Now, for her second request of the day. When Ella and I talked about her party being on a different day that her birthday, I was afraid she might be upset. I told her that on her birthday we could do something else really fun “just us girls.” I offered the bakery, yogurt shop or lunch. I just knew she’d go for lunch, but she surprised me by requesting cupcakes at Edgar’s. We didn’t get there until almost noon and mommy was hungry for lunch! When I told her I was getting a salad, she looked me dead in the face and asked if she had to eat a sandwich or if she could have a cupcake for lunch. Cupcakes it is! She picked a mint-chocolate chip one, since that is her favorite ice cream flavor, and boy was it yummy.
She wanted to wear her birthday outfit really bad and we had major discussions about keeping it clean, but she did a pretty good job. Throughout the day she made mention of her birthday to me and everyone around her. That morning, she told me that she “felt” four. When she looked in the mirror, she told me that she “looked” four. She wanted to use a glass plate, since she was four. She wanted to know why she couldn’t automatically hop on one foot now that she was four. She even said, “Mom, is it true that when you grow up you don’t want to play baby games anymore?” When I told her yes, she replied, “Then I’m going to tell the little kids at school tomorrow that I can’t play with them… they’re not four.” She was so serious, but then looked relieved when I told her that they would probably still like some of the same games.
Since she was wearing her tutu, she got lots of comments on her pretty outfit and loved telling people why she was wearing it. The best moment of the day came standing in line at Wal-Mart. For the first time all day, she wasn’t getting tons of attention and it was obvious she didn’t like it. She took a deep breath and broke out into song, “Happy Birthday to Me, Happy Birthday to Me.” When everyone around us turned around to smile or wish her a happy birthday, she just grinned. I think she got the desired effect.
