early age to know you and seek you out. Just like you healed Joanna in the Bible, I pray our daughter will have a spirit that is open to your healing of her sinful heart as she surrenders to you. Whatever ailments she may face in her life, whether spiritual, mental or physical, I pray she will always look first to you as Jehovah-Rapha, her healer. I pray she will be a woman of hospitality... that she will be welcoming and warm so that your name may be made great. May she give whatever she has from the fullness of her heart, whether it is a lot or a little.
A Woman of Power with an Unusual Sphere of Influence
Chuza, the husband of Joanna, was the “steward” of Herod, which is the same word given as “tutor” or “guardian”. Some scholars believe Chuza is the noble man mentioned in John 4:46-54.
46 Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.48 “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”49 The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”50 “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.”The man took Jesus at his word and departed. 51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52 When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.”53 Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed.54 This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.
An interesting thought if Chuza truly is the man mentioned in this passage. But regardless of that speculation, Chuza was Herod's highest-ranking servant, someone trusted and respected within the Roman influenced society that had power, influence and wealth. He must have been a man of intelligence and ability in order to hold the position he did as manager of Herod’s household. By employment of her husband, Joanna was fundamentally a rich, significant woman. Because of her close proximity to Herod, it is highly likely that Herod himself may have known about Joanna's personal story of healing at the hands of Jesus. The office of Chuza also gave Joanna an excellent opportunity of witnessing in the palace, and we can imagine how she took full advantage of it. She had the opportunity to reveal the truth about Jesus among the court who only only heard lies from Herod. In fact, tradition has it that Chuza lost his position in Herod’s palace because of his wife’s conversion to Christianity and her courageous testimony among Herod’s servants.
Lord, we pray for the man that our daughter will marry. We pray that you will make him wise and knowledgeable... not just of earthly things, but wise in matters of the eternal. May he be a strong leader, respected by his family and other, but most importantly, seen as a follower of you. May his character and witness be evident to all who come into contact with him. May he lead our daugther with integrity and love, out of a devoted heart to you.
We also pray that you will use Joanna to be a witness for you in whatever circumstance she is in. Whether that be near to us or far from home, give her a unique sphere of influence wherein the witness of your glory can shine. Give her peace that you will provide for her and never leave her as she seeks and serves you.
A Generous Supporter of Christ
Healed and saved, Joanna gave thanks. Christ had ministered to her physical restoration and salvation and in turn she ministered to Him. By saying the women supported Jesus out of their own means, we are to understand material possessions, such as money and property, and Joanna honored the Lord with these. Knowing that He and the disciples accompanying Him had very little to support them, Joanna, out of her plenty, gave liberally to their needs and thus exemplified the grace of giving. Let's not forget this was a brave (and probably unpopular) move. Jesus and those in his ministry were strongly disliked by the Jewish and Roman authorities. On Joanna's dime, they were defying the values and power of the very class she belonged to!
Jesus, may you give us wisdom as we teach Joanna that all we have is truly not ours, but it all belongs to you. I pray Joanna will learn to give from a cheerful heart-- not just of her money or possessions but of herself, her time, her heart.
A Sorrowful Mourner at the Grave of Christ
Among the women at the cross, the heart of Joanna must have been rent with anguish as she saw her beloved Lord dying in agony and shame. She stayed loyal to her Healer and Redeemer-- even as officials she may have personally known were crucifying him. She chose Jesus over opportunity, career and class. She was brave in her following of Him, even to Christ's death- and beyond. The One who had cured her body and her soul had become precious to Joanna, and, having ministered to Him while He was alive, she continued her ministry of love as His body was still and cold in death.
Jesus, I pray Joanna will be faithful to you. That through tough times, in the face of ridicule or unpopularity, she will cling to what she knows is true- YOU. Give her a brave spirit with a heart that can break for matters that concern you.
A Joyful Herald of Her Lord’s Resurrection
Continuing her loyalty, even beyond Christ's death, Joanna was among the sorrow-stricken women who early on that first memorable Lord’s Day gathered at the sepulcher to linger in the presence of the dead. But to their amazement the tomb was empty, for the living Lord was no longer among the dead. Perplexed over the vacant grave, they beheld the angelic guardians and heard them say, “He is not here, but is risen: remember what he said to you when you were with him in Galilee.” How could they forget His words! Recalling all He had said of His sufferings, death and Resurrection, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, became the first human heralds of the Resurrection. With all haste they went to the apostles and told them the good news, but for awhile their words seemed as idle tales until Peter saw for himself the graveclothes but no dead Master (Luke 24:1-12). He then believed the women’s declaration of the Lord who was alive forevermore. Joanna, then, was among the last at the cross, and among the first to witness the empty tomb and likewise among the first to proclaim that the Lord whom she had so dearly loved was risen indeed.
