You Know You're a Mom When... (Birthday Edition)

This past weekend, I turned another year older. I had a few fun plans with friends, and my two boys did a great job making my day special, but I was struck by how (much like everything else) birthdays are a little different once you have a baby. You know you are a mom when . . .

 . . . You begin your birthday (which happens to fall on a Sunday) not with a lazy morning of sleeping in, a leisurely brunch, or even a hot cup of coffee and a piece of toast. Nope. You begin your birthday with an 8:30am trip to the grocery store. But you're actually excited about it because it's a solo (!) trip and it's been so long that you've been to the grocery store alone that it might as well just be an hour long hot stone massage. It's that indulgent. It's also thrilling to get such a necessary chore knocked out early in the morning before the crowds hit. Birthday perks galore.

. . . Your birthday wish list is a little different this year. Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't turn down jewelry, flowers, designer shoes, or a fancy meal out. But what I really, really want? A nap. Maybe an hour alone to flip through the pages of a magazine . . . or just stare out the window. A good glass of wine. And, oh yes, another nap. I'm easy to please these days.

. . . Your little man is teething and decides that, nope, he is simply not going to nap whatsoever on your birthday and you realize that even cranky, tired snuggles from your seven month old are a pretty good gift.

(And the antics of a cranky, non-napping seven month old are made infinitely more tolerable when your husband bakes you chocolate layer cake with chocolate butter cream frosting from scratch for your birthday dessert. Amazing and delicious.)