Four Years Old

My little darling turned four today. He had a wonderful day and so did I. Readers of this blog may remember that the birthday celebrations last year were quite spartan. This year was pretty much the opposite--he's being feted at every turn!

This morning at about 6:20 he got in bed with Captain Obvious and me. Usually when he gets in bed with us in the morning he goes back to sleep. This morning he did not. He twisted and turned till I started talking to him about the fact that it was his birthday. He interrupted, "But this is not my real birthday." He had gotten confused between the actual birthday and the birthday party. I explained and he asked, 'But when I will be four?" and was overjoyed when I told him, "You are already four!" He was very happy about that idea and asked lots of questions, even how to spell four (with letters, not numbers). Then we sang Happy Birthday, all of us cuddled in bed together.

Captain Obvious' alarm clock went off at 6:45 and we all got up. (In the evening I realised that Captain Adorable and I were each wearing a purplish tee-shirt beneath a green long sleeved shirt on top. Funny how the two of us dress alike more often than one might think...) I was happy that we had plenty of time before we had to leave for school because I had promised to make pancakes for breakfast. We made pancakes and relaxed till it was time to leave. He got a call from Oma and Opa, who sang him Happy Birthday. When it was time to leave, he made sure I did not forget the mini-cupcakes (as if!) we were bringing as the class' birthday treat. He had a wonderful day at school (he is now the only 4 year old in his class). He got to wear a birthday hat and sit in a birthday chair. I'm sure they sang him Happy Birthday again over the cupcakes. He brought home a gift (a book he chose from the birthday basket) and will soon bring home another gift that his classmates made for him in school (a wooden airplane, which he also picked) which still had to dry (paint and glue).

We came home for lunch (which he ate while I madly cleaned the house) and then my sweet-MIL came over to bring her birthday presents for him. She and her mother (Captain Adorable's only living great-grandparent) sang him Happy Birthday. It was lovely to see her (she has recently finished chemo and has just received a PET result saying that she is NED) happy and relaxed. I was able to finally give her the Christmas presents for her and her family and also give away the rugelach and sugar cookies I made for her (quite relieved to have that temptation out of my house).

As soon as she left, Captain Adorable wanted to explore the dinosaur science kit she gave him. It was lots of fun, smashing plaster together to find the "fossilized bones" hidden inside. Finally I had to start dinner (Spinach-Broccoli Ricotta Pie) so I let him watch Bill Nye The Science Guy while I cooked. When Captain Obvious got home we started opening presents. The birthday boy was quite pleased with the mythical creatures (dragon, chimera, pegasus) from Oma and Opa and stopped to play with them for quite a while. Then he opened a chef costume from mama and daddy, which he immediate donned and cooked us a full meal with dessert. Then there was the box of dinosaurs and the marble track from Grandpa and Lita. It was all I could do to drag the captains away from that marble track to eat dinner!

Dinner was the aforementioned savory pie and some grilled sausages. Both requested by the birthday boy of course. And for dessert we had a hot chocolate cake. We lit the candles and sang him Happy Birthday. He had a hard time blowing them out at first, then got them to go out one at a time. I reminded him to make a wish and he told me he had already made a wish: to eat cake! Then he blew out the last candle. OMG it was delicious.

Once the sugar high wore off, I read him two of his new books (from The Little Red Train series by Benedict Blathwayt, imported from England) and took him up to bed. Getting him to allow me to floss and brush his teeth took a little convincing but not too much. Then I got in bed with him and read another book (about the water cycle, I know, weird, but his choice!). Then he curled up with his head on my arm and his body against mine and we talked about all the things we have to do together (everything from going to New York City to look at the skyscrapers to setting off fireworks in Tennessee). I sang him the lullaby I always sing (a Dutch one that my mama sang to me) and he was sound asleep by the third repetition (usually I do five repetitions). I lay in his bed, holding him and listening to him breathe.

How similar his first night was to this one, four years later. Both times he fell asleep in the arms of his devoted mother. I am so lucky to be a mother. I love you, baby-who-is-not-a-baby. Can we please make this year a long one?