Dorothy's birthday was full of surprises. A lovely virus came to visit our house in the days before her birthday. And on the eve of her special day our poor Polka Dot started running a fever as well. This was the first year we had actually tried to throw her a little party with friends--and it was to be a surprise party to boot! I ended up telling her about the party to stop her tears on her birthday eve and told her we would reschedule. She was going to get TWO special days instead of just one.
Sick or not, we were going to celebrate! We kept the fever meds going and made plans for a fun, but very cozy and laid back day. First up, this ridiculous cereal. Seriously, it must have been created by a 4 year old. I felt all my childhood dreams coming true with every bite. The kids saw it at the grocery store a few months ago and were always begging to try it. I figured a birthday was a good reason to eat chocolate and marshmallows for breakfast!
I let the movie watching begin right after breakfast. Dot picked A Series of Unfortunate Events. They watched, I cleaned and kept Annie out of the way until her nap time.
Nap time gave us just enough time to finish reading the Nancy Drew we were in. If you know this girl, you know that reading Nancy Drew for an hour straight is like a dream come true. She is easy to please.
The afternoon was another movie, this time Harry Potter 2. By the time that finished, Marty was home from work and we jumped into true birthday mode. We measured Dot on the birthday wall and then it was time for presents.
I loved her wish list this year: a telescope for bird watching and nature walks, a book of Sudoku for kids, and an orchid. Done. She is like a 60 year old lady in a 7 year old body. And I love it!!! We opted for a fake orchid for the time being, but she was thrilled with everything.
We saved her official birthday treat pick of frosted brownies and ice cream for her postponed party and just had small bowls of ice cream that night.
I regretted feeding icecream to sick kids when Ezra's poor tummy couldn't keep it down, but we wanted to celebrate a little! He at least made it into the bathroom, even if not in the toilet. It was a slight sicky birthday miracle.
That night as I tucked her little feverish body into bed Dorothy smiled and said, "Mom, this was still a really great day!" I was so proud of her for overcoming her disappointment and finding the good.
As promised, her partay followed a week later. There were lots of giggles, singing, dancing, pizza and brownie eating, and some fun Easter crafts with grandma. It was good to have everyone healthy again, and even better to celebrate seven years of this incredible girl. Happy birthday, Dorothy! We love you!!
