Why Birthdays Only Come Once A Year...

OK, so now I know why birthdays only come once a year...as a kid, I thought that was sooooo unfair, as a parent, however, I realize a year is about the time it takes to recover from the last birthday party...LOL One thing is for sure, EVERY year provides a myriad of lessons learned and this year was no different.

So, here's the top 10 lessons learned from my first 3 bday party attempts:

• #10: If the weather man says RAIN, it's actually a good thing because they're NEVER right, so don't panic prematurely


• #9: If your child normally naps early, he/she will undoubtedly nap LATE the day of the party prompting half of your family to strongly suggest you wake him up and the other half to insist it will be the biggest mistake of your life


• #8: If there are guests that other family members invite, and you're not exactly sure why they're coming, don't panic, chances are they will also wonder why the heck they're coming and bail the day of the party


• #7: Every birthday consists of at least 4 birthday cakes...one at your child's school, one for family on the actual day of his birth, one a day early or late to make up for someone who can't actually be there for cake #2 above, and one for the REAL party


• #6: Having the cleaning lady come the day before the party is a great idea, NOT thinking about having the cleaning lady come the day after is just plain dumb


• #5: Calling 911 to find out what to do with the left over potato salad will result in 2 police officers knocking at your door...at which point, you better be prepared to turn over everything you've got and pray for a good outcome (yes, there is a story here)


• #4: At ages 1,2 and 3, the party really isn't about the child, after all, we all deserve a little fun having also survived the "terrible two's" and in preparation for the "tyrannical three's"


• #3: At the end of the day, when the last guest has left, and you finally have a chance to survey the damage, you'll begin to understand what drives some people to arson as torching the house and starting from scratch will seem like a very appealing option


• #2: If you're concerned that you didn't order enough food, it's a SURE sign that you actually need to CUT the order in half...(more specifically, Jake's mommy is NOT permitted to order the food ever again)


• #1: There's nothing that can't be overcome with a BIG (take up your entire backyard big) blow-up toy...people will bounce, jump, slide, climb, tackle themselves silly...after which, the food, drinks, music, weather will all seem irrelevant

Now that I've had a couple of days to recover, I have to admit that the party seemed to be a big success. Jake had a VERY good time on the big momma obstacle course that took up our entire backyard. We even were able to get Nanny to go through it and she finished in record time (thanks to us pushing her behind at every opportunity)...LOL

We ended up with good weather (a little hot and a little sticky, but as my mother continually reminded me, incredibly better than the rain that was in the forecast), and about 30-35 people. Jake had a chance to spend some time with his girl Jordan and of course, our Posse photographer, Aunt CC, was able to snap a bunch of smiley faces as the love fest continues.

One of the MOST exciting and special parts of the day was the fact that Jake had the opportunity to meet one of his donor siblings for the very first time!!!! Hallie and her 2 mommies (Sharon and Abby) came all the way from Philly to join in the fun and we were all amazed at the similarities between them. Aunt CC actually caught them in front of the birthday cake in a couple of poses that were down right eerie!! They have the same profile, same hair color, same cute little nose and of course, both are amazon children, VERY cute and VERY smart. This was an incredibly special part of Jake's birthday and we hope to spend MUCH, MUCH more time getting to know Hallie and her mommies!!!!!

So, at the end of the day, when Nanny and I somehow convinced Jake to go to bed (he was soooo exhausted that we were sure he was trying to steal a scene out of the Exorcist and that his head was going to start spinning around...LOL), and somehow found the energy to straighten up enough to be able to sleep, I assured myself that this would be the last attempt to do it alone. Boy, was Little Gym sounding REALLY good right about then!!! But, after having a couple of days to reflect, I realized that there really are no more special days than the one Jake and I were privileged to share with the family and friends that we love. When you think about it, what boy could possibly be loved more? Between his Nanny, Pops, La La, Uncle JJ, Aunt Bear, Aunt No-No, Aunt CC, Aunt Amy, Aunt Razz, TiTi, Aunt GG, his girl Jordan, Aunt Tracey, Aunt Dana, Aunt Suzy, Uncle Mark and cousins Timmy and Chris, Grandma Scuzzle, Poppy and of course, his mommy, he's totally surrounded by Love!

A special thanks to ALL who made his party one of the best days of his first 3 years!!