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March 23, 2003
March 23, 2004
Before I start my “official” entry, I HAVE to congratulate Jen H. and Amy F. on the arrival of their sons, Andrew and Peter. I was blessed to meet both of these truly incredible women in Chicago last year, and can say from the bottom of my heart that I am a lucky woman to count them as friends. May God bless both of you as you begin your journeys into the wonderful world of motherhood.
Aidan’s 2nd Birthday
This year, Aidan’s birthday was MUCH more low-key than last year. For Aidan’s 1st birthday, we packed our home with all of our friends and family (about 35 people) and had a blow-out of a celebration. This year we had two very small parties, if you can even call them that, with both sides of the family. My Mom and brother came into town the weekend before Aidan’s birthday and spent a couple of days with us (they weren’t able to take time off during his actual birthday). Neither of them had seen our new place, so we had a great time showing off our new neighborhood and discovering a couple of new “favorite” restaurants. My Mom was kind enough to take Aidan down the street for a little Nonny/Aidan shoe shopping. Aidan kept repeating “nice shoes, nice shoes” on the way home, which my Mom got quite a kick out of. She said it reminded her of my brother, who STILL has a thing for new shoes. =)
We also took a trip to the local Toys’R’Us store to see if they had a toddler car-bed we could get Aidan for his birthday. Unfortunately, the only beds they had were huge, and more than a little ostentatious in my mind, so the only thing Aidan came away with was a new box of “Hot Wheels” from my Mom. He’s still comments about “Nonny, cars…." Apparently, the cars made quite an impression on him. (BTW, he also talks about her taking him pee-pee on the potty, so I have no idea what makes one thing stick in his memory over another) We took my Mom to her first subway ride into Manhattan, which I think I can safely say was an eye-opening experience for her. Having spent her whole life in very small, rural towns in California, I don’t think she’d ever seen anything like some of the NYC characters we observed whilst careening through the tunnels under the City. All in all, I think my Mom got a good sense of what it’s like to live here.
The night before my brother left, we ordered pizza and brought out the mini cheesecakes we had bought at Junior’s that afternoon. Toby had bought a musical birthday candle, so we all sang “Happy Birthday” to Aidan and watched him devour his cheesecake. He wasn’t sure about the texture at first, but once he figured out how YUMMY it was, he was all over it. It was also terribly sweet to discover that he knew to blow out his candle, considering last year he hadn’t a clue what it was or what he was supposed to do with it. Like I said, nothing too spectacular, but it was a blessing to have my Mom and brother with us for this special occasion.
After my Mom went back to California, we had a day or two to pick up the house, do laundry and then it was time for Toby’s parents to arrive! Aidan was a bit sad after his “Nonny” left, so it was nice to be able to tell him “Gobby and Grandpa Ron are coming”. That made him feel better, although we had a hard time helping him understand they weren’t at the door at that exact moment. He kept taking off and running to the door to greet them. You can imagine how happy he was when they actually arrived! He didn’t quite know what to do with himself. First Nonny and now Gobby and Ron?! He got so excited, he started running laps around the living room, stopping only to make sure they were actually, truly there. I think it made Ron and Sharon very happy to see his excitement at their arrival.
On Aidan’s birthday, we didn’t do anything TOO crazy, but we definitely had a lot of fun. In the morning, we all got up and went out to breakfast at the Park Café, right around the corner from our place. Aidan had his favorite breakfast food, WAFFLES and we sang “Happy Birthday” to him for the third time that day (we’re big believers in making the most out of birthdays, from beginning to end). In the afternoon, Courtney and baby Hannah came over and we headed to Times Square, to the mega Toys’R’Us store. I’d never been in, and found it to be absolutely amazing! There’s a real FERRIS WHEEL in there!! Toby and I took Aidan for a ride on it, which we thought he would love. He’d been on it once before with Ron and Sharon, and they said that he’d really liked it. Not so this time. He actually cried big crocodile tears, and called for Sharon to take him off! From what we could gather, he was scared he was going to fall. We managed to calm him down enough for Ron and Courtney to get a few pictures of us going round and round, and while I wouldn’t say Aidan loved the experience, I don’t think we did any permanent damage either. =)
Anyhow, the real reason we were there to pick up a gift for Aidan, a red “Radio Flyer” tricycle. This was Aidan’s gift from his aunts and uncles (Courtney and Jon-Paul, and Ryon and Alex). It has a great attachment that allows us to push Aidan until he learns to peddle on his own (basically a fancy pole with a handle at the end). We actually strapped Aidan into it, and pushed him through Times Square and onto the Subway on it! Aidan loves it, and it’s proved to be a great reason for us to get out and go to the Park.
We also picked out his present from Toby’s parents while we were there. They decided that they’d like to get Aidan a little electric motor bike. It looks like a miniature plastic Harley Davidson. Toby’s Dad had quite the time putting the thing together, but we were able to take it out for a spin the next day in the Park near our house. Truth be told, while it’s an awesome gift, Aidan hasn’t gotten much use out of it yet. =( I hope he’ll hop on it more often when it warms up and we’re outside more often.
That evening, we ordered pizza (can you guess what Aidan’s favorite food is?) and pulled out the musical birthday candle again. We had chocolate cake and ice cream, which Aidan took a nose-dive into. It was certainly a small gathering of people compared to last year, but it was special just the same and I know Aidan felt very loved. I always feel so blessed when we have family gatherings like that … I realize how blessed Aidan is to be so loved, and how special it is to be part of such a wonderful family.
We took a couple more outings with Toby’s parents, but I’m tired and want to send this off, so I’ll save the rest of their visit for my next entry. I hope everyone is doing well, and that you’ll stop by my TTM board and say a quick hello.
Until next time,
Rebekah and Aidan
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