Though brief, I love the story of Joanna and her faith, as well as the faith of the ladies that she was with. What a group they must have been! Think about the last part of this story... the women are telling the Eleven disciples (and others) what the angels had told them about the Risen Christ, but the men did not believe them-- the verse says it sounded like nonsense. These men had been with Jesus all throughout His ministry. They knew him personally. They loved Him. And yet they still thought these women were speaking nonsense. But that didn't stop the women from boldly sharing the truth of Christ through faith. The Eleven would have to see for themselves the empty tomb before they would believe. What an encouragement Joanna and her friends are, even today.
Lord, I pray you will surround Joanna with godly friends. Girls/women who will encourage her in faith and surround her with truth, even when others doubt. I pray you will give Joanna a heart that is eager to believe your truths, and a sensitivity to guard her heart from things (and people- especially boys) who could lead her astray. May she boldly proclaim the Good News of the Risen Christ. Give her a steadfast heart to know what it is you have asked her to do and the resolve to carry forth your Word in the midst of disbelief.
What about the middle name??
Payton was a top contender for a first name- both Sean and I love it. But I'm not really big on gender neutral or gender bender names (even though, ironically, Sean & Gia are calling Joanna "Joey) AND let's face it... we live in Indy. Peyton Manning is still king in this town, even though he's literally playing for another team now. But I love the same so much and it has special family meaning-- it is my grandma's maiden name. Her parents, George and Alberta Payton were my great-grandparents (Daddy George and Great Gran). I have very few memories of them, but I love my Gran and remember how fondly she always spoke of her parents. And I love the way she always referred to them as "Momma and Daddy." Its a good, solid, Oklahoma-rooted family name.
So there you have it! Joanna Payton will be making her debut January 4th-ish. :)
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| ^ Not me ^ |
So now, on to her name. I guess we can't keep calling her "baby girl 3" because that's way too long and doesn't really have that 'ring' to it, ya know? And just a warning, I may need to break this up into a couple of posts. This name means so much to my heart, and it truly encapsulates so many hopes and prayers I have for our little girl. I just want everyone to know how much this name means to us. So I may take a couple posts to explain it all. For months, Sean & I figured this baby would be another girl, mainly for the fact that we had no idea what we would name another girl. We had several boys' names, but girls- nope! When Gia's adopted grandparents offered to keep her for an evening while we went on a date, we thought itd' be the perfect opportunity to really buckle down and find a name for this babe.
We went to our usual name-picking spot: Olive Garden. Its where we went the evening we found out we were having a girl in Whitney, and also where we picked her name. We then went back to Olive Garden when I was pregnant with Gianna and again chose her name over dinner there. Its another little way we like to honor and involve the memory of Whitney in our current life, even after it has continued to move on all these years later.
Being that we were completely at a loss for agreeing on the name, I brought some notecards and markers so that we could write down the top 2 or 3 names that each of us were thinking about. After ordering our dinner (with a starter of fried calamari, of course!), we secretly wrote down our top choices, then revealed them to each other. There was one name we agreed on, a family name, but we didn't agree on it being first or middle. It also just didn't seem to "fit" our little girl. Funny how we've not even held her yet, and there is some familiarity with her spirit already. Sean turned over his top name choice card, and at first, I wasn't thrilled. It kinda came out of nowhere and I'd never even considered it before. In fact, I had a funny connotation with name he wrote down... I immediately thought of an uber-conservative, pentecostal type girl in a long denim skirt with long hair pulled back in a bun-- Duggar style. (Her name is one of the 20+ names of the Duggar kids- there's a clue! To be clear- I love the Duggars, and admire the way they are raising Godly kids.) But, I remembered a Bible study I did last year that completely changed my life (True Woman 101), and on one of the days it was talking about when Adam established names for all the creatures. God gave him, specifically, the task of naming all the animals, and someone in our group asked if that meant that we had to let our husbands choose the names for our kids. I'd never though about it that way. While I don't necessarily think that's what's implied in the Scriptures, it definitely made me more willing to seek out Sean's reasoning behind the "top choice" name he'd brought to the table, despite my odd, initial association with the name. So I asked him why that name? When he pulled out his phone to look up the Scripture in which her name is mentioned, I knew it was "the name" for our baby girl. And after studying more about this woman of God, I am again a firm believer that there is power in what we name our children, and that names do mean something. And I am so thankful that God has given us this name for our daughter...
Gia's awake now... Stay tuned for the rest of the story in a little bit...





























