Myrna Is Three

From Myrna - November 2011

Myrna's third birthday was a big one. Has been a big one, I should say. The gifts keep coming, to the point that when Myrna hears noise from the outside stairs, she no longer asks, "Is that Mom?" but sing-songs, "Could be a package!" To my thinking, #3 is the first birthday that really counts. #1 I'm sure just confused her, and while she wholly enjoyed #2, I don't think she really understood what a birthday was until the presents and cupcakes and candles were all laid out in front of her. This year, she knew it well in advance. Several days before the big day, she put in a request for an ice cream cake, and she even discovered one (exceptionally poorly hidden) birthday present. A second reason that #3 seemed bigger is that it's her first birthday back in the U.S., and gift-giving no longer comes with the problem of packing it across the ocean on a plane. Those things Kelly and I vowed to provide for our child once our living situation was more stable? We were ready to get them. So come Sunday, it was "Bring on the presents!"

As a special treat, Kelly's parents flew out for the weekend, in advance of the trip we all made to Green Bay for Thanksgiving. Saturday was action-packed with taking in the local sites and, mostly, Myrna soaking up some grandparent time. Saturday evening was my Dad's birthday - number 60, if he doesn't mind my saying so - and so we had a good Skype talk with my parents. For dinner, the five of us feasted on paella and wine, and even broke out the fine china for the first time in ages (they'd been in storage). Kelly still had the wedding gift tags bundled with the individual place settings, and we each mentally thanked our dining benefactor.

Sunday morning Myrna discovered that a red oven had "just appeared" in the living room, and that kept her busy for most of the morning. She wore new birthday clothes to church, and after that we're a little jumbled on the precise timeline. There was ice cream cake with M&M's, balloons, party hats, picture-taking, and lots of presents. There were dancing dresses to try on and puzzles to assemble and new toys to try out. It was a big day. And Myrna is pretty darn proud of herself for being three. A frequent topic since her birthday is when she can get back on an exercise bike she encountered last month in the basement of one of Kelly's colleagues. Myrna's legs had been too short to work it. But she was two then -- and now she's three!