Party time!

Andrew attended his first birthday party for a non-related, non- parent nudged, friend this weekend. And it was the most precious thing I’ve ever seen. I should have prefaced this by saying I am sort of a grump and wasn’t super jazzed about the idea. I think babies care very little about such events and would have equally as much fun and learning at home. I see the real benefit as establishing a community for the parents. But since we don’t live anywhere near where Andrew’s social circle is (Seattle daycare) that benefit is slim. While we haven’t been peppered with invites I have just not made it a priority to go to any thus far.

But this one was for his most special friend. His little daycare buddy. He is three months older and started at our daycare just after Andrew did. They’ve been buds since. I would get reports that they would touch hands through the pack and play during nap time and of them being trying to hide in the same corner, up to no good. When A was almost one and had just started sitting at the table for meals and snacks they would say how he and R would be the last ones at the table chatting and laughing. Just yesterday they were laughing hysterically with each other when I got there to pick A up.

So we couldn’t miss R’s 2nd birthday. It was at a Little Gym franchise in Seattle. All of my sister’s four kids have had their first birthdays at one so I knew the general gist- barely controlled chaos. R and his sister share a birthday so this was a 5 year old/2 year old party. I thought A was going to be WAY out classed. I prepared by wearing pants and readying myself to do all the goofy stuff to keep him engaged. But to my very pleasant surprise he was an excellent student! He LOVED the open gym free time but when it was time to line up at the wall he did, he sat and listened to the teacher for parts and- best of all- he was having the time of his life. After the gym part ended he sat at the party table eating pizza and chatting with 5 year olds. His current obsession is the Happy Birthday song and he was SO excited to see it live with candles. He ate his red velvet cake (in a white shirt) really nicely, sitting there until only he and his buddy were left at the table.









I still think babies don’t need to do a lot of extracurriculars- but the lesson here is that Andrew is not a baby anymore.



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