The importance of Skype

Yesterday my niece Anna turned 3. This might be the age when children understand that it is their birthday and that everyone is wishing them the best. If they are having a small party, they know it's because they were born on that day, and therefore everyone is celebrating their special day. We had sent Anna a card, which we hoped had arrived on time (and it did - she even got a paper cut opening her cards, felt so sorry for her, it was really stingy!). We weren't able to get home for her birthday, and we wanted her to know that we hadn't forgotten about it. So we decided to Skype on the day, but weren't sure if anyone was home. Lisa had changed her day off, so they were home and we could skype (May 17th is a holiday in Denmark, and incidentally Norway's national day, so lots of celebrations going on in the Jensen household). It was a great feeling to be able to see Anna on her birthday, even though we weren't there. She knows that we are coming to Dublin on Wednesday, and told me so when I said I would see her soon. We're going out for more cake next week to mark it again, and to mark an early 1st birthday for Maya. Seeing everyone on Skype yesterday made me feel like I was there and I wasn't missing out on anything. Anna was busy showing me her lovely new kitchen (which she had been cleaning and cooking in from early morning), and as Lisa and I were chatting on Skype, you could see Anna becoming tired. Being the birthday girl is a tough job - especially when you're three. Now I realise why birthday parties only lasted 3-4 hours, but in my mind we were there all day long :o) It's times like this that I realise how much technology has helped with the move away - and I've very grateful for it!