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Garner Family Receives Special Present Just In Time For Christmas

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GARNER — Couples unable to have children are traveling half a world away to fulfill their dreams of becoming parents. For one Garner family, that dream is now a reality, just in time for the holidays.

Susan and Tim Goodgion are holding onto a dream that is awakening their parenting senses.

Her name is Jenna Renee and already, she is a daddy's girl.

"I would do anything for her," said Tim Goodgion, Jenna's father. "I can pick her up in my arms and she laughs. She looks me in the eyes and says 'Dada.'"

The Goodgions adopted Jenna from Anhui, a small province west of Shanghai. They were among six Triangle couples who recently returned from China with their adopted children.

Before that, Susan Goodgion only knew her little girl by her picture.

"The paperwork got held up in INS for five months," Goodgion said. "As soon as I got her in my arms, it was like we knew each other already. It was wonderful."

After clearing the international hurdle and a two-year adoption process, the Goodgions were able to bring their daughter home for the holidays.

"We really didn't think twice about it once we finally realized we weren't able to have children of our own, we pretty much knew just to go ahead and adopt," she said.

She says she wants four children, which means Jenna could soon have a few adopted brothers and sisters.

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