Where, oh where, does the time go?

Four months ago God blessed us beyond what we deserve with a beautiful baby girl. We named her Anika Grace, and we constantly pray that she will know God's grace early, and that we can be models of that grace in everything we do and say around her.
I am constantly amazed how healthy and happy she has been so far. I am trying not to take one moment for granted of her health and well-being. She is developing well. We have a checkup on Tuesday which will give us more specific statistics on her growth, but she sits up (with assistance) and holds herself up well during tummy time, can bring toys to her mouth, and can squeal the highest note I've ever heard when she is happy.
Here are some four month pictures of my sweet baby.


pretty much everything goes in her mouth right now!

Merry Christmas!

Yes, I know that Christmas was WEEKS ago. Better late than never, right?
One of the joys/burdens of living away from both sides of our family is that the holiday season is FULL of traveling. As this was Anika's first Christmas, that meant it was the first time we have had to travel with a baby. On the whole, Anika did amazing, and Garry and I were not too shabby ourselves.

The Christmas season started off early with a trip up to Luverne, MN, to visit my parents and siblings. Since Dad is a pastor, traveling around Christmas is not really an option for them as he needs to sermonize more often, which means a road trip for us. The drive to brisk MN only takes about 3.5 hours, so Anika does well on that trip. My brother Jordan and his wife Andrea came down from Brookings, SD for the family festivities, and Nathan was home from Dordt for break. I was looking forward to getting a family photo this Christmas...but I completely forgot to take one. Boo me. My poor sister Nicole had just had surgery on her mouth, so the poor dear could barely eat our Christmas meal and did not want to pose for many photos, so I guess she didn't mind not having to smile (or act like it) for a Christmas picture.
I got some great gifts from my fam such as How to Train Your Dragon, an apron, Jars of Clay's Christmas CD.


Family Quiddler

Anika in the Christmas Spirit

Posing with Aunt Nicole!

After much excitement and frivolity, we headed to California for more of the same.
Anika did very well for her first plane ride. She only screamed her head off for a few seconds on the way home. I now know to be sympathetic and will never harbor ill feelings against a baby on a plane again. Poor parents cannot help it that the baby is out of his/her normal routine.
We had a nice two-week visit with the Riezebos and Strikwerda relations. Since Garry gets two extra vacation weeks for paternity leave, he took the longer vacation for the holidays to spend time with family. Anika had fun meeting cousins and great grandmas and great aunts and uncles.
Garry's family got a Wii for the family Christmas, along with a Wii Fit. Wow is that motivating when your little character's waist expands to match your own. Eeeh.

Sibling pic on Christmas Morning

Four Generations of Strikwerda/Riezebos
Anika also got to meet her future friend Jane Dorrit Edmonds who came for a visit! Jane was born a month after Anika, but as you can see, Anika is still a little girl.


Extra pretty in a Christmas present shirt!

Strikwerda-side cousin picture

Houston, We Have LAUGHTER

My little girl is learning to laugh! She mostly just gurgles at this point, but after a little while of tickling, she starts up a bit. This is the first time she has truly giggled for me, which is exciting. Here is the live video coverage of this momentous occasion. (You need to watch for a little while before it gets good)

Practicing for Christmas Pictures

I wanted Anika to get used to her Christmas dress, and I wanted to practice taking pictures of her for the holidays. So here are some pictures of our photo shoot! On some I thought she was going to smile big, and then it turned into her poopy-making face. She will probably despise that when she is older!

December is Here!

Where is time going? December already?
Not that I'm complaining because I love the Christmas season. The general mood of the culture is softer, more accepting, and it seems like Christmas is an excellent time to share the gospel. What is Christmas? Our Saviour Jesus Christ coming to earth as a baby, prepared to face the cross in a short three decades to pay for our sins. No greater love has ever been expressed in any other gift.
In church on Sunday, our first Sunday of advent, we had special music during the Lord's Supper. The song "Labor of Love" was sung beautifully, and perhaps it is because I recently had a baby, but the words really resonated with me and made the birth of Christ so much more real. Mary's labor paved the way for Jesus' labor on the cross. Having a baby also makes me consider the humanity of Christ. Jesus really was a baby. He grew just like my Anika is growing; Jesus was REAL.
So often the story of Christmas is just that: a story. My prayer is that God uses the Holy Spirit to really open my heart and my mind to consider exactly what happened on Christmas. There was a birth, a real, live birth, but so much more than that. There was the birth of our redemptive saviour.
Here's a link to Andrew Peterson's song on Youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYjYi4tYvXU
Here are a few pictures of my baby, my personal gift from God.

Two Months

November 21st marked two months since my little girl was born. In this season of thanksgiving, I cannot stop giving thanks to God for Anika. Tears still come to my eyes when she smiles because I believe she is the most beautiful gift I have ever received. When she starts to coo and talk to me, I also get teary because love for her just pours out of my heart. I keep praying that our Father will continue to bless us with Anika for many, many, many more months and years ahead. Here are some picture updates of my beautiful baby!

My Active Anika

Here are some video clips to show you all the wonderful things that Anika can do!