Officially "IN" My Thirties

Yes...it's true. Yesterday was my birthday, and I am now 31 years old. I am no longer 30 - I am now IN my thirties. Oh 30, I miss you already. When I turned 30, it was a little like being 16 and "borrowing" my Mom's eyeliner. I was old enough to wear a little eyeliner by most standards, but it was my Mom's. It was OLD LADY eyeliner. *I* was still young. Wearing her eyeliner was sneaky because I was still so young underneath it. Likewise - turning was 30 was great! I was spoiled rotten by my husband, and my family. We went to the most gorgeous brunch imaginable. I put on a skirt of all things....it was like going to the ball! I mean hell - I was drinking champagne at 10AM and it wasn't fully dressed in someones bathtub the morning after some horrible party! What a grown up! I was the big THREE-OH, but also - I was "only" 30. So young. Still not much in the wrinkle department. Tons of perfect eggs left should I choose to use them, and lots of time to make that decision. And also - great hair.

A year later......I now have 2.5 children instead of just the two. I am of course, thrilled about that and can't wait to meet this newest baby. But because pregnancy makes me feel....shall we say...poky......it makes me feel older. Like - "someone get me a walker" - older. I have a few fine lines around my eyes that I swear weren't there last year. I still like my hair.....although I have a ton of gray. But I have Angie - my Hair Magician. She takes care of that for me.

Oh, and speaking of hair (of the not-s0-great variety) I found a hair on my chin yesterday morning. Yes, I said it - a wiry hair. On my chin. Pretty good sized one too. He (yes, I assign gender to everything) was wearing a party hat. He greeted me with a big hearty "HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUCKER" as I was peering into the mirror with the hate of a thousand toddler-stomped snails. So that was nice.

What *was* nice about my day? Lots of things. Truly. My husband is an angel, and after years of practice - he now has these important days down to a science.

A quick segue for those readers of mine who don't yet have children - the following is wonderful. Once you have small children - you temporarily lose the quick out of town trips, the all night dinner/drinking/dancing evenings, things of this nature. So the following may sound dull - but trust me. it's not.

Anyway. My husband scheduled the day off of work a few weeks ago so that I would be able sleep in and not have the pressure of being a parent. Nice, right?? He made my coffee just the way I like it (well, he always does this for me - but it always feels special on a special day), and said "Happy Birthday" with a hug and a kiss the minute I came downstairs. Don't you hate it when they forget at first? I do. And he didn't.

On Sunday, he picked up my favorite cake from my favorite bakery after conspiring with my Mom, because they were closed on Monday. Thank you guys! I love that cake. Yesterday morning, he took the big boy to school and entertained the little one so that I could do whatever I wanted. GOLDEN. I hate the school drop off, pick up, business. I went out and did a little shopping ALL BY MYSELF. As anyone who has done it can tell you - shopping with my little boy is about as enjoyable as slamming your fingers in the car door over and over again. That evening we went to Benihana for dinner with the whole gang - the four of us plus my Mom. The boys? They were angels. Perfect angels. I was in heaven. Of course, I didn't sit next to them. Why would I? They had rice, and un-lidded beverages, and it was my birthday! I don't take chances like that on my birthday. But from what I could see - they were very well behaved and enjoyed the show very much. The big boy is usually fine at restaurants, but the little boy can go either way. The lesson here is that we need entertainment for the little boy at all times, and we'll be requesting a table IN THE KITCHEN whenever we dine out in the future.

So older - yes, I am....but I'm quite happy. And quite lucky. I'm halfway embarrassed to admit that what I always wanted most in life....more than any career.....more than any "looks good on paper" accomplishment, was to be married to a great friend who I also adore (and who I think is super handsome even when he clearly needs to shave) and to be a Mom. I am so blessed to have that. Look at this family of mine. They are gorgeous, and wonderful. And they love it when I dress them in themes. Yesterday's theme being STRIPES.