I regret to inform myself that birthday week is officially over. Today was my last birthday celebration and while I realize that Birthday Week is unnecessary and already more than enough, its sad to see it go. Every angle of it has been awesome. I remember that my last birthday was great as well, but for some reason I thought that turning 24 was ominous, approaching mid-twenties *gasp!* and for my first time, I was humiliated by my age. Yet turning 25 this year hasn’t phased me at all. I feel great! Another way to view my last birthday is from the angle of a woman trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant. That really took the wind out of my sails at the time, and I think that played into my attitude in a lot more situations than I thought it did at the time. Needless to say, I’m so glad to be where I am, when I am.
Brady and I slept in a little and had muffins and coffee for breakfast. Once we were all up, fed, and ready for the day, we headed off to spend time with my parents at their place for lunch, and likely the rest of the day. Dekker wasn’t in the best of moods when we arrived, so we gave him a quick lunch and he was off to bed. The rest of us settled in for a huge feed of mashed potatoes and pork chops in a golden mushroom sauce, cooked carrots and cold veggies. SUPER delicious! My birthday cake was candy pizza, which is essentially a mondo cookie covered in chocolate, marshmallows, Reese’s Pieces, and whatever else delicious you can find floating around. One of my favorite desserts, no question.
My mom and I wasted away the afternoon talking about baby Paddles while the boys drove back to our place to weed our garden. Yay!!! In all honesty, it was nice to lay low and comfy and have all the work done around me. I really appreciated it!
Another thing exciting about this afternoon was that my mom gave me all the receiving blankets she made for our baby girl! We shopped for flannel together a little while ago and the blankets are sooo gorgeous! And amazingly soft. I cannot wait to wrap my new little bundle up in them, burrito-style. Love me a burrito baby. Even a ten pound burrito.
When Dekker woke up from his nap, he was in way better spirits. I changed his bum and left him in just a diaper, and he raced around like crazy! We were throwing a big ball around and he was bouncing it to us, while we more than anything played monkey in the middle with him. Out of nowhere, he just lay down flat on the carpet. Takin’ a rest 🙂 I love that. We had some really good playtime and tickle time, and played a lot of piano before it was time to go. Its always sad to leave grandma and grandpas house.
On the drive home, I had a cruddy moment and started to feel really discouraged. We had a very quiet drive home, and I was bummed that such a good day was ending the way it was. When we got home, Brady gave me the option of bringing in the stuff from the car or bringing Dekker in. I usually opt for the stuff since Brady does bedtime routine with Dekker, and go throw the diapers in the laundry. But I asked for Dekker today instead. I brought him in and changed his bum, and he didn’t fight it at all, which is always such a relief. I haven’t done a nighttime diaper in quite a while, and those things are beefy! A cloth diaper with two inserts, plus a flushable liner!!! Huge. But he was so happy to be cleaned up. I handed him his blanket and he all of a sudden was on his knees on his change table, trying to climb onto my shoulder. I scooped him up and carried him to my bed for a sip of water and cuddles. He had just a shorty sip before he just leaned on me. Sooo ready to cuddle. So I lay down, plopped him down onto my chest and sang him “Twinkle Twinkle” like always. The last few days, its as though he’s become aware that I’m getting bigger and bigger, and he’s started to roll off of me but still lay very close beside me for cuddles. This way, my arm is still under him, and I can still hug him and be close. So today, when he rolled off, I tucked him under the blankets with me. We talked for a little while, and pointed out all the things in the room that he knew the words for. And then he was just quiet. I rested my face in his neck and held his hand, and he just lay still. Best. Cuddles. Ever. I didn’t dare take a picture for fear of ruining it. Finally after a few minutes, he pointed towards the door and said “da.” Brady basically sits in the dining room waiting for his cue. He came in and lay beside us, and no one moved for a goooood long while, until Dekker heaved that well-known baby sigh that means he is ready for sleeping. Bedtime cuddles were over.
And they saved the day.
Happy birthday to me.