Starting with Peter, we've enjoyed a month of celebrating birthdays. I was still in San Diego the day he turned 9 and miles away he reported to me, "it was fun and a little bit boring". To make up for a boring birthday he got to order this ski jump for the Haba marble run and also gathered with a few cousins for cake at Nanny and Poppy's house. I may have missed the magic of his special day but it has allowed me to appreciate the everyday with him all the more, each time we have a joyful moment together I say "I forgot! it is your unbirthday today - Happy Unbirthday Peter"!
George's birthday was up next. This little cutie is now three and endured a whole morning of Henry crying because he still had more than a hundred days until it was his turn to open presents and blow out candles.
Maryanna and Peter each made him a little snowman sculpture because his favorite song is Once there was a Snowman and William helped sew and decorate this stuffed robot because his favorite bedtime stories always involve a robot.
George is a jolly little guy, smiles and hugs come naturally for him. I also love that he is at an age that he can now articulate what he really thinks, most the time it makes us all laugh, but he does not appreciate that and quickly shouts back "Stop laughing at me"!
Two week after George's birthday Charlie turned from a baby to a 1 year old. This marks the end of a very challenging year for me, it seems I am just now finding my feet and I am just now getting enough sleep to really appreciate him. Among all the children he and James share first place for fussiest baby. Yes, Charles had me feeling like a first time mom all over again. So with his birthday came much reflection, it was kind of like waking up from a foggy dream.
He is really starting to grow into himself, literally, he stuffs more food into his face than I can believe and it is a joy to feel his legs and tummy start to chunk out.
I experienced a small miracle the day before his birthday. Paul was working on taxes and asked for the stack of vital records for our family. We could not find Charlie's birth certificate so I called the county and it turned out there was no record of his birth. Not sure what happened to it, I remember filling out the pink sheet required for filing it but since this was my first home birth I may have dropped the ball on actually mailing it out. I was a little panicked about the situation, I was informed that we only had one year to get it filed before having to make an appeal to the State. When I told the secretary at the county clerks office that he was turning 1 the very next day she hesitated then replied "bring it in in person before 2 pm today".
So in addition to an official birth certificate Charlie got a pair of walking shoes and his very own hand drum. He's been banging on Paul's since Christmas so now they can drum together.
It seems just over night he joined in with the younger boys, they have their own little club of babbling and giggling that I can't always understand, it makes perfect sense to them and most of the time they enjoy playing together.
This is a very special little guy, he has much to teach me and I relish this time where he is still small enough to carry on my hip and sink kisses into his neck.
Finally came my birthday. I turned a number that seems older than I should already be, I'm not averse to gaining years, I just wish my maturity could match it. I woke up wondering why so often I still feel and act like an awkward teenager, I cried and asked myself, "when am I ever going to feel like a grown up"?
I was feeling cranky all morning until the kids presented their cards, then I finally melted into the joy celebrating a birthday. William's especially touched me, he drew a picture of us watching the stars as we often do on the evenings we milk together.
Though there were no planned parties, and our normal birthday traditions did not happen, these were good happy days to each be appreciated by the ones we love.
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