D-Day December 7

Loving the sights at Underwater World

I love my new car, my legs are still a little short to push so Daddy helps

Another bad hair day

In my Christmas Finery.

I love my new Nemo stuffed fish

Baking cookies and decorating them with sprinkles on my last day with mommy before daycare.

First day of daycare.

Helping put dishes away

Cousin photo in Iowa

Thanksgiving at Grandma and Grandpa Herman's

We’ve had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. Last year we had no idea if this coming year would be "the one" for us to receive Danika. We are amazed at the blessings she has added to our lives. In the past two weeks she has said "I love you" on her own to us, specifically on the phone to daddy when he told her he loved her. We had Thanksgiving celebrations at Grandma and Grandpa Herman’s and Grandma and Grandpa Budensiek’s. We were worried how Danika would do on a 4 hour ride in her car seat on the way to Iowa but she was a trooper. We went through the McDonalds drive through in Spring Valley and shortly after Danika fell asleep with a french fry in one hand and a chicken nugget in the other…in total bliss. The car ride home was a little more difficult since the weather was not very good and we made a detour to visit Danika’s Great Grandma Herman who is 97 years old! Danika loved visiting Great Grandma and we have photos to cherish of this event. Some of the other cute things she does…she’s started tossing her toys down the steps and then following them down so she doesn’t have to go to the trouble of carrying them down herself. She blows kisses by licking the palm of her hand and then blowing. She shakes her head "no" to almost anything, good or bad. She has the most precious "ohhhh" face when she sees or experiences something new. We have a Nativity Calendar that we put a little treat in each night as she opens the doors to count down to baby Jesus coming. No matter what the treat is (often something she gets every day) she makes the most precious "ohhh" face as if it is new and wonderful because it was placed behind the little door of her Nativity calendar. She loves her veggies and fruits and will choose them over most any other food or snack. Yesterday we took her to underwater world at Mall of America. She loved it! At the end of the tour there was (of course) a gift shop. I had made up my mind she was not going to get something because she just had the treat of going to Underwater World. I have to admit I am a weak link. Danika saw the stuffed "Nemo" fish and grabbed two of them and walked all over with them and didn’t want to let go. I braced myself for the price and was very pleasantly surprised so I admit I gave in and indulged her. She only got one, not two! On a sadder note, this past week was the beginning of Daycare. She is having a tough time adjusting and Mommy is having a tougher time adjusting. I don’t know who cries more…Danika or mommy. Today we enjoyed beautiful Christmas music in church and Danika was dressed in her first Christmas dress. She was adorable! What a beautiful season.