Whitney's birthday was not the magical experience I was hoping it would be, but I did my best. Part of the problem was that she had gotten over a bad fever only the day before and wouldn't take a nap that afternoon. I had foolishly scheduled her 12-month wellness appointment for that morning. Usually we would be out of a wellness appointment in 45 minutes. However, we have a new pediatrician who seems to have overcommitted herself in terms of the amount of patients she serves. We waited for two hours before we even saw the doctor. Whitney was suffering the whole wait. Because of the lateness of the doctor's appointment, Whitney's nap schedule was wrecked for the rest of the day. By the time we got to her birthday party that evening she was very tired and sensitive.
I probably shouldn't have had my expectations so high, but I can't help it, I'm a new mom. I have dreamed for years about throwing AMAZING birthday parties for my kids. These parties would be Disney themed and be decked to the hilt with balloon animals, homemade birthday tiaras, and cakes in the shape of the Taj Mahal. Maybe the problem lies in the fact that I keep comparing myself to my mom, who always seemed to throw incredible birthday parties. Well, hopefully I'll get better with practice. I also need to prioritize. The first order of business is making sure the birthday girl is happy.
Here are links to a couple of videos we took of opening presents and having birthday cake:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY6MVxpmBzc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0KqbA7fTXw
Earlier in the day, we went swimming (one of Whitney's favorite activities) and had pizza, strawberries, and grapes (Whitney's favorite foods). She seemed to get happier as the party worn on.
