Hammie turns 5 and meets Ting-ting

Late with the birthday post once again.  Anyway, here it is.....

Yet another year has passed and Hammie can now simultaneously declare her age and give a high-five.  Things move along as they should with Hammie continuing to grow in both stature and intellect.  Physical feats are ever more impressive and Hammie is eager to show what she can do.  An incessant "look at! look at me!"  often proceeds displays of skill and I am in genuine awe at what she can do.  From "frog jumps" to scaling a 14 meter climbing wall (about 42 feet), Hammie is quite the active little girl.

Hammie has also officially entered the "princess phase" and often insists on being called sparkle/moon/butterfly/rainbow/pirate princess.  It's as if Disney has invented a pink glittery tractor-beam that sucks in our little girls and spits them out bejeweled and singing their latest theme song.  For those of you that don't interact with young girls or haven't walked within earshot of an elementary school, the song of the moment is "Let it go" from Disney's Frozen.  Hammie runs around belting out the chorus wherever we go and she quickly reminds me that I don't sing it right when I try to join in.  I'm just thankful my little princess isn't afraid to get dirty as she still likes to help her dad with building projects and and playing in the dirt.

Those that have spent some time with Hammie have surely encountered "Ella Mouse".  Well her imaginary rodent friend is still very much a part of our lives and while Hammie is quick to point out that "Ella mouse is not real" it doesn't stop her from having a spot at the dinner table or tickling her best friend.

The biggest news for Hammie is that she is now a big sister.  The buildup was pretty long as she saw her mom's belly grow in anticipation of having a baby brother for her birthday but as the due date came and went Nalani resorted to talking with the bulging belly and asking Ting-ting to come (Ting-ting is what Hammie decided we should call her brother until we settle on a name).  No amount of pleading would quicken the gestation period and Ting-ting kept us waiting all the way until August 3rd but Hammie forgives him and is a proud, loving big sister.

Balloons in the bed is a birthday tradition in the Kearney household.

Lina brings out this years cake with friends Noel and Lova ready to help eat.

Obligatory blowing of the candles 

Count 'em, five candles

"Ice-cream bomb" with fresh berries.  Even with a giant belly my heroic wife managed to whip up another amazing birthday cake.

 Hammie and Ting-ting.  A proud big sister and her little brother.

Gimme Five

The Belated Birthday Post: The Big Four

Here is the annual "better late than never" birthday post.  

Hammie has officially turned 4 and I'm more certain than ever that she is the greatest girl that has ever been born (yes, I may be a bit biased). Hammie continues to grow as children tend to do and her ever lengthening frame is becoming ever more capable. Jumping, running, dancing, climbing and other activities are increasingly fluid and I can foresee the day when Hammie's skills will surpass those of her old-man (my dancing title may already be in jeopardy).

Hammie's intellectual prowess, like her body, is growing by leaps and bounds. Her command of English and Swedish and ability to transition between the two impresses me and I'm certain I've got very limited time before Hammie will be correcting my Swedish. Her math skills are still pretty basic but she has invented a new number (“eleventeen”) and conveniently counts really high when it correlates to the number of M&M's she gets to eat. Her artistic skills are prodigious and while her early years consisted mainly of abstract works she now specializes in portraits. If you ask her for one I'm sure she whip one out in no time at all.

Hammie has reached that age where “kid intuition” magically kicks in. Out of no where she realized that cracks are not to be stepped on and a casual walk suddenly looks like a game of hop-scotch. Also, when we ran out of bacon she suggested we plant a “bacon tree” to remedy the problem. You can almost hear the gears turning as Hammie makes a quite logical conclusion based on what she's observed in her short life and then quickly alters it as new information comes forward (if only politicians could be so reasonable); Hammie is now aware that bacon doesn't grow on trees but I don't have the heart to tell her it can't really qualify as her favorite vegetable.

Hammie deftly uses her powers of reason to lobby for issues important to 4 year olds everywhere and whether it's icecream on a hot day or staying up late during the sunshine of Scandinavian summers, she is a shrewd negotiator (she also uses “cute appeal” to her advantage). Persistence is also one of her gifts and she'll ask the same question countless times if she hasn't gotten the answer she wants (it doesn't work as well as she'd like but you can't blame her for trying).

There are so many little quarks that make Hammie special and Lina and I proud parents. We wish we could spent more time with all are friends and family but the logistics of being an international family has it's down sides. Here are a few pictures from Hammie's birthday.   

"I'm this many years old"

Lina once again makes any amazing birthday cake.  Homemade ice-cream, fresh strawberries and chocolate. Hmmmmmmm

The birthday girl gets her cake

Making a wish

Who's excited for cake?

The first slice

Delicious

Birthday Blast

Uncle Peter and Grandma Ingela visited to help celibate Hammie's birthday. The party lasted two days and included piggyback rides, ice cream, one candle, big fish, golden pillows, a rib dinner, and of course blueberries.

Birthday cake

Ribs are Hammie's new favorite food

Princesses lounging on golden pillows

Fish

Peter makes a pretty good horse

Happy Birthday Hammie

One year ago after an exhausting 22.5 hours of labor Hammie came into this world. She came out the color of a blueberry before a few tiny lung fulls revealed a more natural hue. Incapable of lifting her little head, we took an immediate liking to our worthless ball of meat and discovered a level of love and affection we previously couldn't fathom.

It took three weeks of getting to know Hammie before she received her legal name but she continues to go by a different moniker and will until she tells her dad she doesn't like it. We've watched Hammie become her own little person, possessing a shining disposition with occasional lapses were she becomes the little monster princess (or Hamzilla, Velocihammie, Hammisaurus Rex, etc, etc..).

A lot has changed since we first met our little girl. Her dark hair lightened and her toothless grin has slowly gained a few pearly whites but her blue eyes and kissable cheeks have remained intact. Special little mannerisms seem to come and go, enriching our lives and getting their own names (frog face, skruntchy face, drama queen, etc...) before being replaced or out of fashion.

At one year old Hammie is quite mobile with a sable walking style that has been compared to zombies, robots and sumo wrestlers. She walks best when she's calm and collected as over excitement tends to break her rhythm and sends her to the floor. In no time I'm sure she'll harness her exuberance and be running on her little legs leaving mom and dad scrabbling after.

Hammie talks a lot but is only understood when she resorts to grunts and hand-gestures. Nothing says "I want what you're easting" like aggravated grunts and outstretched arms, fingers raking the empty air in the direction of dad's icecream.

The year has flown by, marked with countless milestones, a few scares and lots of smiles. We feel extremely bless not only to have our wonderful little girl but to have wonderful friends and family who reciprocate our love and enrich our lives. Thanks you many times over. We are looking forward to the many years that will follow and the memories and joys collected along the way.

Happy Birthday Hammie and Happy Birthday Lina (it is after all her birthday too and mothers should remembered on there occasions).

Hammie on the day she was born