Birthday Party Invite

Anika got her first invitation to a birthday party yesterday. This is just the first of many over the next few years I would assume. A good friend's little girl turned 2, so there were a number of toddlers attending the late afternoon picnic at the beach park. There were kites to fly and blow up float toys to sail. Anika spent most of her time on a blanket attempting to crawl onto the grass/rocks/sand to have a taste.

"Dinner" consisted of a variety of softer foods all cut into little 1/2" cubes and was served in paper bowls. Anika ate like a horse and actually emptied two full bowls, and then topped it off with a cupcake.

Presents were exchanged in a flurry of excitement. Beach toys, art supplies, and hair ties were among the loot. Our gift was a bit unusual and I wanted to put some effort in because they have been very supportive through our journey to parenthood and so generous in passing baby things down to us. I asked my friend to send me the measurements of her dining table, and made a fabric play house to fit over it out of an old duvet cover and bed sheet. It should provide hours of entertainment.

A good time was had by all, until bedtimes got pushed up and the crankies set in. Parents shuffled off tired, sugared up kids to their cars to head home to bed. Anika sang all the way home and made it to the turn off to our street when I saw her head bobbing. I skipped bath and story and whisked her off to her room to nurse her and put her down in her crib. She crashed hard. Whew, that was a party!