Happy Birthday, Greta!

Happy Birthday to our Greta. It is 9:32 pm as I post this on October 16, 2009. One year ago today, I was in pretty serious labor, your dad was standing nearby waiting anxiously for you to arrive, your grandparents were on the road from Mississippi and Michigan trying to make it here before your birth, and your Aunt Lori was in the waiting room waiting for updates from Daddy. And now, a year later, you are currently sound asleep in your crib, no doubt snoring. Tonight you literally inhaled your dinner of salmon with broccoli and squash and then we played with your new birthday toys. You walked laps around the house, squirmed around all over the dog, and occasionally looked on as I read to you from one of your new books. You have a bruise on your forehead from a recent (dare I say it?) tantrum whereby you threw your forehead onto the floor between your feet. This time a year ago, you were a vision. A hope. You were a profound idea. You were tangible, of course, but more so, you were still unknown. Just two and a half hours from your arrival, I was still wondering then what you would look like. Wondering how big or small you would be. I was thinking moment by moment of your safety and of your health. A year later, you have eight teeth. You have very little hair. You have eyes of a color that we cannot quite pin down. You are clingy yet willful. Independent yet cuddly. Silly. Warm. Dramatic. Simply lovely. Your features and personality are known this year later. Your safety confirmed. The year between that night and this one seems short and long at once. How can a being change from what you were to what you are in merely a year's time? And yet, how can it be that it has only been a year separating the time when you were not with us until this time that you are the only thing to us? A year as miraculous or happy, we have not known, and you are the reason for it. We love you and wish you a happy birthday, our dear.

Before you were conceived I wanted you.

Before you were born I loved you.

Before you were here an hour I would die for you.

-Maureen Hawkins

Although Greta's birthday is not until tomorrow, we decided to have her party last weekend since we were visiting both sets of grandparents and my sister. We had the party in a little park, and preparing for it was a family affair. I will always love this photo of my own mother's hands stitching something for Greta. I grew up wrapped in clothes she made for me, and there is something exceedingly special about that. I am so thankful that Mom is carrying on her creative traditions for Greta. I would love to learn this craft myself, and so I decided to make a little birthday crown for Greta's big day. My aim was to make it myself, but in the end, I needed considerable "guidance" from my mother.

Speaking of traditions, Paul was anxious to carry out one from his family. He always got to pick a special cake for his birthday, and his mom would whip it right up. There is a funny story in their family that one of his brothers would always choose a cake that the others did not like so that he could have it all to himself. Not sure if that is true, or little brother legend. At any rate, this year, Greta told her dad that she'd like a chocolate cake. Paul's mom was on hand to contribute to the baking.

My sister, Lori, kept everyone straight on the recipe.

And Paul took the lead. The man is seriously a great dessert maker! His cake contained a pound and a half of butter!

Here are some shots of the party, opening presents, playing in the sidewalk chalk, running through the bubbles, and general merriment. . .

This shot is one of my favorites. She is smiling so happily.

Happy Birthday, Greta. We love you.