Annika Is a Full Hand!

This morning, Annika greeted me with the announcement that she's a full hand now. Yes, our little girl turned 5 today ... a fact that I'm having a really hard time wrapping my mind around. It doesn't seem possible that she's anything but the tiny baby we so cautiously brought home from the hospital. The baby who tipped the scales at 5 1/2 pounds and surprised us by arriving 3 weeks early.

Five years ago today, Eric and I embarked on a journey known as parenthood; we really had no idea what we were signing up for, but have never looked back. We've laughed ourselves silly, shed tears, shaken our heads in frustration, and felt more love than we knew was possible since we received the titles of "Mommy" and "Daddy"... and it has been worth it beyond belief.

Happy birthday, Annika. We are so proud of you and look forward to watching you grow each and every day.

Annika then

Annika now