Miranda's Birthday

... is still a month away, but she has been talking about it, planning it, organizing it, agonizing about it, etc., since at least, oh, the day after Christmas. Now that we are three weeks away from her actual birthday (four weeks away from her birthday party), she is practically nonlinear about it. If she isn't worrying about germs or turning into a dragon, she is talking about her birthday and how she can't wait for it to get here.

Anyway, last weekend she was feeling a little glum for some reason or another, so I suggested that we go ahead and order supplies for her birthday party. While I was agonizing over party favors and what kind of plates to get -- no small feat for a "Hello Kitty and Dinosaur" themed party -- she "helped" by jumping off my bed with her brother ("Miranda, do you want to paint dinosaurs or play Hello Kitty Bingo?" "Paint dinosaurs!" (Thump!)).

Although I didn't really feel like she was paying attention, evidently she was, because every day after that she would ask, "Are my party supplies here yet?" Then, on Friday, when I told her playgroup would be at our house, she asked, "For my birthday party?"

After playgroup (not her birthday party), she was sitting at the table talking to me about you-know-what while I worked on post-play-group cleanup. I happened to look out the window and saw the UPS truck. "Look, Miranda," I said. "The UPS truck is here."

Miranda leapt to her feet and ran to the window, slapping her palms against the glass and doing a little happy dance as the UPS man started toward our house with a box. Now, it was rainy, cold, and generally miserable on Friday afternoon, but when the UPS man spotted the sunny little elf gyrating in the window, he stopped walking and threw back his head and laughed. I had to laugh, looking at him.

Much to the relief of all involved, the box did contain party supplies. We had to hide it after two days because Miranda was insisting that she couldn't wait until April for her birthday.

Kids are funny; I can't remember how long it has been since I actually looked forward to my birthday. In the meantime, Miranda has already told Adam that she wants to celebrate her sixth birthday in September.