Pushing the Limits--Lots of Firsts

Since Anika turned one, she says we have to take her out more.  She complains that she is sheltered.  Not enough travel, not enough new sights and sounds and tastes.  And so, this month we obliged her.  Anika is doing new things all by herself, and she has a long list of exciting firsts to report as the month comes to a close.

She's now a self-sufficient walker with her little cart.  She walks with it as far as she can go until she runs into something solid.  Then Alicia or I have to turn it in a new direction.  Around and around our main floor she goes.  But this is much better on our backs than walking holding onto our fingers.  In related news, she hit the 7th percentile for height at her last appointment, so our days of walking her around stooped over are numbered in any event.

Anika took her first plane ride last weekend--all the way to San Francisco.  Let's just say she wasn't this interested in the screen by the time we landed (3.5 hours later).  All in all, she was a trooper and did just great.

As long as we were doing transportation firsts, Anika wanted to ride the train.  And we did, though she was more interested in the people outside than the stuff we were passing by. 

We went to Lombard Street while we were in San Francisco.  I wanted to run Anika up the winding street to the top, but she wouldn't go.  Was too intent on getting to Ghiradelli square.

But she was pretty underwhelmed, mostly because Alicia put the kabosh on the chocolate she wanted to consume.  Tough breaks (though I did treat her to some of the whipped cream on my hot chocolate).  I know the way to Anika's heart.

Then it was off to see the Golden Gate bridge.  She was a lady about town.

Back home, she experienced her first snow.  She was not impressed.

Mom made the experience slightly better. 

Other firsts this month included Anika's first pony.  What is it that Jerry says about kids with their own ponies?

Anika also started reading the paper in a trendsetting new and active way, which involved lots of thrashing and movement.  As you can see, once Anika had her fun, she was especially drawn to the funnies.

She also has good taste in craft beer.  My kind of girl.  Holding the bottle was a first, but that was as far as we got.

She's an adventuresome and happy little girl.  Who knows what's next.

365 Days of Awesomeness--One Year Photos and Anika's First Birthday Bash

It is amazing to Alicia and I that more than a year ago, Anika came into the world.  It has been 365 days of awesomeness, and parenthood still gets better all the time.  Due to the absurdly long time between the last post and now, I will be making up for lost time here, with double the pictures.  First, we start with a sampling of Anika's one-year photos from our lovely and talented friend, miss Brianna Colleen.  She did another knock-out job. 

Anika looking stunning and a tad bit old for her age.  Does she look like a 14-year old or is it just the over-protective Dad in me?  The hot pink pants are pretty awesome.  (Alicia should probably get a matching pair.)

Anika goofing around and in a more playful state. 

This is one of Anika's new favorite activities--stacking.  She gets mighty impressed with herself when she can stack one ball on top of the other.  Not exactly the stuff of a baby genius, but we get excited about almost anything.

Anika showing off her lizard-like tongue yet again.

Displaying her inner gymnast, and being mesmerized by the bars.

It's a parade, all for Anika.

This is by far my favorite of the set.  She's such a happy little peanut.

Turning one didn't go without a birthday bash.  And Anika was in rare form, hamming it up for her family, enjoying the gifts, and devouring her first birthday cake.

Pondering whether the cake or the presents were the best part of the party.

Having learned the drill from Christmas, Anika was ready to unwrap like a big girl.

Anika's first look at her cake (courtesy of Grandma Kim), and right before her first dose of real sugar (and only one since).

Anika approved of the lemony frosting, which she proceeded to scrape off the top with her fingers, skipping the cake entirely.  I like the type-A-ness of my daughter.  What an orderly way of eating birthday cake!

After the frosting was disposed of, it was time to get aggressive.

Anika buttering up to the master cake maker--Grandma Kim.

Alex told Anika that she'd never get buff like him if she kept eating all that cake.  Until next year!

Christmas Eve 2012 Take Two

Doppa i Gryta at high noon was just the start of our Christmas Eve fun.  Alicia and I hosted the Kim family in the latter half of the day.  Committed to ensuring that Anika's only food-related association with Christmas was "Swedish Slop," Alicia went all out and made prime rib.

I confess, two slabs of meat like this make me start to rethink more than fifty years of broth and bread.  And this was only the tip of the iceberg, which was followed with mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, cornbread stuffing, string beans, the best gravy ever created, a tasty salad with pomegranate, and a traditional mouth-watering desert courtesy of Grandma Kim.  Alicia is something of a maestro in the kitchen.  Pretty soon Alicia will start to insist that I call her just that--the maestro. 

Anika got to spend lots of good time with her favorite Aunt Jen, who we're pretty sure she confuses for Alicia. 

Only mom-confusion (or the necklace Jen was wearing) explains this type of cuddling out of Anika these days.  Alicia and I get precious little of it, unless she's just waking up or completely out of her element.  All she wants to do is walk! 

Which brings us to what is currently by far Anika's favorite Christmas gift--this little shopping cart that she got from her other favorite Aunt--Michelle.  For days now, Anika's activity of choice is to push this thing around our main floor in circles.  (Every once in a while she stops to unload an animal or to look and wave at her reflection in the oven.)  Unfortunately, Alicia and I get no back relief, because the cart is so light and Anika so unsteady that someone has to bend over to hold the front of it down so she doesn't fall flat on her face.  Check out her athletic stance in this picture!

Anika's hands-down favorite part of the Kim family Christmas, though, was seeing her cousins Justin, Evan, Gabe and Nolan.  She could watch and laugh at these guys for hours.  Nolan (far right) is her best pal, and Anika loves to play with him.  Not a bad looking bunch.

