Love Thursday: Ella’s Birthday Bash

Last Sunday we celebrated Ella’s birthday with family and friends. It was a wonderful party. Ella knew everyone and genuinely enjoyed being the center of attention. She didn’t shed one tear or have one whiny moment.

Birthday parties with a house full of toddlers and their parents just aren’t for me. With the exception of my first born, we didn’t invite other children until their fourth or fifth birthdays, when the boys really wanted other children to participate.

Since birthdays only come once a year (unless you are a leap year child of course…) it seems only fitting that the day should be all about the birthday child. The less tension and stress the better. Two year olds are infamous for meltdowns, jealousy and shall we say down right cantankerous behavior. On Ella’s birthday the weather is always unpredictable so we can’t plan outdoor parties; the thought of all those fired up toddlers in our small living room just doesn’t work for us.

Ella thoroughly enjoyed trying to blow out the candles (she still blows through her nose) and putting her face in the cake. The latter she did carefully as she loves to eat the icing and does it in great earnest. Later she insisted on taking off her beautiful birthday dress and dancing solo for all the guests. We passed out her musical instruments so our guests could join in while she did the “shimmy shimmy hop.” One of the guests suggested that we let her dance on her table, and she happily obliged.

Birthdays are a good time to reflect and take stock of the year gone by. Between her first and second birthday Ella grew from a baby to a toddler, who actively participates in our family life and interacts with the world around her. As her confidence grows, she is becoming independent and sociable. Yes, she does protest at times, a normal part of being a two year old, but is also very eager to mimic and please me; both qualities are endearing. But within that sturdy, well coordinated toddler body the same spirit I witnessed in a precious three month old baby almost two years ago still burns bright.

In the last year, Ella certainly became a bit of a world traveler as she flew to California and Israel to meet her paternal and maternal grandparents. She also got to fly to Texas twice to visit her older brothers and sisters-in-law. This year promises as much or even more travel as our family is wide spread. She loves to fly, and watching the joy on her face followed by giggles when the plane takes off and lands, never gets boring.

Needless to say, I thought of Ella’s birth mother more than usual on her birthday, humbled by the sacrifice she made for a better life for her child, and forever grateful for the opportunity to have such an amazing and adorable daughter.

Birthday Parties for Toddlers and PreSchoolers

Photo Credit: Lisa S.

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