The days are long but the years are short, oh so short! How did we become the parents of a teenager? I remember the pregnancy that seemed to go forever. The very long wait for her to be born – she was a full week overdue and has never been on time for anything in her life! The labour that went all night. It was Winter Solstice and the longest night of the year and indeed what seemed like the longest night of my life. I went into labour as the sun set and Astrid Élodie was born, just after sunrise on the 22nd of June nearly 15 hours later.
It feels like you wait forever to see that baby for the first time, and then the first few days and weeks of parenthood are a total blur of sleep deprivation, and feeding, and nappy changes, and having zero idea what you are doing. The months roll by and they become more interesting, and very very cute. All of a sudden your baby is crawling and talking and walking. Then there are the toddler years where it’s super fun but exhausting in a different way.
It’s hard to remember life without them in it. Then when Astrid became a big sister at 2 years and 3 months, when Soren was born, we realised we had no idea what busy even was. The world of a toddler and a newborn is a new kind of exhausting.
Then in a flash she is off to preschool. Then big school. Her little brother is now a toddler and the years are flying past. When Astrid was born, even the thought of her starting primary school was in the very distant future. That time passed quickly, at 4.5 years old she was off to primary school, no longer a baby or toddler.
When Astrid was in year 2 her little sister Zinnia was born, and 3 kids was a whole new adventure, and a whole new level of busy. Back to the world of babies along with a now 5 and 7.5 year old.
Three kids didn’t slow down our globe-trotting, until Covid and lockdowns did. Astrid’s later years of primary school did involve less overseas travel but her love of extra-curricular activities, sport and music didn’t dampen and we never had a dull nor quiet moment or weekend (or weeknight!).
We thought she looked so grown up when she finished primary school at the end of 2022. Now 1.5 years later she has changed so much since then.
High School has been an adventure for all of us. So many new responsibilities and so much more homework and juggling of schedules with her ever growing list of things she loves to do.
I’m sure the teenage years will be full of new challenges and many more adventures. We are fairly sure it’s going to be an easy transition into teenager-dom for Astrid. She doesn’t like to get up early in the morning, her room resembles a pig-sty. She has perfected eye-rolling, door-slamming and is always ‘staaaarvvving’…..
It definitely doesn’t seem to have been all that long since we became parents and now the official teenage years have arrived. I’m sure it will be a blink and she will be finished high school, off to college and almost an adult. There will be many more long days and nights, but the years will fly by probably too fast.
Astrid you have packed an awful lot into your 13 years. I started this blog back in 2012 when you were a baby, so I could share photos of my very cute Astrid Elodie, and the planning and then our first trip to Europe, 2.5 months with a 15-18 month old. In these pages there are thousands of photos of your adventures, both at home, within Australia, and now all over the world…….with your brother and sister getting in on the act once they arrived.
That first big overseas adventure with our baby Astrid has lead to so many more amazing experiences and has definitely inspired a love of travel and adventure in you. As you enter your teenage years you have already been to 28 countries and on 126 flights and you are determined to keep that list growing……
You still love to read voraciously, and adore your pets (and siblings, although won’t admit that bit). Swimming is your great joy and you are always happy when riding your bike, hiking and baking.
Your love of music is strong but with piano, flute, band and ballroom and Latin dancing on top of all the swimming you have more than enough activities for 5 teens. We know you love everything you do and one of your best qualities is that while you like to do well, you will always show up and never give up, no matter how hard something is.
All of a sudden you look so grown up. You are so tall. Your feet have thankfully slowed down so now not only can we share shoes we can also share clothes. I’m still taller than you but you are over-taking the grandparents and aunts pretty quickly.
You being you, your actual birthday is a bit of a whirlwind. An much earlier than any teenager would like start to the day with being at the pool for 7am club meet. We did get a photo of you standing under the scoreboard the minute you offiically became a teenager.
Then piano before you even get to your presents! Thank goodness your piano and flute exams were the 2 days before your birthday rather than on your actual birthday.
Of course there has to be cake. A brownie layered mousse cake was the request. Lucky our chickens are such good layers as it contains 14 eggs, and about a 1kg of chocolate. Approximately the same amount you still from the pantry each week.
Dinner is of course Japanese by your request it’s your favourite and you are so looking forward to eating your way through Tokyo for a couple of days on our next trip (before eating your way through most of Europe).
Your adventurous spirit is certainly strong, as is your desire to cause us to forever be shouting ‘
ASTRID….’ as we wait for you to do something at a snails pace. Your response to every question asking if you are ready or finished something is always ‘nearly’.
You definitely live in your own Astrid-wonderland. It’s always been this way and it seems to be likely to continue. No one else can have 14 different books shoved in various locations in their room to be distracted by while trying to get ready. Nor do they have the ability to make their room look like a tip 5 minutes after spending 4 days cleaning it.
You are a very determined, clever, kind, responsible, fierce, loving and adventurous. You drive us mental with your inability to be organised but you have the love and respect of so many people. The number of times we’ve heard ‘oh Astrid, beautiful Astrid, she is just a joy’ from people makes us proud. You might drive us mental but you definitely bring joy and happiness to so many.
The teenage years will be an adventure for all of us. I’m sure you’ll keep being you, messy and determined. Life would definitely be dull without you in and you definitely changed all our lives when you arrived 13 years ago.
Happy 13th birthday Astrid Elodie, enjoy being a teenager, you are growing into a beautiful and amazing young lady.
