The patient wait for ‘Mr. Wiggums’

Every 45 minutes or so, 6-year-old Noelle Smith snuggles up to her mommy’s tummy and rubs it in small circular motions.

Inside is her baby brother and she can’t wait for him to come out and play.

“Wake up, Mr. Wiggums,” she says, and sure enough, he does, responding to her touch with frequent kicking.

In the evenings she reads him bedtime stories, and she has big plans to “play with him and teach him stuff like how to climb.”

For a 6-year-old, the baby was a long time coming. But Noelle had every confidence he would arrive, even before her mom knew she was pregnant.

For a year, Noelle had knelt beside her bunk bed and prayed for a sibling. When she found out her wishes had come true, she was ecstatic.

“She said that God is bringing her the brother that she prayed for,” said mom, Joy.

It was also the baby Joy and husband, Derrick, have prayed for.

“I was told I would have no children, that it was against all odds,” Joy said. “For us to be pregnant a second time is truly a miracle.”