E's Birthday

Our little E is finally five years old. She is officially a girl and not a baby anymore. She had a good day overall. We had a little party for her with three neighborhood children. Since we weren't planning anything for the party besides eating cake, and since the Mommy of the family is deeply opposed to more plastic toys in our lives, we sent out requests in our invitations for homemade or recycled gifts, and that worked out nicely. E got a variety of hand-drawn pictures and a used stuffed horse that she adores. She wanted a pony cake (these words struck terror in the heart of a mommy who did not want to put too much effort into a cake this year)--and explained that the pony cake she wanted was a plain sheet cake with her pony toy stuck on top. Hallelujah! I could just about do that. She wished before she blew out her candles "that mermaids would be real." Don't we all. 

The poignant moment of the day came after all the festivities were over and E and I were talking before she fell asleep. She wanted to know if she would still have birthdays after she was dead (yes, this is our most morbid child). We decided she would. "Well, then, Mommy," she said, "you could just pile my presents up next to me, or put them next to my grave." Enough to break a mommy's heart.