Birthday Week

Clara turned three this week, amid much fanfare and general hoopla. We didn't tell her it was her birthday until that morning (mostly because we wanted her to sleep the night before), so when she came out of her room and saw balloons and streamers and her birthday wall, she looked truly surprised and asked, "My birthday is today??" Later, when Jeremy was helping her get ready for the day, she said, "Daddy, I've been waiting and waiting for my birthday, and it's here today!" Then her voice got really quiet and intense, and she said, "I'm so excited!"

We started the day with an exploration of her birthday wall--a tradition we started with Jonathan's birthday where we put a kind of "year in review" in photos on the wall. Then we had very special puffy pancakes, which thrilled her greatly.


She also received her first present: a new baby doll and sundry baby gear from Jeremy's grandma...and Jonathan. She loved pushing the baby around in its new stroller. Jonathan seemed a bit jealous, so we put a 10 pound weight in Clara's old stroller and he was pleased as punch.



The rest of the day was filled with cupcake baking, playing with friends, and having a family over for a special birthday dinner, where I'm pretty sure she did not eat more than two bites. And then we opened presents! She was thrilled with everything, perhaps most especially the new quilt my parents sent. It's extremely soft on the back side, and when we checked on her the next night before we went to bed, she was snuggled under her blanket, sound asleep, wearing nothing but her diaper. Like I said, it's very soft.



As if this one wonderful day were not enough, we threw a birthday party for Clara on Saturday. We had fun decorating the house and getting everything ready for her friends, although I think the party itself was a bit overwhelming for her. I should've realized things were getting a bit crazy for her when she spent an inordinate amount of time eating her lunch. All of the other kids were long since gone and playing, and Clara was still eating (typically she doesn't last more than about 10 minutes at any given meal). When I asked her if she wanted to open presents, she just said, "Almost, Mom." Then when the kids sang "Happy Birthday" to her before digging into cupcakes, she plugged her ears. Poor Clara. Sometimes a girl just needs a little peace.





Clara really wanted a duck party, which I thought would be easy to pull off. As it turns out, it's pretty challenging to find duck-themed goods in north Idaho. We stuck with blue and yellow for the colors, and we had a little duck game to play. For lunch, we made duck-shaped grilled cheese sandwiches and made ducks in a pond--blue jello with paper ducks "floating" on top. For party favors we gave rubber ducks (surprisingly hard to find), homemade yellow play dough ("It's not yellow enough yet," Jeremy kept saying), a little wooden duck, and some leftover Halloween candy (a great benefit to having a birthday so close to Halloween).



One of the most fun things for me was when we brought in Clara's last present, which has been literally months in the making. It's a play kitchen fashioned out of found objects, scoured from thrift shops and the Habitat for Humanity store. Some of our good friends gave us a scrap piece of countertop they had, and some other good friends assembled the whole kitchen. My one friend even painted it for me--she said she needed a project, and I had no complaints whatsoever. She did a fantastic job! So clever! Clara just loves it (although she evidently doesn't love to have her picture taken in front of it), and I am so appreciative of everyone who worked to help my little vision come together. There are still a few things I want to finish with it, but she loved it. Interestingly, her favorite thing about it so far has been a sponge that my friend threw in as something of an afterthought. But Clara just loves to use the sponge to clean and clean that kitchen. Maybe she sees the joy Jeremy and I derive from cleaning the real kitchen... Maybe...



And now, if you're still reading, I'll favor you with a little list of things we just love about our Clara:

1. She is just as smart as a whip. The other day, she pointed something out, and when I told her it was a good observation, she said, "Yes. I'm like a giganotosaurus." A few days later, she was walking through the produce section with Jeremy and said, "Avocados are from Mexico." Finally, this morning at church she was talking to a friend and said, "I have a cough. Mommy had a cough yesterday." Then she paused and added, "I have the swine flu."

2. She is a good big sister. Every hearty shove and throw-down she gives to Jonathan she matches with tender hugs and a sincere desire to make him laugh. She still says that Jonathan is her best friend.

3. She has big, beautiful blue eyes.

4. She loves to dance and sing.

5. She is extremely talented at making herself scarce when we're with friends. If there are other people around, she will do everything she can to avoid contact with us. Classic.

6. She loves going to nursery at church, and she has a special love for her wonderful nursery teacher.

7. She has many diverse interests, ranging from dinosaurs to pasting to princesses.

8. She loves, loves, loves books. She would be read to all day long if she had the choice. And if "Dinosaur Train" weren't on.

9. She feels joy purely and truly.

10. She is our special girl. We are so blessed and grateful to have her as our daughter.

And after all that: Happy Birthday, Clara! And yes, I will now stop taking your picture.