Yesterday was devoted to…

Yesterday was devoted to having an early birthday party for Kavi. I'm incredibly sore today -- this is mostly the result of the two hours I spent hauling pots and dirt around on the roof, trying to make the deck presentable. I'd gotten it mostly planted, but had just been tossing all the plant debris anywhichwhere, which came back to haunt me yesterday. Thankfully, Jarmila's boyfriend Michael was kind enough to help me with the hauling, because Kevin pulled a muscle in his back last week and still can't lift anything heavy. We got it looking quite decent, and as it turned out, it was a slightly cool but beautiful day, and at various points in the party people did go up there. Little boys took the bubbles I'd bought to blow bubbles on the roof, apparently -- I'm sorry I missed that. And later in the party, when we'd pulled out the Wii and several people were screaming and leaping around the living room, Kevin and Daniel and Ann and I escaped up to the roof. They brought their two-year-old son Robert, who is scared of our dog, and we all relaxed up there.

It was a really nice party. Very low-key -- I didn't even have time to go get balloons. And I only cooked half a dish -- a pasta dish that I started and intended to finish, but then we discovered that Kevin had only bought a little cake, about the size of my outspread hand, because he'd thought that it was just for Kavi to smoosh. Not realizing that there would be other kids there, who would be very unhappy not to get cake. Also, grown-ups like cake. :-) So I handed off the pasta dish to Satya and Jarmila, who were there early, and ran out to Sweet Thang to pick up two round mousse cakes -- one mango, one chocolate-orange. Yum. By the time I got back, Kevin had the grill going, and he took care of the rest of the food -- burgers and hot dogs and chicken breast and tikka shrimp skewers and corn. We were a little short on veggies, especially as it turned out that there were more vegetarians attending than I'd realized, but the pasta did have green beans and potato and tomato in it, so I think there was enough for them. I still can't quite believe how little I cooked, though. :-)

One of the best parts for me was seeing how many kids came. Neeraja brought her two (toddler and infant). Nilofer and Shashi did the same. Benson and Amie brought two older kids. Jeanie brought her toddler. Daniel and Ann brought theirs. Including Kavi, that makes nine children at the party! I didn't realize I even knew that many kids in Chicago! It was loud and chaotic and all of Kavi's toys (including a hundred wood blocks, thanks, Jed) ended up spilled across the floor. It was fabulous. I do wish a few more of my non-kid-having friends could have made it, but Beth and David and Devi did come. I wonder if the rest of the un-parents were scared of a one-year-old's birthday party? The kids really aren't that scary. Loud, though.

Sadly, I've misplaced my camera -- I'm still hoping it's in the house somewhere, but I'm starting to feel forebodings. Kevin had my old one, so he dug it out, but it was barely charged, and we just got a few photos and we still have to find the cord that lets us download them. But we should get them up soon. In the meantime, you'll just have to trust that it was a good (exhausting) day. We get to do it all again in a week in Connecticut; we'll be visiting my parents for Kavi's actual birthday (the 18th). It hasn't really hit me yet, that she's not going to be my baby anymore. Maybe next week...

Today: rest, recover, catch up on e-mail, maybe fix up my web page, grading, course prep. In other words, sit my butt in a chair all day and type type type. :-)

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