A Trip Round the Sun

Since anyone who reads this blog reads my sister's blog as well, I am assuming that you know that I celebrated my 29th birthday yesterday. (I have taken to referring to birthdays as 'birfdays' as a nod to the comedy that is 50 cent, but people don't think that is funny, they just think I am stupid and can't spell, but I digress) My 20s have passed with little fanfare and with the arrival of children there is even less. I remember my 20th birthday, celebrated with my friend Josh in the Monmouth College belltower. My 21st on a rainy Sunday at a riverboat casino. 22 through 24 and 27 were unremarkable. 25 I was massively pregnant. 26 I just remember wearing a lot of makeup. 28 I cried because Tim would not stop snoring and told me to go sleep on the couch if it bothered me so much. I had low expectations for this birthday, but not in a poor me bad way, but in a I am a mom now so these things are not what my focus should be.
By the end of yesterday I was pleasantly surprised by the celebration of my 29th year. Things did not start well....
When Tim came home from work on Friday he busted in the door with 2 huge brief cases of work that "had to be done", a bag of vile moldy tupperware from the leftovers he takes for lunch, and a gift bag. I asked about the gift bag because sometimes people send him home with stuff for the girls, and he got a bit giddy and tried to be all "oops, I forgot to leave that in the car!" Whatever, he knew what he was doing. So then he tried to give me this gift which I wouldn't take because it was days before my birthday. He and Abby hid it and it was not shoved at me again until after trick or treating on Tuesday. I was pleasantly surprised by a cute iPod Nano in a lovely shade of red. Tim knows I like red and figured that outweighed my hatred for Bono which I guess it has to since he got the Nano engraved.
After I took Abby to school and got Nora settled down for a nap I was looking forward to doing what I wanted to do with my morning which meant I was going to lay on my bed and watch Regis and Kelly (stop laughing, they are funny) until I was motivated to clean my house. I got as far as my bed when a knock came at the door.
Who else drops in unannounced at 9:30 in the morning? It was my mother. Sometimes I am happy to see her, others I want to hide and pretend that no one was home. This time I was somewhere in the middle.
She brought me some lovely and thoughtful gifts...a new winter coat, and some spatula things I wanted form Williams-Sonoma. She also brought the ugliest shoes ever. I am just not acknowledging them yet. I can't keep them, they are truly awful, but she tried and for that she is sweet. The problem with her visit came after we dodged the ugly shoe issue. She wouldn't leave. My time with Regis and Kelly was gone, but Bob Barker was still on and had she left when I wanted her to I could have gotten a little rest and time to decompress, but she just lurked around my house making inane small talk. I tried to give her hints to GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE! but she wasn't having it, so I dealt. Then the phone rang. It was my dear friend Brook who I don't talk to often because she can only talk during her commute which is never at a good time for me. She was calling to wish me a happy day and fill me in on a new place she is buying (anyone want to sublet her 2 bedroom in Lincoln Park?) and her goiter (yes, she has a goiter). My mom was not having it. She started acting all huffy, and touching things that she shouldn't. She is like a little kid, once your attention is diverted she starts acting up. I sadly cut Brook off and went back to the neverending visit. Then my mom's cell phone rang and she realized she had to be someplace. So she left, and literally as I closed the door behind her Nora awoke and my down time was off with my mom. Bummer, but I cherish my alone time with the baby. I like to watch her explore when there isn't anyone around her to terrorize her.
We frolicked and ran some errands. I rejoined the gym in attempts to get in shape again (actually, if you want the truth, I do it to get away from my house and my kids. When they are at Miss Betty's and I am on the treadmill all by myself, not looking at the piles of stuff I have to find a home for in the shoe that is my house and my cell phone is not audible and Tim is tucked safely at work I feel a calm that doesn't exist the other 23 hours of the day. I used to feel bad about that but then I realized that I am NEVER alone, ever, and this is my only shot), and signed Abby up for swimming lessons.
All in all it was a pretty boring day, it picked up a little after dinner out with my mom and Emil (her "companion" who is blog entry in and of himself). The girls were rockstars and we made it out past bedtime with no meltdowns. My mom had invited my aunt and Emil back to my house for cake after dinner (nothing is better than when your mom plans an impromptu gathering at your house, really, nothing) so I took it one further and called Tony to join the festivities. Emil bailed, but my Aunt and Tony came by for some lively political conversation in my kitchen around the worst Jewel cupcakes ever (my mom wouldn't spring for a real cake because "no one wants to eat all that frosting" Fuck you! I want to eat all that frosting- all I want is a cake from the bakery). As usual Tony gave me one of the most thoughtful gifts ever. After reading on here that I am more brilliant in my car and that I want to be able to blog and drive, he got me a little voice recorder that I just love (even if he did almost blow my cover since my mom doesn't know I have a blog and I like it that way- I am a secretive Scorpio, deal with it). Amanda is a bit concerned that Tony (you all get who he is, right? Tim's best friend who loiters around here and builds stuff for us. I would call him "my friend" by he introduces me and refers to me as "My buddy's wife" so I guess that is all we are, right, Tony?) give me more thoughtful gifts than my husband, but that is just how we roll.
When I retired to my computer after everyone left I found a lovely blog entry by my sister about my birthday. She, as always, knows exactly what to say to make me smile even if it always ends with "Shit, I have to go, I'll call you back".
All in all this past trip around the sun was a good one. I have a new daughter to keep me company for this next one, I have good family and friends and some ugly new shoes (I didn't even tell you about the purse from my dad). I am older and wiser. I dropped some baggage off and pick some up. I have still not cleaned my house.
And I probably won't this year either.