We threw Tessa a second birthday party on Saturday afternoon, with all the fixings: two massively decadent cakes, pin the tail on the donkey, 70 balloons, little friends and big friends (including my best friend, who flew in from Spokane for the occasion), and a pile of presents. It was raining when everyone arrived, drumming down on the balloons tied to our mailbox, but within an hour the sun came out, a late but favorite party guest, and we moved outside.
I don't know why it didn't occur to me that Tessa might be a little overwhelmed at her party. It's just that she is so social, gets thrilled when we have people over, and has been talking about her "birfday pawty" for months. Still, she sprinkled quite a few tantrums and tears throughout her celebration, mostly to do with sharing her new toys and not understanding why there was a cut-off to the amount of candy she could ingest or that she had to wait to open presents. Mostly, though, she was fantastic, and she had a hell of a day, even up until then end when we lined all her little friends up on the couch, put on a movie and snuck outside to light a bonfire. Happy birthday, Tessabean! You are our sunshine.
About the crying? See:
