Trifecta of Birthdays

I'm actually not 100% certain that's the right word to use, but damn, it looks cool. So yes, today is Bean's 3rd birthday, and it was the first one that we had a "friend party" for...just our neighbor who is a year younger, and admittedly, he was more interested in Gene's old Matchbox cars, but still. A good photo opportunity as they both chowed down on cupcakes. There were certainly some adults and one older and one younger kid (siblings of said party guest); somehow, it just made a crazy fun time that, once over, caused Gene and me to look at each other and take a deep breath. I can't even imagine what it's going to be like when she's 6 or 7 and we have a bunch of little girls screaming around the house. Or, god forbid, overnight.

The best part was that once we got into the cupcakes and the birthday "crown" and the presents...she figured out that she was the center of attention and performed appropriately, shrieking with laughter and throwing paper around. I'm not sure yet what the favorite present was, but she did seem pretty into her first Barbie, or at least the hair. Lots of CDs, which is obviously great for a blind kid, a couple of books, a bunch of stuffed animals, some of which make noise, and of course, the tricycle.

Ah, the tricycle. It actually seems quite appropriate for the third birthday, doesn't it...tri, three, trifecta...yeah, it does. Ha ha ha ha ha. Anyway, we did get the super Yuppie parent one with a push bar and a seatbelt and all that, but hey, it's justified, we have a "special needs" kid. Right? Anyway, tried it out last night when we got home from the store--big hit. BIG hit. I think she enjoys the more active participation that she doesn't get from sitting in the stroller.

I admit to having had two glasses of champagne, so this is maybe not the most scintillating blog post (although you have to wonder, wouldn't the champagne make me *more* scintillating? I digress). However, we did have a wonderful birthday party, have survived three years of parenthood, and hopefully Bean will play off her cupcake high and sleep well tonight.