Due

I'm sure I've told you all the story of my first three children's due date.

I must have.

It's quite funny and goes a little something like this: Petra was due May 10, 2001, Soren was due May 10, 2003. Apparently Soren's due date was a bit of a mystery, but I remember being told he was due May 10. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Annike was conceived without me having a period since before Soren was born, not to mention a lost pregnancy between the two of them. Lars and I had tried for March, then April. I showed up at my midwife's office, we did an ultrasound, a couple of measurements showed May 9, a few showed May 11, and so on. The midwife and the doctor hemmed and hawed until I chimed in, "how about May 10?!".

This is how come my first three children have me celebrating 3-birthdays 3-weeks in a row.

In the moments between gasping for air, there are these episodes where we move in slow motion. The previous year has caught up to me and my angel-headed baby of 4-years has peacefully climbed up to the next rung and voila, she is five.

For her birthday, Annike wanted to go back to Los Angeles to see the La Brea Tarpits. Which we did.

We also went to the candy store at the farmer's market. Everyone got to pick sumpfing.

Mommies, Daddies, you know this face. This is the one that happens right before they ask, "how many may I have?"

"Cuz mostly I schee scheventeen fings I want, ok?" I'd have said, sure baby Mommy wants you to have 17-things. Annike's daddy gets grumpy on birthdays and holidays and candy-buying days, so he barked back that "one is enough." Oy.

"Huh?" She looks at me, hand on hip, eyes saying - "can you believe this guy?" Our eyes connect, she orders blue rock candy on a stick. There's a candy store in La Jolla that legends are made of, we're totally going there someday soon.

The kids and I are breathless at the possibilities. Lars takes aim from behind the camera, "don't get too crazy . . ."

Then, on the shelf at the candy store, what little trip wouldn't be complete without attempts made at a potrait of the Fab Four?

Tova got a candy necklace, cuz she should have candy now that she's 17-months. She was a little perturbed that we would put her candy on her neck, like we were trying to strangle her or something.

Daddy showed her the ropes, though.

A short time later, she had it all figured out seeing that she's so smart and all.

Finishing up at the Pits, where Annike picked out a punch balloon and a tar pits coloring book for presents, I just knew I'm the luckiest mama to have these puddings in my life.

Poor Beanie's back started hurting.

She didn't even want ice cream, which seemed pretty serious to me. Annike loves ice cream and she loves her birthday and she really likes dead mastodons, but she just wanted to sleep or cry. We gave her some ibuprofen and 1700-mgs of kisses, she went to sleep and we ate ice cream in her honor.

Later, on the way back to our piece of rock on the California coast, we stopped at an IHOP. She was happy by then and was still overflowing from having got to buy candy from the candy store.