February 24

It's funny how having children has changed how I celebrate my birthday. More specifically, it's funny how having my fourth child nearly a month ago has changed how I celebrated my birthday this year. This year, like every year since having children, my goals for my birthday were to not have to prepare any meals and to take a nap.

Neither goal happened. 

Chris had to work, so any chance of daytime adventures was squashed. Caleb had school, Daisy had preschool, and Eli and I had our 4-week postpartum checkup. So really, it was a day just like any other day, which was disappointing to me. I enjoy doing little things to celebrate my birthday! But there were a few small blessings today that made it more special.

Chris bought me breakfast from a nearby restaurant, and it was waiting for me, along with handmade cards from the kids, when he left for work. Caleb actually wrote in his card for me, and it was the first time he'd ever written a sentence for me. It said, "I love you Momee. Hapee birthday!" Melt my heart! The spelling was my clue that he wrote it all by himself, without any help from Chris, which made it even more special.

We weighed Eli at the postpartum check, and he clocked in at 6 pounds, 9 ounces! Way to go, Eli! It's so nice to have quantifiable proof that all of my hours of lost sleep because of  nursing and pumping have been worthwhile. (Side note: yesterday I began looking at the pictures of Eli's birth, and I had lots of questions for my midwife today. I learned several interesting things about his delivery that I was completely unaware of before. I can't wait until I have time to finish writing his birth story!)

When I picked Daisy up from preschool, I discovered that one of Eli's new cloth diapers that disappeared last week had turned up. Someone found it in the parking lot, where someone (whose name rhymes with "silly") must have thrown it out of the van. Hooray!

The afternoon was a blur, the kids were chaotic, Chris came home from work late, we had no idea what we were doing for dinner... It was a rough evening. In the end, my mom came over and we all went out for pancakes at IHOP to celebrate my birthday. Not exactly my favorite thing ever, but like I said - birthday celebrations change once you have kids.

Mom brought me a multicolored bouquet of roses, and Lily loved them!

The kids and I decorated for my birthday yesterday. One of the things we got out was this frame, which was a gift from a sweet friend a few years ago. Every birthday, we pull it out and put a picture of the birthday person on their birth day in the frame. Daisy was delighted with the picture of me as a newborn, as well as the picture of my parents when they were still young and relatively unharried. 

 

Mom will probably hate this picture, but I love how she's holding Eli while playing what is apparently a really awesome game with Lily.

Grandma is so much fun!

Caleb gave me lots of birthday snuggles, too. I was surprised by how excited the kids were about celebrating my birthday. They really wanted to make it special! 

It may not have been the kind of birthday I would have chosen, but these guys? They make it all worth it. I am so blessed.