Anja Louise VanderMeiden new arrival

Anja Louise VanderMeiden

I WAS BORN: April 11, 2011, in St. Luke's hospital in Duluth.

MY PARENTS ARE: Mark and Sarah VanderMeiden of Cloquet.

MY GRANDPARENTS ARE: Fay Stoltz of Oakdale, Minn.; Rachel Engebretson of Balsam Lake, Wis.; Eileen VanderMeiden of Cloquet; and the late Jim Stoltz, Andrew Engebretson and Bernard VanderMeiden.

MY PARENTS CHOSE THIS NAME BECAUSE: After searching for a long time they finally found one they liked. It just so happened that "Anja" is a name found in both Norwegian and Dutch cultures, which reflects our heritage.

PARENTS’ WISH OR ADVICE: Anja, you are such a bright light! Our wish is that you keep God first and are always kind and considerate, "letting your light shine before others..." (Matthew 5:16)

SOMETHING SPECIAL: After waiting so long to have a child, we only had to wait through 5-1/2 hours of labor to meet Anja! We feel blessed to have such a healthy, happy and beautiful little girl at the combined age of 97!

Tags: new arrivals, milestones, babies, births, celebrations