As my 35th birthday barrels toward me at the end of this month, I'm starting to plan Sean's 1st birthday party for December. My friend Kirsten advised me not to bother with a first birthday party, that kids don't remember it; but I have to. Unfortunately, I don't know how to do this or handle what looms as a monumental task. We live on take out. The sink is always full of dishes. The floor is dirty. I've always relied on my mother to do the entertaining. Now that she lives in FL, my sister Kathy has taken on hosting Thanksgiving, Christmas & Easter. God love her. I'm good for cleanup alone. Happy to do it.
Back to the birthday party: to the rescue are Kathy and my mother-in-law Pat who are going to help with the food (this makes me feel lame somehow though I know there's no way around it). My step-sister Lori offered to bring something too, even though she has her hands full with her daughter Maeve who's a month older than Sean (note: Maeve's birthday party is this coming Saturday; I am bringing a present). So it falls on me to get the house clean (gak), get party favors/decorations/party hats for the kids, get or bake a cake, and buy some chips and dip. Yikes: do I have to prepare kid-friendly food?! NOOOOOO!!!!
You might ask: why can't she get it all together? Good question. I'm going to fall back on the fact that come tomorrow, I'll have clocked 11 months of little sleep. The thought of getting a party together makes me want to not have one at all. Before having the baby, there were no responsibilities...I brushed my teeth and got dressed and whatever else happened with the day - shopping, work, anything - was easy! Anything went. Now there exists the pressure to project normalcy = what kind of mother would I be if I didn't throw my baby a first birthday party? We're already committing a sort of faux pas = family is taking a backseat on this one; we're inviting friends with children rather than doling out obligatory invites to family who only see us once a year if that. So, for family it'll be my sister and her husband Dan (Sean's godparents) and Eric's mother and her fiance Bob and Eric's father Charlie (my parents are living in FL - in separate counties and sadly and inconceivably will not be there = how did that happen? sigh). I'd love to have everyone here so there are no hurt feelings, but my house is simply not big enough to do a huge party. I think it's important for Sean to have kids around him. The family met him at his Christening. Am I rationalizing my guilt? Probably. But we are having a party. Now, if I can just get to the post office to buy some stamps and get out the invitations...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
aaawwwwWWWWW! i wish i was going to be there to help and for his 1st. poo.
Post a Comment