The birthday of my first born started out a little wet. Just past midnight I was taking my shower, getting ready for bed. As I stepped from the shower, I noticed that the shower mat was soaked. In my tired state I guessed that I had probably left the shower door open a little and hadn't noticed it. Except when I cleaned up the puddle, water started seeping from behind the wall.
'Well.' I thought. 'That can't be good.'
I called up to the wife and went around to the office on the other side of the wall. Sure enough, the carpeting was wet. So wet in fact, that my feet were standing in puddles on the carpet. We went into red alert mode and before long had moved everything to the other side of the room and pulled the shelves away that conceal the inner plumbing in the wall. I found wet insulation, wet wood and wet pipes. I bagged the insulation and dried off the pipes, searching for the leak. Mysteriously, there was no leak to be found.
Knowing that the amount of water on the floor could not have been from condensation, I pondered the whole scene again. Finally I had the Wife go and turn the shower on. Bingo. A stream of water came gushing from the connection between the copper pipe and the pipe going through the wall into the shower.
Long story short, I played plumber this afternoon and found a nifty connector that requires no sweating of the pipes! Just plug them in and go. $10 dollars spent, 30 minutes of plumber work, and we were back in business!
When the Birthday Boyo awoke this morning, the plan was to take him on an adventure! We were going to go canoeing on a local lake and do some exploring! Well, after driving for just a short while in the gale force winds we had today, we re-thought that plan. The Boyo agreed to go canoeing sometime when the winds were less agressive, and we went to breakfast instead. We all had trouble opening the doors in the wind. Definately no canoeing today.
He was easily mollified with the promise of presents and cake making upon our return home, and the only one really put out was me, as I had to load and unload that big blue canoe in the heavy winds! We also got over to Fleet Farm and geared up for the imminent canoe adventure. New paddles for the Wife and Boyo PFD's for all. We're ready when the time comes!
While out shopping for plumbing supplies, the Boyo and I found a cache of Topsy Turvey tomato growers and bought one. He was very excited about the prospect of growing tomatoes upside down, so when we returned home from that excursion, we planted our first tomato of the season.
The tomato is a Czech Bush variety, good for containers and tasty tomatoes! We'll see how it does. I'm thinking if it works out well, this might be the tomato I try and over winter and try to coax fruit from when the snow flies. It it works out really well, then I might modify those bean towers you see in the garden there, just right of the fence line, to hold four of these planters on arms coming out of the top like big shepherds crooks.
I am a dreamer. Good thing the Wife knows!
After the planting, we headed inside for presents, dinner and cake! He got his first two wheeler bike, complete with training wheels, which he rode around for awhile. And when I say rode around, I mean let daddy push him while he practiced getting the hang of the pedals and steering. He also got his very own dolly, as he had absconded with the ones that Sweet Pea had received for her birthday to play with. He loves being a big brother, but with the dolls he gets to do the things we don't let him do with his sister. Bath time, carrying around in pots and his new bike helmet. Swinging by the head and giggling. And of course, putting his "baby" to bed, complete with little pillow and blanket and a stuffed friend. His new doll came with for the bike ride too, and rode in a little pouch we got for the handlebars.
Dinner was Wendy's. His request was for a cheeseburger, and when we offered to make them at home he said "No. I think from Wendy's, with chocolate milk." Birthday request granted!
After that we frosted his cake. When asked what he wanted on it, he said "Dear Boyo, I'm sorry that you broke your leg last year. Glad you're feeling better now!" and then wanted it signed by three friends of ours!
What he got was a "Dear Boyo, Happy Birthday!" instead. Frosting was followed almost immediately by the birthday song, blowing out the candles, and having cake and ice cream! A good time was had by all.
After the nightly Unicorn story, I asked if he had a good birthday.
"Yeah," He said "I love my bike and my doll, and I loved having two parties, and I loved all the presents. Maybe we can do it again next year and I can turn SIX!"
I love that kid!
More Later
So why the stoned elephant and the cow that looks a little like a deer you might ask? Well. Family traditions. When my siblings and I turned a year old, our family made cakes shaped like a Hereford cow. Then they would place the cake in front of us and see which part we grabbed first. As the Wife grew up, they had a birthday elephant, who in the spirit of Mr. Claus would bring the birthday girl presents. They frequently had a cake shaped like an elephant.
