Happy Birthday, T!

T is now cast free and back to his rambunctious self. He has a slight limp and can't seem to put full weight on his right leg yet, but he can run...really fast. 9 mothers and their tots came to his birthday party on Friday afternoon. It's amazing how many stay at home moms there are in my area that I can hold a birthday party on a weekday afternoon. The house was amuck with 14 children ages ranging from 8 months old to 11 years old. It was a madhouse indoors until I opened up the deck doors and allowed them to play outside.

Our dogs were helping out with the clean up duty. They followed the messiest eaters around and lapped up what fell to the floor. Mike arrived with 40 helium balloons and a beautiful custom ordered firetruck cake fitted with 2 dalmatians on the side. While the crowd oohed and aahed over the cake, we sang T a happy birthday and let everyone smear the icing on the cake.

The adults stood around and chatted away while the kids were screaming and having fun outside with popsicles and watermelon. The 3 hours went by fast and I felt my legs buckle as I waved good-bye to each leaving guest. My SIL and a few other moms helped with the clean up. A lunch menu with inari rice and buckwheat noodles in dipping sauce made such a hit, I had people packing leftovers to bring home to share with the dads who missed out.

Sometimes I wonder who enjoys these parties more...the kids or the adults. I had a nice time too. It was wonderful to see a roomful of people who only wanted to wish T a happy birthday and celebrate his day. On a side note, we have never celebrated his birthday on the actual day. Ever since his first birthday, his tol, which was set for mid-May with the Northwest Korean Culture Society, we have never been able to set his celebration on the date he was born. I reasoned in my mind that maybe in keeping the actual day "his" to behold, to think about the day of his birth, his birthmom, the relinquishment, adoption, etc. and not have it as a day to be joyous and "happy" to celebrate might be a good thing for him as he gets older. I've often read writings of other adoptees who've said that their birthdates were nothing to be "happy" or celebratory about. And I'd like to respect and reserve that for T...unless of course, he desires otherwise. But 3 straight years now, and we've had a party on another day so I think this may stay as a tradition for our family for now.