Birthday Party

Tonight we commence birth week. We are all in the same 10 days. Talk about pressure. Or lack of planning possibly. Starting it off I had my parents over for their birthday dinner. Spinach lasagna and homemade Caesar salad dressing over crisp romaine. Yum. My poor mother had to make her world famous chocolate meringue pie because I was afraid I couldn't pull it off. My Mom's pie is always in such demand that lies and deception have been known to occur in order to keep the pie a secret from others.

G picked up J this morning to go birthday shopping for me. J had saved $64.00 of her hard earned chore money and packed it into her little purse. She had informed me that she had a plan and that Daddy G was going to help her pull it off. OK then. They arrived back home this afternoon and she left my present in his truck so that I wouldn't peek over the next week. As if. I'm not a peeker.

Right before everyone got here she told me that she had put some money in my birthday card to go along with the present she got me. Immediately I started assuring her that she could keep the money that she didn't spend and save it to buy a toy. Which started a very animated J, complete with a slight stamping of her foot, trying to explain the situation to me. "But Mom, I want you to have it. You are the best Mom in the whole world and you deserve to have the best birthday ever and I'm going to make sure it happens." (Oh my stinkin heck. I am crying again just typing it.) Then I proceeded to feel about 2 inches tall. For those few of you that have been reading since last year you'll know this is an unbelievably huge event. I would post the link for you but honestly, I don't want to re-live that week again. I just want to bask in the joy of now. What a difference a year makes. Heck. What a difference a few months make. Last year there were tears of despair and this year it's tears of boundless joy.

During dinner, J left the table for a bathroom break and I told my parents and G what she had said. Everyone at the table is in tears. Even G. He said that when she was wrapping my present, over at his house, she told him the same thing and that he cried then too.

Right after she had gone to bed tonight she came back out and said, "Mom, I really think I need some baby time to help me sleep. May I please have some?" This coming from the kid who has done everything in her power to push me away. So much so that I had to "sneak" baby time in on her by waking her up after she had been sleeping for a bit. Because that's when she was sweet and wouldn't push me away. Every day she is getting braver at telling me what she needs. Yesterday she told me she needed some pink love so that she could make it. Big stuff.

I am so humbled and so blessed.