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| always a happy baby....nine months |
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| One year |
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| beginning preschool |
Fourteen years ago today, our youngest, Annika was born. She was seven weeks early, but she was a a pistol from the moment she arrived on the scene. The nurses all adored her and would take funny polaroid shots of her when I wasn't able to be at the nursery. I remember one nurse drew eyes with long, curly eyelashes on her eye covering 'glasses'.
Annika has had an interesting life. She has an amazing self-awareness for a girl of 14. She works very hard to be the healthiest girl she can be. She is resilient. I marvel at her assertiveness, something I honed in young adulthood. Her courage may falter sometimes, but it is never far behind. You will always know where you stand with her, always.
I am impressed with the way she has learned to instill healthy boundaries in different areas of her life. If someone is not treating her fairly or nicely, she will assert herself in a bold, yet respectful way. Even in preschool, her teachers told me that they appreciated how she would let them know if something wasn't working for her.
We don't know what the future holds for Annika. We hope that the crippling anxiety she daily fights against, will continue to subside and she will be able to enjoy day to day life more and more. For now, we are so proud of the progress she has made and continues to make. It has been a journey, but I can honestly say that I am happy and proud to be her mother. She is a very loving child who has so much to offer the world around her. As I sit and type this now, I can hear her laughing with some friends upstairs. She has had crossed another major hurdle, having an overnight birthday party with several friends and ENJOYING EVERY MINUTE of it. I just praised her for her accomplishment of enduring her party without even ONCE coming to me and telling me she had to talk to me alone for a minute so that she could relay the stress and anxiety and panic she was feeling. AMAZING!
Happy Birthday Annika! We love you!
Fourteen years ago today, our youngest, Annika was born. She was seven weeks early, but she was a a pistol from the moment she arrived on the scene. The nurses all adored her and would take funny polaroid shots of her when I wasn't able to be at the nursery. I remember one nurse drew eyes with long, curly eyelashes on her eye covering 'glasses'.
I am impressed with the way she has learned to instill healthy boundaries in different areas of her life. If someone is not treating her fairly or nicely, she will assert herself in a bold, yet respectful way. Even in preschool, her teachers told me that they appreciated how she would let them know if something wasn't working for her.
We don't know what the future holds for Annika. We hope that the crippling anxiety she daily fights against, will continue to subside and she will be able to enjoy day to day life more and more. For now, we are so proud of the progress she has made and continues to make. It has been a journey, but I can honestly say that I am happy and proud to be her mother. She is a very loving child who has so much to offer the world around her. As I sit and type this now, I can hear her laughing with some friends upstairs. She has had crossed another major hurdle, having an overnight birthday party with several friends and ENJOYING EVERY MINUTE of it. I just praised her for her accomplishment of enduring her party without even ONCE coming to me and telling me she had to talk to me alone for a minute so that she could relay the stress and anxiety and panic she was feeling. AMAZING! 
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