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Friday, June 26, 2009

Happy Birthday, Big Giraffe

Happy Birthday, Big Giraffe. I know this past week I told you that the reason I write birthday posts for the kids is so that there is some sort of documentation about the little, but important events in that year that don't always make it into my blog posts. I won't even mention the baby books which are pretty much empty and collecting dust.

Did you think I would forget about you? Without further ado, here are the highlights of your 38th year of life. At least the ones that I remember and keep in mind that for a brief moment both of us thought last night was Friday night.

Alright honestly I'm drawing a blank about what happened at the end of last June, but I do remember the 4th of July. We decided to take the kids to the fire works, but they were fast asleep by the time they rolled around. We vowed to take them next year (this year). This vow has become a tradition for us, as our firework trip was rained out the year before. July was also the month we went on vacation with Suzanne, her husband and several friends. Most importantly, one of your closest friends was there, and you stayed up into the wee hours talking with him. You spent hours arguing with a Republican friend whom you used to debate when you were both in Political Spectrum in college, and you played many board games including Who's the Boss and Who Killed Mr. Lucky. It was great to see you enjoying yourself so much.

We game back and the next weekend you and the boys cheered me on as I competed in the Webster Triathlon. You joked that despite bringing two boys and their gear, you made it to the finish line first. Since it's your birthday, I'll concede that you were technically right.

I'm drawing a blank on the rest of August, but in September we threw our first away-from-home birthday party for our older son (OS). We stared at each other in disbelief over how easy the setup and cleanup were compared to hosting a party in the yard. In October we went to see So You Think You Can Dance Live Tour in Boston. We had a terrific time. We also got a call from the sitter during intermission saying that your mom had suprised us with a visit. (We knew she was driving from Kentucky, but she told us she wasn't leaving until the next day.)

OS was a red octopus for Halloween, and YS was Nemo. You wore the boys old giraffe suit on your head again to work and allegedly entertained people with different jokes. In November we went over to Sally HP's place for Thanksgiving. In December your mom came and spent Christmas with us. It was also the Christmas that my aunt gave us the Wii and Wii Fit.

January was when YS had his surgery. We were really worried about it, but it went really well. We joked that the two people who looked like they were recovering from surgery in our house were you and me. We also started our parenting class. While the class wasn't what we expected in any way, shape or form, we used to dicuss what type of parents we wanted to be. We also were able to learn a little more about each other. Hey, let's be honest, it's the first time we had the opportunity to gossip together about events we both were part of! Purina anyone?

In April the class ended. We went out for brunch with Sally HP and her family for Easter. We also almost forgot to take the boys to see the Easter Bunny, We were amazed about the big line of equally "negligent" parents who waited until the day before Easter to see the bunny. See! We're not alone in this crazy parenting adventure. April was also the month during which you dusted off your toasting skills to host a bachelor party in Atlantic City and be the best man in a friend's wedding in Virginia.

In May OS started soccer. You practiced with him, and we both cheered him on. May was also the month we went to both Storyland and Santa's Village. It was the first family vacation we've taken with just the four of us. It went really well. The next weekend you flew out to visit your mom in rehab.

That brings us to this month. OS finished preschool and his first soccer season. YS turned 3. It was going to be our last at-home birthday party until inclement weather caused us to make last minute reservations at a candlepin bowling alley. Everyone had a great time! The moment that birthday ended, we immediately turned to your birthday. The boys were extremely excited to pick out a soccer birthday cake for you, even though the only remaining soccer figurines at the store were of female players. The bakery claimed it currently wasn't making boy soccer birthday cakes. Those females did look pretty androgonous.

I think this last part sums up your year as a 37 year-old pretty well. Forget the lady at the bakery who was shocked that any dad would want a birthday cake like yours. You were happy simply because the boys were so happy.

I hope your 38th birthday was all that wanted it to be. I love you.

A. Elliot's Lesson Learned Twice in a Week: A lot can happen in a year.

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Name:Alex Elliot
Home:MA, United States
About Me:Professional Mom of two cats, a dog, an ant farm, and oh yeah...two boys: a 6 year old and a 3 year old. Also found in my house is my husband who is known on this blog as The Big Giraffe.
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For those of us who didn't get an instruction manual with our babies and for whom parenting hasn't always gone as planned. On a more serious note this blog is about supporting a woman's ability to make her own choices about parenting including the choice, for whatever reason, to bottle feed her babies formula.

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