Saturday, September 8, 2007

Birthday

Well, his present was a little lame, and he spent the day being Mr. Mom* while I was at the hospital with a doula client... but he DID get a cake AND ice cream. And a Curious George birthday banner, taped up by a certain 4 year old. Oh, yeah, and party hats.

BUT, he had to make lunch and dinner- something I would have pouted about on my OWN birthday. And when I got home, he had vacuumed the entire main floor (again, on my birthday-HELL NO). AND he was awakened by our rowdy bunch of girlies, eager for him to read his card and open his present.

However, he doesn't possess any romantic notions about birthdays (or anything else, really), so while this wasn't his Ideal Day, I don't think he's feeling bummed or anything. He's so practical. So level. So solid. (I love this about him.) And because he was so kind and cheerful today (and also because, ahem, it's his, you know, birthday), I brought him home a loaf of extra gooey and chunky cinnamon bread, for his toasting pleasure.

So go ahead, wish him a Happy Birthday. We all know he lurks here, so he'll see it.

Happy Birthday, David. I love you!

*On a completely unrelated (to birthdays, anyway) note, we refuse to call it "babysitting" when David is home with the kids while I'm working. It's not Babysitting if the children involved are carrying around 50% of your genes; it's called parenting. Or life. And I'm a lucky lady to be married to someone who agrees with me on this.

9 comments:

Erin said...

Happy Birthday David!!

And I am with you on the use of the term Babysitting. I just had that same conversation last weekend with my friends, when one of them commented how great it was that Brett was so willing to babysit the boys (this particular friend doesn't have kids). I was all, "oooooh, no. He's a great Dad, and that's what he's at home doing: being a DAD."

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I lurk. But thanks for the birthday wishes!

Black Sheeped said...

Happy birthday!

Anonymous said...

Happy birthday! We don't say "babysitting," either--or "Mr. Mom" (which implies that staying home with the kids and doing housework makes him a comical masculine mother, rather than just Dad--and also brings to mind various movies that made it seem like men incompetently doing "women's work" was hilarious) but I get what you mean.

Marie Green said...

Swistle- I KNOW, I think my own "Mr. Mom" comment is what sparked me to say what I did about babysitting. However, I meant it in the "look at the tedium he had to put up with on his birthday" sort of way, not the "let's make fun of him for doing 'womens work'". Because I don't like that either! I really, really don't like it.

Whew. Thanks for giving me a chance to clear that up!

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday, David!
Marie, We NEED to play! I too am in that exact funk. "What's going on here?" (movie line again said in an old, crochety man voice. OK let me just tell you...Legends of the Fall when the old dad comes out of the house with his ginormous fur coat on because the bad people have come to kill Brad Pitt) Holy cow, did I just ramble. Yeah, a bit. See? Funk. Pure funk.
Please call me. We need chocolate and talking and possibly a beverage or two.

Anonymous said...

Happy birthday, David, from one lurker to another... :)

A funny "babysitting note:" Do you have the Eric Carle book, Mr. Seahorse? A decent book all about male sea creatures who take active roles in caring for baby sea creatures. On one of the pages though, Mr. Seahorse refers to Mr. Bullhead taking care of the baby bullheads as "babysitting." Everytime Conrad reads it to the girl, he inserts the word, "parenting," and then gives me that look that says, "Aren't you glad you married such an enlightened guy?" Too funny....

Jess said...

Happy Birthday! And cake, ice-cream, and cinnamon goodness? Manumeenum. Happy birthday indeed.

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday David!!