Happy Birthday Little Boy

Yesterday was my son's birthday. He turned four even though he still says he is three when people out and about ask him.

I think about the day he was born - 8 weeks early. It was such a surprise. I had everything planned out to a tee. He would be born in May, I would use my sick leave (I had accrued 30 days which would give me six weeks) that would carry me through the end of the school year. This would allow me to not have to go back to work officially until the new school year. Well as they say, the best laid plans of mice and men.

That Friday night I awoke to early labor and spent the first three days of spring break in the hospital trying to keep him from coming, but nothing was holding that little fighter back.

Although he spent the first 6 weeks of his life in the hospital, since that time he has hit the ground running. He's a whirling dervish, a determined boy who knows exactly what he wants and how to get it.

Case in point (Overheard Saturday morning):

Daddy, you NEED to go to the store and get me a Thomas birthday party and bring back my Thomas birthday party so that I can have my Thomas birthday party. You NEED to bring back presents and Thomas cake and ice cream...."

Fortunately, I had already ordered his Thomas the Tank Engine birthday cake the day before, but not without a few difficulties. As usual, I procrastinated. Friday turned out to be one of the wettest, coldest days of the month. I went to the grocery store and stood at the bakery wondering where the baker was. Ten minutes passed when I finally found someone who worked in the grocery store. This person went and found the manager who tried to help me. I pointed to the cake I wanted in the catalog and said, "I would like the Thomas the Tank Engine cake please." Little did I know, the manager didn't bother to look at the picture and ran off to the store room to find the kit.

"I'm sorry ma'am we don't have any right now."

I can feel my frustration begin to rise. "Are you kidding me??

"I couldn't find any."

Off to the side was a different Thomas cake shaped like the actual train, so I point to that one and then notice it is $40. Never mind!

While I am calling home to see if a Lightning McQueen cake would suffice, the manager went to the storeroom again returned holding the correct Thomas birthday kit, saying, "We do have a Thomas & Friends Carnival."

I looked at the kit and looked at the catalog and said, "That is the kit I was asking for in the first place."

He said, "Oh, I heard you say Thomas the Tank Engine and went looking for a TANK!"

He and I finally get the cake order completed - 1/4 sheet cake, white cake, white butter cream - not whipped cream - I hate whipped cream, THOMAS the Tank Engine design, "Happy Birthday, James" etc. In walks the baker - "Oh by the way, we have no butter cream and won't have any until next week. We only have WHIPPED CREAM"

By this time, I am tired, cold and ready to begin my spring break. I give up. Just give me the cake. I don't have time to run around in the rain to the local SuperMegaMart that I am still boycotting. No one else makes birthday cakes in town with out special ordering them way in advance. (This is where procrastinatiion has come to bite me in the butt.) The one thing I do know is that I CANNOT come home without a Thomas the Tank Engine birthday cake. So, a whipped cream cake it is.

In the end it didn't matter. James got his Thomas birthday party. He didn't care what type of frosting he got, just as long as it was a Thomas birthday cake.

Presents were opened. The birthday song was sung. Candles were blown out. Cake was eaten.

That little baby who was determined to come into this world on his own terms continues to rule our world.