Of Birthdays and Ballet

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We survived our first dance recital! It was a whirlwind of picture taking, many nights of rehearsal and dress rehearsal with the climax of two performances all while wearing a white leotard with downy white feathers (Zanna, not me). Could she be any cuter? Little girls danced to Swan Lake and twirled and spun around and I got to relive my dancing days like it was yesterday! An opportunity to wear lipstick is a young girls dream and she glowed through it all! Proud parents and grandparents and yes, even big brother cheered her on from the nosebleed seats in the balcony. Surely they were the best group, we all agreed!

All this excitement was followed by THE BIRTHDAY. No small number, this #13. Officially a teenager. Which means we are officially parents of a teenager. 

An awkward age with feet still needing the rest of his body to catch up to, I know his time by my side is growing fewer. Don't get me started or I may start my rendition of "Sunrise, Sunset" from Fiddler on the Roof. It won't be pretty. 
Flashback to my 13th birthday? I got tickets to Debbie Gibson. Oh, yeah. It was awesome. I went with my friend Emily Birch so our moms could sit together somewhere else not by us. 

Will started his day with pancakes in the shape of Star Wars figures (on the You are Special today plate). Just humour me - you can make out the basic shapes, right? 
He got to pick the restaurant of his choice for lunch after church and then since we ate lunch later, we did munchies in the evening while watching the Hobbit. Oma and Opa were in town for the occasion and to add to the specialness. 

In other noteworthy news, Rou Rou has finally been retired to the cedar chest. Old Rou Rou I mean. Zanna's had this baby doll since I gave it to her at 14 months. I had been searching for a doll of Asian descent while in China. Impossible. They are all blonde haired and blue eyed. Go figure! So after my global search, I finally found this doll to place in my daughter's embrace and she hasn't let her go since. Rou Rou was named early on by me - Zanna's middle name is Rou taken from her original Chinese name. Her foster mother called her Rou Rou. 

Zanna and Rou Rou have been the best of friends and she has lavished her baby with all the natural nurturing that she is blessed with. She's loved her so hard that Rou Rou has fallen apart. She's been through plenty emergency surgeries! In the beginning, Dr. Daddy would bring her down into his office (aka the basement) and bring her back up mended (with some glue marks as evidence of her trial). It became more desperate as limbs began to dangle and Oma would take a needle and thread to her during her visits. In a last attempt to prolong her life, our excellent provincial healthcare kicked in and she was able to see a specialist - Dr. godmother who sews (among other things) professionally. While we are eternally grateful to all these valiant attempts to save her life, there was nothing more we could do. It was time to pull out "back-up Rou Rou". Having purchased her a bit after the original one, I thought it would be good to have one on the side - in case of loosing her or if never needed, to keep for Zanna's future child? We talked over the pros and cons and since old R.R. was beyond repair and it didn't look as if she'd be done with dolls anytime soon, we made the switch.

Side by side. Old and New. Would it work? It did! I reassured her I did not throw the old one away and that she's somewhere safe. She's been able to make the transition and all is well! 

And finally, just had to share this sweet, little picture! She's a girl after mommy's own heart - a love for books. I caught her reading out on the play structure out back surrounded by a blanket, Rou Rou, a water bottle, her lamp and slippers. Next time I'll be sure to join her!