Annika's First Birthday

Mmmm, brownies and pink frosting!

Post-birthday bath

Taking Sissy for a ride

Annie's new dollhouse

Apparently, NOT a feather boa and tiara kind of girl...

Presents

Another cake shot

Well, my baby girl is a year old already. It sure goes by quickly. I mean, the first year whizzed by with Josiah, but with Annika, it was a mere blink from birth to one.


I really don't have a lot of news. My parents flew in on Tuesday. Josiah and I went to pick them up in Boston. I was anticipating a lot of detours. Hans had me a little worried about this...but apparently they have finally completed some of the construction around Logan. I took the Audi so that I could use the navigation system, even though Hans told me that I should turn it off as soon as I got into downtown Boston since it's an old version and therefore essentially useless. Technology is just so useful...


Josiah was one happy boy when he caught sight of his grandparents in the terminal. It was like a scene from some sappy movie...I set him on the floor and pointed to Grandma and Grandpa coming up the hallway and he let out a joyous yelp and ran straight for them, arms outstretched. The crowds all parted, staring and smiling at the sight as Josiah threw his arms around them. It was one of those Hallmark moments.


We haven't been up to too much because it is freakin' cold out here. OK, not as cold as Minnesota, I know, I know. Try to refrain from bitterness in your comments, all ye who reside in the land of milk and honey. Today it was 40 for a couple of afternoon hours. But it was horrid here on Wednesday, cold and rainy/sleety/snowy. The disgusting, sopping wet, freezing cold stuff. Not rain but not snow. Uck. It made for a big mess., school cancellations, overzealous sanding and salting of roadways. Hans' school was even delayed for two hours on Wednesday and Thursday.


Valentine's Day was nice. It was also my parents' 36th wedding anniversary. Way to go, Mom and Dad. Seriously. That is a very long time. We could all learn a thing or two from them. I used to think it was pure romance, but as I've gotten older and acquired a husband of my own, my mother has revealed that there is a great deal of compromise and patience involved. OK, and a little romance...just a little!!


Hans and I even went out on a "date" on Wednesday night, to a local Italian restaurant that we had patronized in the past. It wasn't as good as we remember and the one martini I drank gave me no happiness, but instead a wretched headache. The company was nice as was the log fire, and we finished up the evening with a visit to Barnes & Noble. Traditional Hans and Rachel date. We bought six books.


Thursday was pretty normal...we opened some of Annika's many gifts at lunchtime. Thank you to everyone who sent cards and gifts. Watch the mail for your proper thank you note! Anyway, she was blessed enough to get some lovely gifts and messages. Hans and I got her a Fisher-Price house...with Mommy, Daddy, Baby and fuzzy Kitty. Josiah has been having a lot more fun with it than Annika, but we know that she'll grow into it eventually. We all went out for dinner at one of our favorite places, The Red Parrot (thanks for supper Chad & Heidi), then returned home for cupcakes and candles. Alas, Annika did not enjoy wearing her pink feather boa and tiara, so there are pictures, but she is definitely not smiling in them. She did enjoy her brownie and the fact that we sang "Happy Birthday" to her about 1,000 times. Josiah insisted.


And I thought of her birth day many, many times between 6:22 and 7:39 p.m. It was a beautiful day in Yokosuka, unseasonably warm. We spent the day at the park with Mariska and Alexis and everyone, playing the day away. I jumped around as much as I could...or something. Whatever I did, it worked because I went into labor about two hours after we got back from the park and we had a baby less than an hour and a half later. Good times!