8 is Great!

Pictures from today’s birthday will follow, most likely as part of a larger post covering Hannah’s whole visit, but I didn’t want the day to pass without at least a quick acknowledgment on the permanent record.  And I might as well throw in the picture I posted on Facebook, along with the text:

Hannah, Trine, and I were up pretty late last night getting all the decorations in place, and our efforts were not wasted.  When Maddie and I went to Molli Malou’s bedroom to sing her awake with “Happy Birthday,” she sprang up at once.

“Oh, Daddy!” she said, scrambling across her bed to snatch up a writing tablet from the top of her wardrobe, “If I’m too sleepy to remember, you have to promise to give this to mor.”

She yanked a page out of the notebook and handed it to me.  It was of course in Danish, and I translate properly because there was only one spelling error in the whole thing:

“To Mor from Molli: I am sad that you can’t come to my 8th birthday.  Loving hug, Molli .”

It was the perfect counterpoint to a note Trine had left at Molli’s festively decorated seat at the dining room table:

“To the birthday child.  Happy birthday, my big girl.  I love you.  Look forward to seeing you at Tivoli.”

A little sad they had to exchange notes to start the day, but all of that will be made up for later when we join forces at Tivoli and then dig into the fabulous ribs at Promenaden for a birthday dinner with Mormor and Jørgen.

Molli Malou gleefully opened her presents this morning while I prepared her pancake breakfast, and was ecstatic about everything.  I thought I had been very clever about the iPod: I boxed it in an egg carton then wrapped it with newspaper to make it look like some kind of junky gift, but she no sooner sat down at table than she eyed her presents and declared that package the holder of her anticipated iPod.  I should have known.

She was thrilled by the iPod but a little upset because there were some miniscule scratches I needed an electron microscope to confirm.  She said it was ruined.  I asked her if she liked my iPad.  Why yes, she said, of course she did.  Was it ruined?  I asked.  Of course not, she said.  I showed her its backside — and the thousand cuts its metallic flesh was heir to.  “If you really want to protect your iPod, don’t let any seven- or three-year-olds play with it,” I said, “because that’s how my iPad got all scratched.  But I don’t care, because I don’t look at the back, I look at the front, and that’s just fine.”

Message received: the tears subsided as understanding dawned.

She is wild about all her other gifts, too — the clothes, the books, the watch, the puzzle, and the cold, cold cash that made her feel like a millionaire.  She asked if she could buy a lot with it because she doesn’t really understand dollars yet.  (Which isn’t to say she does understand kroner.)

Without batting an eye, Hannah said, “You could buy 240 lollipops at the store around the corner from our house.”

Molli Malou’s eyes about popped out of her head.

Maddie was also excited to get presents and has already changed into her “purple party dress.”  (She was excited about the stickers but we haven’t opened them yet so I’m not sure she fully understands what a bounty she’s come into yet.)

Now we are all laying low so there will be lots of energy for Tivoli.

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Also a little sad was the passing away yesterday of Oldemor.  It was what she wanted, and although everyone is sad to have lost her, no one is sad for her.  She had clearly made up her mind to move on, and it was a decision she stuck to with characteristic determination.  I sat the girls down to explain it to them, and they took the news just fine — we had prepared them for it so there were certainly no shock.

Requiescat in pace, Oldemor.

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Lastly I should just mention that Hannah’s visit seems to be going very well.  Her cousins are constantly vying for her attention and treat her every word as gold.  She herself is behaving wonderfully and is even getting the girls ready for bed every night!

We had a fun day yesterday going into town to see the mermaid and were lucky enough also to catch a changing of the guard at Amelienborg.  After lunch back at home we went out to the swim hall and Molli and Hannah must have gone down the waterslide at least twenty times each.

Tomorrow we’ll be going to the Eksperimentarium (the science museum), Friday we’ll play by ear, and Saturday we’re going to Sweden.