Monday, September 29, 2008

The Lady Turns 1!


Sesame Street Cupcakes




Elmo



Waiting very patiently



MMMMmmmm.......



My little lady turned one yesterday. We had the party at my parents house. Despite the overcast skies and high humidity, I think it turned out pretty well. I am not one for huge kids birthday celebrations. Clowns, ponies, giant inflatable bouncy castles can all be entertaining but they aren't for me. We tried to do simple. Four pink balloons, one Sesame Street one and a living room full of toys. The little lady loved it. Despite taking a five minute nap from the exit ramp to my parents driveway, she was able to walk, talk, eat and entertain her way around the party. She crashed pretty hard after the sugar shock wore off and most of the guests had left. My husband put her crying in the crib upstairs, when my father went to check on her ten minutes later she was in the corner, still sitting, her face flat on the mattress in front of her, totally passed out.

As for me, I started the day in my new jeans and four season scarf, but the jeans need to be altered for length so I basically walked around with them rolled up like I was crabbing on Ocean Beach. The scarf found the back of the chair soon after due to the high heat and my cute ballet flats never made it on my feet because they are starting to hurt. Did anybody at the Gap wear these before they decided to sell them? I will continue to break them in for the sake of fashion and dumpy moms everywhere.

I started my day at 6:45 am, the little lady didn't wake her little birthday head until ten after eight, but I had pulled pork in the crock pot overnight and even though it is perfectly safe, I have a panic attack every time I make the dish. It was a little like the night before I gave birth. I didn't sleep at all and kept wondering how is this going to turn out? The pork turned out fine but there wasn't enough, that warranted a phone call to my sister who I turn to in all kinds of culinary trouble. She suggested picking up a Rotisserie chicken and making pulled chicken as well. With that problem solved we headed out.

When we arrived at my parents the cupcakes were baked but not iced. Of course we had some last minute things to pick up, including new red food coloring because the icing I started to make at 7 am was entirely too pink and not very Elmo at all. So my husband and I dropped the babes off, ran to the store and got back at noon with a car full of balloons, new food coloring and one hour to go until the party started.

Now I know some of the things I have written about my husband might make him sound a little selfish and fantasy football/TV/sports oriented only, but in actuality he is a funny, smart, caring man who loves our daughter more than anything else in this world. He also volunteered to help with the icing. Did I mention he doesn't really like to get messy? This is a guy who will not scoop out pumpkins for Halloween, he will carve an amazing face in it but no way is he sticking his hand in there. But he was responsible for saving my sanity in that critical icing and decorating time period. He added more red to the very pink Elmo icing and got us a pretty good color. Then he tried to fill the pastry bag with the icing. Things started to ooze. Needless to say I was handed the proverbial bag. The amount of red food coloring in that one container of icing was incredible and my hands are still tinged with it today.

The kids loved the cupcakes. There were a few small swipes of icing here and there throughout the day before cake time, but once dessert time came they all seemed pretty pleased. Good thing I made more of Elmo, he seemed to be the favorite.

I was grateful for all of my family and friends who made the effort to come and celebrate with the lady. The entire day I kept thinking back to what we were doing at that time last year. The car ride over was around the same time I started having a hankering for the epidural. Cake time was right in the middle of the hour and forty-five minute push. When the guests started leaving and things wound down, well that was around 4:24 pm when the most amazing thing in my entire life happened.

I think about that day. I remember that surge of emotion and adrenaline when she finally arrived. I remember the faces of my family and friends as they paraded in to get their first look at her little face. I remember holding her small and quiet against me just listening to her breath and waiting for her to wake up. I would never trade those moments, but yesterday in my parents living room, surrounded by many of those same faces of family and friends, I watched my little lady light up that room and I couldn't imagine anything better then that. Plus, I was fully clothed, enjoying a cookie, not too drugged up and without an ice pack in my pants and a line of stitches from where the doctor took a scissor to my lady parts.

So Happy Birthday my little lady. Mommy loves you.


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