Day 51: Jacob's birthday

November 15, 2010

My little baby's birthday. Number two. Wow. I still remember everything from his birth day like it was yesterday. My water breaking during James Bond, feeling excited going to the hospital, being exhausted during labour, and first seeing Jacob, seeing that he was a boy and being thrilled to meet him. My heart expanding beyond what I knew it could. And here we are, celebrating his life. He is an amazing little person who I love so much. This past year has been even more fun than the first. The first is all newness and babyhood and sleep deprivation and survival. The second has been more personality, wonder, curiosity, growth. He's so much fuller than after one year. It's so incredible to know someone so intimately from the moment they are born; from the moment they come into being, actually. I am so fortunate.

Fraser took the day off of work today, starting a new tradition in our family of taking the day off on our child's birthday. We decided to go to the zoo this morning. It was great to go as a family. Jacob had a great time running with Daddy ("Daddy, wrun"). Today, we saw mountain goats, bobcats, elephants, gibbons, sea lions, river and sea otters, a mother cougar and her two month old baby. At the chimp exhibit one of them was knocking on the door to the back rooms before she'd run up to the glass and smack it. It sure looked aggressive. I do like seeing animals in the zoo and I know zoos can do a lot of good with wildlife. It also does seem sad to see some of the animals because they look so bored and sad. Repeating the same patterns in the water or around their pen, swinging from the few faux branches and ropes in their cages. Especially the animals with such large natural ranges or the ones with social networks. Seems hardest on them.

After the zoo, naptime. For Jacob and me. Fraser slept in this morning. 
We did some skyping with Grammy, Aunt Julie and Grandpa after naptime. They gave Jacob a cool wooden train, a wooden car and bus and a paper great blue heron to hang up. He put the train right on his track. Of course, the packing peanuts that came with the presents were as much of a hit. 

We decided to take a birthday train ride downtown. The sun actually peeked out in the evening for a nice little sunset. Jacob loves riding the train and had a good time watching the sights and tunnels and people go by. We went to the Rock Bottom Brewery. We knew where to find it, knew it had good beer and food that Jacob would eat. Kids menus suck and I think we've decided to stop using them. It's the same four things every time: mac n' cheese, grilled cheese, chicken fingers, hamburger. Sometimes there's a variable fifth option: pb&j, quesadilla, buttered noodles. We picked mac n' cheese with a side of broccoli. He ended up eating lots of the broccoli but more of my mac n' cheese and chicken. Also my tomatoes and cucumbers from my salad and the apples from his plate. Now, for the best part. He got a make-your-own sundae for his birthday. They also had birthday beer but we thought he wouldn't enjoy that as much. The sundae came with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream and cherry, and.... you guessed it - sprinkles!!!! The only thing he ate were sprinkles. Ok, he took a couple bites of the cherry eventually. But he just dug into his little cup of sprinkles. He decorated his whipped cream a bit with them also. If any whipped cream got on his fingers, he'd make a grossed out face and have me wipe it off. Hilarious. He had no desire in anything other than sprinkles. It just made his day. 
Took the train back. He was great the whole way. What a trooper. We read a birthday card from Gigi (Great Gran) and looked at e-cards from Aunt Katie and Uncle Justin and Mimi and Pop and went to bed. A long but delightful day for everyone.