Anika also had fun with the Kims playing games this weekend.  This is her being a stickler with the Taboo timer.

Christmas Eve 2012--Anika's First Doppa i Gryta

The Freeman family has an awesome tradition that started in "the old country," and which Anika's great, great grandparents Emma and Rudolph brought from Sweden to Minnesota.  It's called Doppa i Gryta.  I've always been told this means "dip and give thanks" in Swedish, but I'm pretty sure (because the internet never lies) that it really means "dipped in a pot."  In Freeman in-law parlance it has come to be called by a different, less glamorous name: "Swedish Slop."  As much as I like the idea of giving thanks, and appreciate the wit in the in-laws' nickname, dipped in a pot is about right.  Doppa i Gryta consists primarily of bread and broth.  In a good year, the family used to have meat as well, though now every year is a good year, and we regularly have beef and and pork.  It's a tradition that I love and cherish.  If my calculations are right, the Freeman family has been celebrating Christmas with Doppa i Gryta for more than 50 years, and if I have anything to say about it, it will go on for hundreds more.  Given that I'm having only moderate success at inspiring Alicia to appreciate Doppa i Gryta, I'm resorting to the next best plan.  If I can inspire Anika, I think I can inspire Alicia (and Anika's future siblings) and then the next 100 years will be secure.  Anika is the key to the plan.

This is Anika suiting up for her first Doppa i Gryta.  We didn't want to soil her beautiful Christmas sweater, so we went with her full-body bib.

This is the bread, the broth, and the "pot."  Because Anika is still toothless, we skipped the meat.  That and Anika wanted to experience the old-school, authentic Doppa i Gryta just like they used to eat it on the farmstead.

Lots of anticipation.  Bite number one.  Many thousands more to come!

Mmmm...mmmm...good.  Anika was quite pleased.  She is committed to showing up her many, many cousins, who somehow manage to get away with eating chicken nuggets at Christmas.

This is the next generation.  Owen, on the far right, was clearly upset about being deprived of Doppa i Gryta.

Christmas Eve Eve 2012

It's Christmas Eve Eve.  Anika's starting to dream big dreams of crinkly paper, boxes of all shapes and sizes, and shiny bags.  And Anika's repertoire of tricks and feats of strength is growing--just in time to impress her family and friends.  

Anika likes to show off her lizard-like superpower, while she waves at you or does soooooo big at the same time.  She's clearly going to be a multi-tasker like her Mom. 

Anika practices her tricks in this little snail mirror.

As you can see, she get's quite engrossed in her craft.  Practice makes perfect, she says.

When Anika's not waving and sticking out our tongue, she's cruising around the coffee table, practicing her speed-walking skills.  Her favorite playtime activity with Mom and Dad these days is holding onto our hands and doing laps around the living room.  Alicia and I are both developing chronic pain in our lower backs.  I like to see how fast we can go.

Anika works up quite a sweat and then insists on some whirlpool and sauna time.  We lovingly oblige.

She's not so good at relaxing in the tub.  It's not long and she starts into her motivational speaking routines.

Anika has pretty much abandoned getting around on all fours using her "worm" technique.  Alicia finally told her that her lats were getting too big.  As reluctant as Anika was to conform to the conventional crawling methods of her peers, she's getting the hang of it and moving four times as fast as she used to.

When she's tired of cardio, we let her move the living room furniture around. 

This tuckers her out fast, and she complains that she needs a gym membership like the other kids.  I then tell her about Rocky IV and how Micky's old-school training helped Rocky take down Drago and end the Cold War. 

At that, Anika sucks it up, re-hydrates, and gets back to business.

Even after a hard day of training, Anika easily transforms back into her cute easy-going self.

Christmas Tree Hunt 2012

This weekend after three years of Christmas tree bliss, we spurned the Home Depot and went into the great outdoors to select our tree.  By great outdoors, I mean the Hansen tree farm in Ramsey, Minnesota, no insignificant commute with an almost-11-month old. We wanted to start a Christmas family tradition of cutting down our own hand-picked tree.   

Anika had a hard time holding back her excitement.  Throwing up her arms in the air and giggling is one of her best new tricks! 

We (Alicia, Anika, our roommate Tracy, and I) walked up and down every single row of fir trees looking for the perfect tree.  This process took no less than an hour and a half.  Our true and embarrassing Christmas pickiness (too thin, too small, too big, wrong shape, too many holes . . .) was fully exposed and at its apex when Alicia suggested we just get our tree at Home Depot. 

Having heard stories of the 2008 Wilsford-Freeman debacle of a tree hunt, Anika demanded that we persevere, and we soldiered on.  Anika remained entertained and begged us to pick a tree so that she could get on with performing the cutting herself.  Maybe she'll be a lumberjack like her great grandpa John.

Anika liked standing next to the baby trees. 

They were just her size!

Eventually we settled on our tree, determined not to go crawling back to Home Depot.  Anika was more interested in the tree than posing for a Christmas card photo.  Clearly, we made a fatal mistake in waiting until the end of our tree hunt to snap the Christmas card photos.

Next, it was time for the hard work.  Alicia and Anika supervised and offered words of encouragement. 

Mission accomplished.  Only a half-mile walk back to the station for bundling the tree.  Luckily, I ate my Wheaties. 

And at least there was a horse drawn wagon ride awaiting us.  Anika's Aunt Lynn has been promising her a pony for Christmas, but she wasn't nearly as excited about the prospect after seeing the size of a grown up pony.

Anika had so much fun at the tree farm, she suggested we cut down a tree every month.  This is one of Anika's other new tricks--the one-hand wave.  She'll do it on command and even waves at strangers!

Anika posing in front of her first of many Christmas trees.