I LOVE January 19th
In case you’re wondering - the beginning of April is a very fertile time for me. TMI? (too much information?) I know this because both my boys were born in January. The 16th and 18th to be exact….and these dates were no accident. I was induced with both my pregnancies, so these were dates of my choosing. People always comment on how close their birthdays are. It was a much more calculated decision than they know. Here was my thought process: My oldest son could not possibly be born on the 17th…that was the one-year anniversary of the big Northridge earthquake which sent my home to the ground in pieces. It couldn’t be on an odd-numbered day for no reason at all other than I like the way the even numbers sounded. I don’t have an aversion to odd-numbered days. Both my husband and I were born on odd-numbered days, but if they were giving me a choice, I thought 18 was a good number. I loved being 18…so 18 it is. Also, the day needed to be closer to the weekend so my husband could take an extended amount of time off (who knew at the time that I really didn’t need my husband at all during the days following child birth). Therefore, the 18th it was. My thought process was pretty much the same for my second child.
But having two January birthdays created a Martha Stewart neurosis in me. The drive to make their day special to each of them, despite the fact that Christmas was less than a month ago and their birthdays are basically on top of each other. This is when the very identifiable neurotic birthday curse happened. It happens every year and fills me with anxiety. My husband has learned to stand back and watch it unfold. He says only positive things because I will have none of his peanut gallery suggestions or comments. I know it’s controlling. What can I say? He puts his trust in me and morphs into my assistant (probably because he has learned to never go against a mom and her passion for her children’s happiness. I see husband assistants at most children’s parties. It’s an unwritten rule in my suburb.) The neurosis goes something like this:
Neurotic habit #1 - take down all Christmas “stuff” by January 1 and create a birthday house.
Neurotic habit #2 - create a unique birthday invitation as special as each child. It must be hand-made and 3-dimensional.
Neurotic habit #3 - coordinate a new and exciting birthday theme that identifies each child’s current love. This theme has to be something that hasn’t been done in the past. I don’t want to replicate someone else’s Pirate Party or Indiana Jones Party.
Neurotic habit #4 - calendar several other birthday events to include extended family and family friends who aren’t invited to the over-the-top kid party.
Neurotic habit #5 - find the perfect gift. Extremely challenging as Christmas was three weeks earlier.
Neurotic habit #6 - lose Christmas pounds and get back to the gym. OK, this has nothing to do with their birthdays and everything to do with me…but it’s still always on the list in January.
Neurotic habit #7 - appear as if I whipped all this together with little effort and look as happy and well-rested as can be. Why is this even on the list? I’m not sure why I do this.
Neurotic habit #8 - think, think, think of every way to ensure they feel special. Mustn’t leave out even one detail or I will be beating myself up for the balance of the year.
So, why do I attend my very own party of one on January 19th? Because it’s over! The planning is over and their actual birthdays are over. It’s the day I reflect on my efforts and always pat myself on the back for a job well done. The first question that I ask myself is if I think they put their head on their pillow and felt special and celebrated. My answer is always YES! I wish I could stop with just that question and be done with it…but I can’t. My next questions are always - what will I change for next year and how could I do it better. UGH! Sometimes a party at Chuckie Cheese doesn’t sound so bad! As for me - today is going to be all about me! I’m going to Pilates and the gym with NO guilt. I LOVE January 19th!!!