6.17.17 - My Birthday

Today was a wonderful day.

But first: throughout the week I received a bunch of Amazon Prime packages from my mom and siblings with all this new kitchen stuff. Most of it was stuff we already owned but needed to replace as part of our gluten free kitchen, but in addition to that Julie bought me the Magic Bullet blender, which I was pretty excited to start using once we cleared counter space for it.

And it comes with labeled gluten free recipes!

I also got several cards in the mail (Dad, Merlene, Jack's Grandma, Sarah) but I saved them all to open on the actual day.

And then last night Jack took Clara with him to IKEA to get the wall bookshelves he was buying and installing for my birthday. At the time I didn't know where he was getting the shelves, but when I later found out it made the gift all the more endearing because I think going to and through IKEA is kind of a hassle, but especially with a toddler.

And I love the shelves! I've been feeling more cramped in our little apartment now that we have four people and all the supplies that come with an infant out again. Finding ways to use the walls for storage and free up some of the rest of the place is a great gift in itself - and he did everything from pick them out to install them so I didn't even have to be involved. Now our bedroom looks more literary than ever and our desk looks far less cluttered!

I had also recently ordered a magnetic knife holder off Amazon Prime for the same reason. When Jack got back from IKEA he installed the knife holder and one of the bookshelves, but we decided to wait on the other shelf because it was getting late and we didn't want to annoy the neighbors.

So all of this birthday goodness happened before my birthday had even arrived.

Then this morning I fed Jane and experimentally placed her in the crib, and she slept peacefully there for over an hour! For context, so far she hasn't really slept in the crib more than 10-15 minutes at a time. Having Jane sleep on not-me and not-Jack so easily really made the morning relaxing. I guess that was my birthday gift from her!

For a little while Clara and I played "Sister Mary Mommy," which consists of her handing me one of her blankets and me putting it over my head like a nun's habit and then smiling and saying "Sister Mary Mommy!" Then we do it with her and I say "Sister Mary Clara!" Then repeat. She loves it. She laughs so hard. And since Jane was asleep I was able to spend the time with Clara uninterrupted, which is especially nice since I feel like I haven't gotten to interact with Clara as much the last few weeks.

Several people texted me birthday greetings during the day, but my favorite was Dad's:

Although I just realized he got my age wrong. Eh, close enough.

Once when I was a kid I went with Dad to pick out a Christmas tree, and the tree farm we went to had a short tree, only a few feet tall. It came exactly up to my nose and the top of Dad's back pocket, and he pointed that out. Then for the next few days (or weeks, I don't remember) he would ask me how tall the tree was compared to me and compared to him, so many times that I never forgot it, and now we can both sit back and marvel at how small I used to be compared to now. Anyway it was a sweet throwback.

During the morning Jack helped me clean up the apartment a bit, partly for my own sanity and partly because Erin and Rachel were coming over later. He even cleaned the bathroom, probably my least favorite chore, so that was very helpful.

At some point both Ellen and later Julie called to wish me Happy Birthday. Ellen and I talked a lot about Netflix shows, including Bloodline and The OA (which I had just finished the day before or so). Julie and I talked mostly about kids and raising toddlers. Either way I don't talk to either of them on the phone very often so that was nice.

I also opened all my birthday cards. Dad sent a funny one with a joke about "mom brain" and three dollar bills. Sarah sent a sweet one that said when she is with me and my family she feels like she's home. <3 And Merlene and Jack's grandma both sent checks, which frankly helped me feel better about not getting any work done that weekend.

In the early afternoon Jack stayed with the girls and I went out to get my free Starbucks drink. I go to Starbucks all the time throughout the year, but I still get excited about my free birthday drink each year. Just another gesture to make the day special. I splurged and got a venti mocha frap with whipped cream and everything, and while I ordered and waited for it I chatted with the barista about my birthday plans. It was one of the Starbucks I go to regularly and she recognized me. The last time I'd been there she had remembered I used to be pregnant (and wasn't any longer) and we had talked about our kids for awhile. I don't think either of us remember each other's names but it's still nice to have some familiar faces around where we live and feel at home.

I took my cool and delicious frap (perfect for this increasingly hot weather) and drove a little further down the street to Safeway, where I picked out some ice cream. It was on sale BOGO so it ended up being even less expensive than Walmart Neighborhood Market, a rarity. Then I took all my treats home just in time to get there before Erin and Rachel arrived.

They both came bearing gifts: Erin brought gluten free chocolate muffins (awww) and some apple cider and sangria. Rachel had brought us a stainless steel pots and pans set! I had actually specifically told Rachel not to worry about a gift because she's already driving all the way from and to the bay area to hang out, and I think that's gift enough. But she said she had some kind of discount and gift card or something so she just got it for us. That was touching.

Then they both helped me remove all our old dishes and cookware that have been glutened and replace with all the kitchen stuff I got for my birthday. Specifically Rachel helped by bringing in a bunch of tote bags from her car and sorting things into Goodwill vs trash and also dividing some of the nicer stuff among her and Erin to take home. And Erin helped by holding Jane the whole time. This always sounds like a simple task but it makes a huge difference.

We got through a lot of the kitchen before it was really getting to be time to head out. Erin and Rachel had split a Groupon so we could all go to Revolution Wines and enjoy some child-free visiting and wine sipping.

We arrived there in the middle of Happy Hour, which was perfect. We enjoyed an easy going atmosphere (people around but not overly crowded or noisy) and olives and ciabatta, fancy mac'n'cheese, a cheese plate, and several glasses of wine, all while talking for hours. We talked about our relationships and Erin's wedding and all sorts of odds and ends. It was a very good visit.

And Erin and Rachel still stuck around for a while when we got home and we enjoyed the gluten free muffins and ice cream together. We did stick a candle in a muffin and they sang me Happy Birthday, but that was really for Clara's benefit and for some reason she found it upsetting and had to be consoled. I think it makes her feel put on the spot. But the treats she had after helped her get over it quickly.

Ice cream and Cheerio face is over it.

Not long after the girls left, Neil called and we talked maybe half an hour about my day and his work and whatever. It doesn't really matter what we're talking about: Neil often makes me laugh pretty hard. I ended up getting off the phone with him when Renata called to say Happy Birthday, and she and I talked about 45 minutes about what's going on with us. I told her about how I had only two glasses of wine when I was out, and when we got back Erin asked if we wanted sangria or if we were all "drinked out." Renata and I laughed about how different that was then our celebrations in our early twenties, such as my 23rd birthday in Missouri, when we ended the night drunkenly at Waffle House wearing tiaras. How times have changed. Then we reminisced for awhile about that summer and how wonderful and formative it turned out to be. So glad we shared that together.

Renata and me during my 23rd birthday celebration, about 9 years ago now.

Not long after that I talked to Mom on the phone and told her all about my nice day. And when I was finally done with phone calls I got to listen to four voicemails of various Jacksons singing me "Happy Birthday"! (One VM from Don & Merlene, one from Dave & Meghan, and 2 from Aaron and Katie for some reason, the last of which was pretty funny because Aaron kept talking about how he hoped I listened to the VMs in order, otherwise I would just be too confused to understand.)

And throughout the day, of course, I also got birthday greetings on FB from people. These were my favorites:

The whole day was filled with good food and conversation and reminders of how many friends I have. It was very nice!