"Happy birthday, sweetie!" Patty sang as she entered the nursery. Anna, who was standing and holding onto the bars of the crib, smiled. She'd started walking a couple of weeks before, and Patty was finding it more of a challenge to keep breakable or dangerous items out of her reach.

Patty lay her daughter on her back to check her diaper. Just as she'd expected, it was wet, so she quickly changed it and carried the little girl into the kitchen, where Anton sat at the table, eating breakfast.

"Happy birthday, Anna!" he called.

"Da da!" Anna cried happily, and Patty handed her to her father and went into the kitchen to make her breakfast. She fixed a bowl of Frosted Flakes and added milk, then poured a small amount of orange juice into a cup. Anton got Anna settled in her high chair as Patty brought the cereal and juice to the table.

"As much as I hate to leave you two, I have to go now, or I will be late for work." Anton kissed his wife's lips and his daughter's cheek.

"We'll miss you." Patty embraced her husband, relishing his warmth and the scent of his aftershave. "Don't be late for the party."

"Of course I will not be late."

Patty finished with breakfast and cleaned up, then made Anna's birthday cake. She added vanilla flavoring and pink icing, then set it aside to wait until the party that evening.

She spent the day taking care of Anna and playing with her, and for dinner that night, she made hamburgers and fried potatoes. Anton came home carrying a large package.

"Ooh, I think that might be your birthday present!" Patty said to her daughter.

After dinner, Elizabeth dressed Max and Laura in clean clothes.

"Anna's birthday party is today," she told them. "We're taking her a present."

Max looked worried. "Will there be any boys there?"

Elizabeth frowned. "Hmm, I don't know. There might be."

"I don't want to be the only boy there," Max grumbled.

"Well, you like to eat cake and ice cream, don't you?"

"Yes!"

"Well, even if there aren't any other boys, there will still be cake and ice cream."

"Is her big enough to play dolls with me now?" asked Laura.

"I'm sure she'd love to see Raggedy Ann and Andy," said Elizabeth.

The Brimmer children were the first to arrive at the party. Next were Vivian and Rosemary Longworth, with their mother.

"Hey Rosie, look what I have!" said Max, pulling the wooden whistle his father had carved for him out of his pocket. He blew into it, and it made a shrill noise.

"Wow!" said Rosemary.

"My Daddy made it for me," Max told her.

The group sang 'Happy Birthday' to Anna and were eating cake when Ike drove up and he and Sharon got out of the car. They then fetched Pearl's wheelchair from the trunk and helped her into it. Patty went to Ike and Sharon and hugged them, and then she hugged Pearl, too.

"Can I see her?" asked Pearl, who had partial use of her arms now.

"Of course!" Patty brought Anna over and sat her in her grandmother's lap. Anna looked at Pearl with curious eyes.

"Ma ma?"

"No, I'm your Bubbe," said Pearl. "I'm your Mama's Mama."

After everyone had eaten, it was time to open the presents. Anna received several dresses, stuffed animals, dolls, and other toys.

Lastly, Anton opened the package he'd brought to reveal a gorgeous wooden baby swing. It was painted white.

"It's beautiful!" Patty breathed, lightly running her fingers over the smooth wood.

"I am glad you think so," said Anton. "I made it myself, at Paul's. When it was finished, I kept it in a storage room at the hospital until today."

"You sure did a good job," Ike remarked.

"Better than I could have," Paul added.

"Do not sell yourself short," said Anton. "You are an excellent carpenter as well."

"Thank you," said Paul.

Anton leaned a ladder against a tree and climbed to the lowest branch. He threaded a rope through the swing and tied the rope securely to the branch. Patty put Anna into the swing and gently pushed her. Anna chortled with glee as the swing began to move back and forth.

Anton and Patty stood watching, Anton's arm around Patty's waist and Patty's head resting on Anton's shoulder.

The guests began to leave soon after that. Anna swung until it was almost dark, protesting loudly when her father stopped the swing and took her out of it.

"I am sorry, liebchen, but it is time to go inside now," Anton told her. "You can swing some more tomorrow."

Anna went to sleep right after her dinner and bath.

"All the excitement must have tired her out," Patty remarked.

Anton winked at her. "I am not tired at all."

"Neither am I." She held him close and rested her cheek on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.