JOSIAH MEETS HIS DADDY!

http://www.kgw.com/video?id=112475699&sec=547757

Christmas was all cleaned up and packed away, Jessi and I were all packed and ready to leave for the Dominican Republic two days after Christmas. Monday morning, the phone woke me up. It was Cyndi saying that she just heard on the news that flights were being cancelled to New York due to a huge snow storm. Of course OUR trip was through New York. We were not due to fly out until night, but we figured we better see what we could do before all options were gone. We got on the internet right away, but it would not let us do anything and all calls to the airline were busy, with a recording saying call back later. So we got ourselves ready to go as fast as we could and threw those final things into our suitcases and then the suitcases into the car. We got to the airport and the JetBlue desk had a sign that they would not be open until 11:30...it was 9:00. We had breakfast and kept checking to see what other flights were available on other airlines. While we were waiting a TV team was there to get a story. Before we knew it, we were being interview for the 12:00 news! It ended up showing on the 5, 6, and 11:00 news also! We put a link on Facebook for Ariel to see his son trying to get to him and a person that knows Ariel who works at a local Dominican station put it on the Dominican news as well. I thought I would be able to insert just the video, but all I can do is add the link if you want to see it.

At 11:30 we were helped by two of the nicest agents. They worked on our flight for almost 2 hours, so glad we had taken along our bags because we left within the hour and ended up in Long Beach, CA, then to Ft. Lauderdale, FL and into Santo Domingo. It worked out so awesome! Dennis and Abby were able to meet us at the airport for dinner!!! They have not seen each other for 3 years and of course never seen Josiah, so it was such a bonus for the morning panic.

Josiah was the best little traveler, he slept, nursed and looked around. The flight from LA to FL was all night, getting us in at 5am...then we had to stay the whole morning and leave in the early afternoon. I can not believe how easy he was to be with us through it all. These two pictures just make me crack up laughing when I remember Jessi's commentary for Josiah's words when she saw them...the first one " DELAYED???"...and then "YEAH!! I'm going to meet my Daddy!"

The reward for it all was getting to be there when Ariel first saw his baby! It made me cry and still I get all teary when I see them. I know Ariel was dying to see the little guy, but believe it or not, he first hugged Jessi, almost as if there were no baby in her arms. They had been apart for 4 months topped off with him having to miss the birth..so nice to have your son-in-law adore your daughter!

Going to Santo Dominigo was something else that really worked out for the best for us too. We had been booked through Puerto Plata, just minutes from where their apartment is. Then we were going to spend the night and all of us get on a 4 hour bus ride to the Capitol to go to the US Embassy for Ariel's visa appointment. By us flying to Santo Domingo, only Ariel had to bus down and we were able to go a day earlier and the most awesome news is ARIEL GOT HIS VISA!!! After a year of application process and being sent away in October until he could come back with his wife and baby, it was such a relief.

From the Embassy we went to the bus station and took the 4 hour ride up north. It seemed like the whole country was there to greet us...well, not US...greet Josiah! Jessi's first host family, Ariel's brothers, aunts, cousins, and so many friends, even Josiah's great grandmother was there.

The past few days have been a continual stream of visits, either to their apartment or us going from one place to another. Yesterday we walked from Ariel's Mother's house to his Grandmother's, it was as if we were a parade of four as we past each home people would rush out to take a look at Josiah, so many of them said they saw us on TV. Normally it is the women who fuss over a baby, but even the men are so in awe of this little guy that they have prayed for all these months. These last photos are her friend Milka with her baby, Ariel's mother's mother and his father's mother (both of his grandfathers have died, as well as his own father.), Alberto and Lydia, her host family and in the middle is his mother and 4 of her other grandchildren.

And now begins the 'getting to know his baby' for Ariel. It is so hard for Jessi to not be the big know it all, to try to let Ariel and his other Grandmother figure out for themselves just how he likes to be held and bounced and all the little things that we have gradually figured out. Ariel did the baby's wash today and it was just so cute to see those little clothes hanging on the line. He also changed his first diaper.