Annabel's Birthday

And so I am finally getting around to writing about Annabel's birthday, which was on February 21st. She turned three! What a birthday! This little girl ruled the day. First she awoke to breakfast and presents in bed, a Nankman family tradition.

Next, we visited (wisited, as Annabel says) Grandma and Grandpa's house where she got birthday doughnuts, which she happily shared with her Auntie Jo Jo.

For her birthday, Annabel got a bunch of dress-up clothes. (Some of them are the same clothes Jo and Kev and I used for dress-up as kids). Here she is in her fairy princess outfit:

 And then, of course, there was the pizza party with Jo, Jennifer, and Lauren.

On the weekend, we celebrated with a fancy tea party, complete with hats, gloves, and fancy dresses. And her friends Willow, Gwyn, and Karis.

And don't forget the cake. (It's pink on the inside.)

And a lot more presents, most of them girly. Happy Birthday Annabel!

Mieke Grows

It wasn't exactly her birthday, but we celebrated one month anyway with muisje muffins (anise muffins) just like we did for Alexander when he was one month old.

Now, Mieke is six weeks old and she weighs 12 lbs. That's half a pound lighter than I weighed when I was six weeks old. We're pretty much assuming she'll be a fat baby. Already the rolls are starting to form.

And her personality is taking shape as well. Aside from evening bouts of fussiness, she's a calm and sweet baby. She greets the world with a look of awe and has ready smiles for her siblings. She loves to be naked. Not surprising in this family.

Already she has a strong reaction to music. When I sing to her, she opens her mouth and lets out a sound that she doesn't make at any other time. I call it her singing. It's super sweet, and it encourages me to sing, which I often forget to do.