How Did He Know?

Henrik must have known it was my birthday.

Eric and I got to go on a date on Saturday night to celebrate. But instead of going out to dinner, we went shopping. Not really the best date activity (since we were hardly together the nearly two hours we spent at the store), but it was a great activity to do sans kids. Well, without the girls anyway. Henrik tagged along. And since he's still a newborn, you'd think he would have slept most of the time we were in the store. But, no; he woke up right after we got there. But he must have known we were shopping for my birthday, because even though he was awake in the store, he was happy. It made finding, trying on, and deciding on my new black boots all the more pleasurable.

Later that night Henrik didn't forget that we were still partying. We drove to Dairy Queen to get some blizzards after we picked up the girls. They both fell asleep in the car, and Henrik did too. When we got home, we took the girls up to bed, and Henrik hung out in his car seat in the living room as Eric and I got out a card game and watched the Mormon "Pride and Prejudice." Henrik stayed asleep the whole time. And it made beating Eric at Phase 10 that much more fun (combined with the fact that Eric almost always beats me at any game).

On my actual birthday on Monday, we took the kids out to Bravo for lunch. The girls got to watch the pizzas going in and coming out of the wood fire oven; they actually sat down without getting up from the table 100 times; and they made great conversation. Henrik definitely remembered we were still doing birthday activities because he stayed asleep in his car seat the whole time we were in the restaurant. It made watching the girls as they played with their pizza dough that much more enjoyable, not to mention eating my own delicious parmesan chicken sandwich and Italian fries while they were still hot.

I had to work the afternoon of my birthday. But it was still fun. Henrik must have known I was gone because he wouldn't stay asleep for Eric and was fussy while I taught. That evening while I was on the phone with my family, Henrik finally fell asleep in the swing. Eric had fallen asleep while lying next to Mierae in her bed. So not wanting to go to bed when it was still my birthday, I watched "Twilight" by myself. Henrik stayed asleep the whole time. And even though I felt a little guilty that I was staying up so late, it made it that much more relaxing to end my day.

Henrik woke up at approximately 12:30 a.m. and was fussy on and off during the night, the next day, and the next night.

He must have known it wasn't my birthday anymore.