My boy is 3!

Ah yes, Sam’s birthday. My favorite part of the day was cuddling before he went to bed when I got to tell him how glad I am that he was born and how much he means to me. That sounds sappy of course but I can eliminate that by expanding the picture to include the part about how the bed was covered in towels because just prior to that he told me “My tummy doesn’t feel good.”

Perhaps if he’d had more than cake for dinner it might have helped a bit.

He’s still a little fuzzy about the whole birthday concept and in fact was somewhat traumatized by the birthday ritual at daycare. Ben and I were there because they like to include the parents in some of their special events. Sam didn’t enjoy this event, neither did we. When you take an introvert like Sam and make him sit in front of the group, wear a crown, and then walk around the table once for each year of his life and otherwise make him the center of attention he hides and he did that by burying his face in my lap so he wouldn’t have to look at people. Had I been him, I think I’d have wanted to do the same thing so the introvert fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree. The rice krispy treats I brought as a birthday snack were the only part of that celebration he enjoyed.

Susan and Seward weren’t able to make it for dinner because Seward wasn’t feeling well. Oh how I wish we could change that. We missed them.

We invited all the neighborhood kids over for birthday cake and an impromptu party, a picnic

on the floor because we don’t have enough chairs and our table is too small for a crowd and they’re kids after all so why not make them eat on the floor? I’d have provided a cloth at least but everyone was in too much of a hurry. The cake was a big hit because each of them got their own piece. Sam immediately appropriated the engine but Susan, the caboose is still here if you’d like it. It occurred to me that I wouldn’t want to make this cake for a very large crowd since three feet of cake serves nine and takes two hours to decorate….

Alas, the cake was pretty much gone when the next round of friends showed up later in the evening but I think they enjoyed themselves anyway.

As I was put him to bed this evening, I tried to convince Sam that the most important part of his birthday was he and his friends, not the presents, but he was unconvinced. The highlight of the gifts for him was the crane Ben got for him because, well, I guess Ben doesn’t consider the things I got for him sufficient but it’s not all bad because I’m the one who suggested the crane to Ben in the first place so I’m basking in the glow of being right. Today Sam upgraded from the crane he and I made to this little beauty. He found that the Lincoln Logs my parents got for him are wonderful materials for loading into his dump truck.

On Sam's birthday I get to celebrate him so I get the best present of all.