Party Plans

Image by Danilo Rizzuti



I can't quite believe it but my little Bear turns 3 next week. It's actually a really tricky thing to wrap my head around. First of all I just can't believe that he's growing up so quickly - this is my baby we're talking about here, the one that I was told by two doctors and a sonographer that I was loosing when I was pregnant, the one that proved them all wrong and stuck with me and grew into a perfect little baby. The one who stayed breech for the entire pregnancy, his (big!) head sitting under my right ribs. When he would stretch he would push his head out so far you could SEE it clear as day. That was quite a party trick, it would freak people right out :D This is the bub who turned dark blue as I held him after he was born, who was rushed away to special care and hooked up to countless tubes and monitors. This is the baby who fought to get better as he lay in his little humidicrib, the baby I stared at for hours and hours, my hand holding his through the special cut out hole. It was the only contact I could have with him for a couple of days and it near killed me. This is the baby who they were about to send away to a dedicated children's hospital to get him further help, but who that night fought on and got out of the danger zone. This is the baby who they finally wheeled into my room, announcing they had someone who wanted to see me. From that moment he has just blossomed. I know I keep saying it but he is amazing. He is so clever (and I'm not just being biased, at the age of 1 1/2 he had the comprehension of a 3 year old), so sweet, so kind and so burst-your-sides-open funny. He's such his own person, an entire lovable, complex and amazing human wrapped up in a little body. How can he already be 3??! Three seems so grown up, it's so far from being a baby and so much more of a big kid.

But then on the other hand if I think of how long it feels he's been with us, how long he's been part of our lives, it feels like forever. When I think of three as actually only being 36 months, it seems tiny. 36 months. Doesn't that make it seem like a blink of an eye? How do little ones grow so much, learn so much, become so much in a mere 36 months?!? My overwhelming feeling about him turning 3 though is pride. As I watch him run around, play games, sing songs and make up dance moves, cook cakes or clean up his toys, tickle the Butterfly or nestle in a corner looking through a book I could just burst. He is doing so well. He is so happy. Which means I am so happy. God help me when he turns 13. I'll be an emotional wreck.

Anyway, he has requested a fancy dress party this year and wants to go as Bob the Builder (he's also issued instructions as to what we are to come as - apparently I'm to be a princess (complete with crown, a big special dress and a wand), Hubby is to be a cowboy (which I think he was secretly thrilled about) and the Butterfly is to go as Wendy, Bob the Builder's sidekick. His costume was easy peasy - a pair of overalls, a red and yellow checked shirt, a Bob the Builder tool belt complete with tools, a hard hat and a pair of boots! Woohoo! He's asked for a Muck cake (Muck is Bob's big red dump truck) which I'm really looking forward to making. I ADORE making and decorating cakes, I spend so much time on them and the perfectionist in me rears her head, but god it's fun. I'm planning on making the dump truck itself out of a number of different cakes then hollowing out one big piece to be the dumper itself which I'll fill with different types of lollies. I've ordered a Bob the Builder candle which I'll stand in the dumper amongst the lollies to make it look like he is riding in the back. Fingers crossed it works out!

Activities-wise we'll be having a treasure hunt, pin the hardhat on bob, pass the parcel and biscuit decorating. I'm also contemplating making up a few tubs of slime (he adores it) and letting them get all messy, or giving them balls to try and throw into the tubs (which will then in turn make a huge mess when they splash in). The food will be pretty standard - mini sausage rolls, sandwich triangles, fairy bread, fruit kebabs, jelly cups with chocolate frogs stuck on top, mini spring rolls, veggie sticks with dip and a bucket full of poppers.

I'm making the decorations (yep, I'm a sucker for punishment) so will no doubt have a few late nights coming up. I'll take some pics when they are done. It should be great fun though! Have I mentioned that I love planning parties for my little ones?! lol.

And the best thing is when it's all over and done with, we'll start again. The Butterfly's first birthday is in September :)