My Day

Today is my birthday. In fact it has turned into my birth-weekend, which actually started out not so great. On Friday night Asher didn't sleep. Like AT ALL. Cried and writhed and cried some more. It was exhausting.

Then we "woke up" (ha, shouldn't really call it that when you haven't slept!) and Jordan took Rio to the first class of her swimming lessons. Guess what? She refused to go. Swimming has been the only activity we can count on her participating in without being shy. But when the teacher is a BOY well then we don't stand a chance. Withdrawn, AGAIN. This day SUCKS.

So then Jordan, Rio and Nolan head out of the house to do some errands. Nolan and Rio wouldn't nap so I kept Asher in a futile attempt to get him (and more importantly ME) napping. I felt very sorry for myself. I wondered where the day's secret activities Jordan had promised were. I figured we couldn't possibly leave our kids with my 13 year old niece as Jordan had alerted me was happening in the evening. I cried from exhaustion and thought this was going to be the worst birthday ever. Considering I've gone through some not so nice, "real life" stuff in the past few years, you'd think I wouldn't be so melodramatic about my birthday. But indeed I was!

And then Jordan, Rio and Nolan arrived home with flowers. Things were looking up. And then I heard noise on the deck and looked out to see our very dear friends from Vancouver hiding in the corner. WHAT?! Jord and kids had snuck out to the ferry in their absence to pick them up - a surprise that had been in the works for weeks. Suddenly I didn't care that I was exhausted or that I was leaving our sweet babysitter with potentially three little sleepless monsters. Suddenly this was the best birthday EVER!

So we chatted and caught up and laughed and ate and drank the afternoon away and then it was time to get dolled up for dinner. We left the kids playing with their cousin and went for a deeeeeelicious night out. We returned to three sleeping kids who caused no trouble and everyone happy. Very happy, me especially. Asher then decided to sleep through the night* which was pretty much the best present possible after our last few weeks of his sleeplessness.

Today, my real birthday, is low key. Let's just say that's a good thing as I wouldn't really be up for anything else after last night. We had a nice breakfast with our friends before Jord and Rio took them back home to spend the rest of their short weekend with their own kids. I decided that while they were gone I should take the boys for a walk. Sixty pounds of baby in a giant stroller in the beating sun in a hilly neighborhood is not a cure for a hangover. Unfortunately I learned this the hard way and the coolness of my living room floor was a much better fit for me and the boys when we got home.

We've all napped and now we're having a quiet rest of the day. Pruning, dinner and cake baking for a family dinner at my sister's tomorrow, following a "girls day" for me and Rio - lunch and shopping downtown.

What a fantastic birthday. I feel very loved and special this weekend and can't ask for much more than that. Well except for maybe being 26, not 36...

(*We think it's the 2 year molars. He's only 19 months corrected but all signs are pointed this way. Why of all things does he need to be advanced at THIS?)