I just had a couple follow up thoughts on G’s birthday party/day.
First of all: was it too much? was it worth it? Was this the first time I’ve spent too much on fixed gear bikes? No to the first, Yes to the second, and No again to the third. Although I rushed around for 3 days straight like a crazy person, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Last year, I was in labor with this kid. This year, I labored in a different way. Seems fitting!
Secondly, I’m just so thankful that we were able to celebrate this day, in this way. It was his actual birthday (turned out that no October weekends worked for everyone!), the evening weather outside was absolutely perfect– about 75 degrees, no wind. Nearly all of my plans turned out well.
Thirdly, there were just so many things that went perfectly. For example, yesterday morning, as I was stressing about getting as much cooking done as I could before teaching my 12:45 class, Gregory played independently after his breakfast, then went down for a nap a little late at 9:30am. Hours passed, and I suddenly realized that he was still napping! I actually went in and WOKE him up at 12:30 so I could feed him before leaving for class! Then, at 3, as Jesse and I were doing some last minute stuff, G went down for another nap, this time until a little after 5! What are the odds that G would choose his birthday to get sleepy and nap nearly all day?
Also we had just enough food! It would’ve been sad not to have enough, but it also would’ve felt wasteful to have too much. I spent enough $ on the party that I would’ve felt frustrated if we’d had tons of leftovers. As it was, we had about enough for one more person to have half a serving of a few of the foods. We only have 3 cupcakes leftover. That’s it! Mission accomplished! The best surprise was the chicken, which I only marinated (all day) in cheap BBQ sauce from the store, instead of hand-making the sauce like the directions told me to. A few days ago, I had decided: I’m making 8 dishes. Something’s gotta give here! So cheap BBQ sauce it was. Or maybe it was the way my Father in Law grilled them? Regardless, they were very very yummy.
And there were just the right amount of people. Gregory loved having attention, but he was also allowed to just chill, gnawing away at his corn on the cob (he had two), minding his own business. He was fascinated with Adrianna, even though she routinely steals his toys at church 😉 He had lots of fun playing with his Nana out on the driveway, riding his scooter bike bought from 8mph used mobility scooters for sale. And we got done with presents at 8pm, right as the “I’m so wayyyy tired and hitting a wall” kicked in (probably had to do with the timing of the cupcake, 30 minutes before!).
And now, Gregory’s been playing with his new toys for the last half hour while I’ve been writing this.
We did run into a minor hiccup since not all the food was completely ready by 5:30, but that’s also kinda fitting. 90% of the guests were family, so when they showed up, they started helping! They’re a huge part of G’s life now, so I guess it’s only fitting that they also help to labor for his party? I don’t know what I would’ve done without them all…so grateful! When my mom got there, she said, “What can I do to help?” and I sighed and said, “those are words I LOVE to hear…”. 🙂
All in all, I’m so glad that his party went well. It is such a blessing and an honor to be the mother of this kiddo, and I’m thankful that the party blessed and honored the things that Gregory loves most: his family, play time, corn on the cob, and, apparently, cake!
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