Sophia is going to be turning the big TWO. I can’t really believe it and even though I’d like to say I am not ready for her to continue growing up, I really am. I hope that being two means better sleep. Believe it or not, she still doesn’t sleep the night and despite this being our reality, we are still never going to be able to get used to it.
My lamenting aside, I started to plan the celebration today. We spoke to Sophia about what kind of a party she wants; She said “orange butterflies”. Before placing the order for the invitations, we had to commit to a time, date and most importantly the location. Our choice has been made and the decision is final — we will celebrate Sophia’s birthday at our house in Maryland. Now I know this is not the most convenient location for our families, but we made this choice for many good reasons.
You see, despite having a great love for Philadelphia and wanting to move back the second we get an opportunity, we do live in Maryland and have decided that rather than wait and hope, we will continue establishing our life here. We have friends here, Sophia has friends here. Our parents are willing and able to come and visit and celebrate here and so are our siblings. In fact we are feeling very loved and are not short on the invitation list. Many of our friends with little kids (1-4 yrs old) have already committed to making the trip down south from Philadelphia, its northern suburbs and even New Jersey.
We are not unrealistic and realize that this is not an easy trip to make and this is why those who do make it with kids — their attendance is that much more special. Everyone’s time is precious as is your sanity and believe me, I know what it is like to drive a few hrs each way in a car with a toddler who is not a fan of driving. Sophia still gets motion sick, still doesn’t like the drive further than 10 minutes and still does not sleep well in her carseat. Evan and I are going to be keenly aware of the burden of commuting to a family gathering almost every weekend in September. Our family managed to have back-to-back birthdays for most of September and October. While I may shutter at the thought of packing up a suitcase each and every weekend for a drive north, I realize how fortunate we are to have so many cousins and aunts and uncles to celebrate with — it is a small price to pay to have a close-knit family.
Oh, and last, not least and perhaps not very related… look, look. We are in a new age… an age of “I do it” and the “no help” which of course goes along with “no kisses”.
Life and everything about it is just a matter of perspective. Who says you can’t wear your left shoe on your right foot?!
[…] course I know you’d like the details about the birthday party, so here goes: the theme was butterflies and bugs and the invitation was blue, yellow and most importantly orange (Sophia’s absolute favorite […]