One Year Later: Elias' First Birthday

A year ago, we were in a whirlwind of change: Elias had just been born, I simultaneously wrapped up my five years of working at World Relief, and we were preparing for our big move to Indonesia.  Celebrating Elias' first birthday this past week reminded me of where we were a year ago, and all the ways that God has been faithful to us through these transitions.  It also made me remember and miss my colleagues and students at World Relief, our friends in Chicago, and family, who were able to come and visit a lot more easily.  

For Elias' birthday, we invited some friends and ITC students who have been part of his life this year.  He, of course, had no idea what was going on, but it was fun to celebrate anyway, and to reflect on all the ways he's grown and changed.

Elias loves to climb, push anything along the floor, crawl, pull up and stand. He's also finding his voice and will, making it known when he's displeased or frustrated by something, and when he's happy.  He loves getting into anything his sister is playing with, much to her frustration, and he still loves to snuggle, even though he's a lot more squirmy.  Opening and closing things, and putting things in and taking them out are also a huge hit.

Elias had just woken up when I brought him down to his party.  He's thinking to himself, 'what are all these people doing here?'  

Still waking up and not sure what to think.

He and the other babies had a great time with the balloons.

The train decorating table with the fabulous ITC students who made the party fun! 

The birthday boy, smiling at last! And look at those teeth poking through the top. 

Our talented decorating committee with the birthday boy. 

Their expressions speak for themselves.

The after party with some of the ITC students. 

Lydia was so excited to get some stickers.

Elias' month by month pictures.

Eating his cupcake. (OK, I ate most of his cupcake).

Birthdays

As I was dropping Lydia off for class, I noticed out of the corner of my eye a beautifully tiered display of cupcakes topped with carefully fashioned fondant animals.  The front of the display proclaimed which child in the class was celebrating their third birthday.  I found myself thinking about the treats she’d probably take home with her and groaning inwardly, great, an afternoon of bargaining and potential temper tantrums as I try to limit the sugar intake of my two year old.

These are no ordinary birthday treats.  One child in her class gave each classmate a special backpack with their name embroidered on the front, and filled the backpack with little snacks.  Today, I was greeted at the end of class pick-up with a huge pink ice cream delivery truck box, wrapped in blue tulle and tied with ribbons. It was so large I thought for sure it must contain the treats, one for each child.  But no, each child in the class got their own special vehicle.  I couldn’t carry it and Elias out to the car at the same time, so the mom graciously helped me load it into the back of our car.

For birthdays, you must be prepared for everything and everyone.  Not only did Lydia receive a gift from her classmate on his birthday, but his mom also handed me a beautiful cupcake for Elias, (Lydia already had one in her bag) as well as a gift for me.  When we opened the truck at home, inside was a host of gifts, each item labeled with the birthday child's name and special party theme: a fold out art set with four tiers of art supplies, an activity book, and treats to delight any child’s heart: oreos, gummy bears, pocky sticks (you’ll know what these are if you’ve lived in Asia), crackers, and cookies.  Lydia carried around those treats and played with them for at least several days, feeding them to her lamb and other animals.  

Amazing (but sadly not tasty) cupcakes.

Look at that truck! 

Treats inside

And more treats in the front.

Lydia was pretty excited when she opened up the art box and found all the art supplies.

Hmmm, where do I start?

Even Elias had fun putting toys in and out of the truck.

I began the bargaining process with her after her nap, and let her choose one treat to eat for snack.  Of course she chose the beautiful cupcake.  Sadly, when you peel away the elaborate fondant icing, underneath is a cupcake that isn’t tasty.  It got rejected by Lydia, if that tells you anything.  Baked goods tend to be that way, here. 

I had the moms of Lydia’s classmates over for lunch the other day, and they graciously explained to me the way it works here.  For your birthday, you treat everyone else.  You give gifts to your friends, you treat them to lunch, and you make sure that you have enough for everyone, whether that be siblings, cousins, parents, whoever they might bring around to the party.  Such a different mindset from the states! 

I am left shaking my head in disbelief, while at the same time  trying to keep an open mind about birthday traditions here. I don’t want our kids growing up entitled and thinking they need new things and treats every week (which is the frequency of class birthdays, sometimes). At the same time, there is something appealing to gifting to others on your birthday.  Saying thank you for being in my life, thank you for celebrating with me.  I guess it can go both ways. 

For now, I’m breathing a sigh of relief that Lydia's birthday is July 1st, safely during the summer holiday.