Happy Birthday, Baby Hesed!
Saturday, April 16, 2011
In which Hesed celebrates his first birthday at the Zoo…
On that day of Curly’s 21st birthday and Baby Hesed’s 1st…
OLeif was dropped off at the coffee shop with his fellow fellows by 8:10 for his bi-weekly Bible study, while Collette and Puck hit up Dierberg’s for breakfast. Breakfast for Puck, that is…
Collette just looked at the breakfast she would have had if allowed: watermelon spears, the shelves of tempting cheeses, raw pomegranate juice, the strawberry-filled Krispy Kreme donuts and even more amazing chocolate long johns…
Then out to the car where Puck snacked on a box of cheese, apple wedges, grapes, and…
“I want my baze-gull, please, Mama.”
The plain bagel was produced from the white paper bag.
Then Target for plastic wrap for the following evening to bring dessert for the Palm Sunday dinner. And orange Tic-Tacs, over-which Puck was very pleased.
OLeif was then picked up and down to the Zoo, following Judah in ‘Nemo’, for Baby Hesed’s 1st birthday party.
The morning was cold, perhaps in the upper 40’s, but this seemed a small deterrent as the Rye family, Silverspoons, Redcoats, Eights, Evangeline’s cousin and her fiance (who was also celebrating his 21st birthday that day), Evangeline’s mother, and Judah’s father met together for the celebration, incorporating viewings of many creatures from grizzlies to penguins to Galapagos turtles. Puck giggled when the peacock brushed into him with his sparkling green tail feathers. And he eagerly took opportunity to make sure that Baby Hesed was always nearby and to take Anneliese by the arm to show her around.
Then lunch of turkey, ham, and cheese on good bread, potato chips, Sun chips, tomatoes, and avocados indoors at the Lakeside Cafe, during which Collette and OLeif heard a little of Henri’s life in London, during the four years he spent there when he was in junior high and of how twice he was almost beat up coming out of the Tube…
And the grand finale: a great, probably amazing-tasting, blue and green dinosaur two-layer white birthday cake, which Evangeline explained had somehow exploded when dropped earlier, but seemed very well salvaged, while the moms discussed all the terrible ingredients in various foods. There were also carrot cupcakes in gold wrappers, one of which Hesed wrapped one hand around, fingers imbedded in frosting, and held to his nose in such a carrot cake stupor… “Carrot, wafting,” as Judah put it, and was reluctant to let go of for the duration of the festivities, until…
The gifts were opened, with Puck eagerly watching at Hesed’s side, and he re-amused himself with his birthday card. He also received an animal matching game from the Redcoats, a plastic watering can and chalk from the Eights, and Cyrus the Unsinkable Sea Serpent, chocolates rocks, and his ‘very first mix tape’, as OLeif put it: a collection of songs that Puck had picked out himself.
There were also favor bags, which delighted Puck. His included stickers of ‘diggers’, bubbles, and a near-glowing transparent orange bouncy ball.
Baby Hesed seemed pleased enough with the entire ordeal, and the first birthday was a success.
This was followed with a brief afternoon with the Silverspoon’s where Theodore and Gloria had just returned from client meetings and speech auditions for the 2011 Graduation.
There was a last-of-the-season fire in the hearth.
Puck spent part of his afternoon with Izzy and Minecraft while Theodore and OLeif visited Home Depot for lawn mower parts.
The evening ended with baking Icelandic Christmas Cakes for Sunday evening while OLeif messed around with online jokes for Curly’s birthday, and Collette caught up with Carrie and Rose about future purchases of dogs and fat bunnies, contract possibilities, and other items of interest.