Rainy Days and Birthdays

(Note: This was supposed to be my post for the 9th edition of the Pinoy Parenting Blog Carnival. Unfortunately, for the nth time, I wasn’t able to beat the deadline. Hopefully, I get to join the next edition.)

There’s something about birthdays that make me all sentimental, especially when it comes to my birthday and the birthdays of those dear to me. I always look forward to my birthday because it’s a time when I get to reflect on the year that was and think about the year that will be. It’s like my own New Year, without the fireworks. When I was a kid until my college years, my birthday would usually fall on exam week, hence, celebrations were usually done days after. I recall grumbling why of all the weeks and months did my birthday have to fall right smack in the middle of exams. I couldn’t even be absent from school because well, that meant making up for tests or, with strict professors, missing the tests altogether. Aside from exams, my birthday always falls on a rainy day. Sometimes it may just be a drizzle, but many times it would be a downpour. Just last year, we made reservations for lunch at Tagaytay but the rain was too strong we had to head back. It was also a good thing coz we enjoyed the churrasco fare in the Brazilian resto at ATC. Not really sure if my mom just made it up to cheer me, but somewhere along my birthday years, she told me that if it rains on your birthday, that means you’ll be showered with blessings the whole year through. I chose to believe that. So every birthday I have, I look up in the sky and wish for rain. Then I’d get all sentimental when my birthday nears, looking back at the year that was and wondering how the next year will be. True enough, I’d always think of every year as blessed.

Now that our family’s getting bigger, I have more birthdays to look forward to. Zoe’s birthday is coming up in a few months. For her 1st birthday, we gave her a party with balloons, cake, clowns, inflatable, and lots of happy guests. It was a memorable day for us, although I doubt if Zoe remembers it. For her 2nd birthday, we held a simplier party at Jollibee and invited some less fortunate kids. This party is one I hold close to my heart because it’s not everyday that we get to make a bunch of kids happy. For her 3rd birthday, it was again a Jollibee party but we had a smaller group. We actually spent her special day, just the three of us, as a family, hearing mass together and going to the mall. For Zoe’s 4th birthday, Zoe has been requesting for a strawberry cake. She says she wants a party again and she’ll just be inviting me, her dad, Baby Sibling (in my tummy), our help (her Ate), and our dog Bailey, but she wants the works…balloons, cake, decorations, and food. She has assigned our chores for her birthday too. I’ll be in charge of the cake, while her dad will blow the balloons. This morning, she changed her mind about the strawberry cake and asked for a Mickey Mouse one in chocolate icing. I wonder what will be next.

I’m scheduled to give birth on January and this early I’m already planning Baby Sibling’s 1st birthday party, haha. Nothing grand or extravagant. Just right. Talk about being too excited. January is not really a rainy month, but if ever it will rain on any of my kids’ birthday parties, I’ll be the first to rejoice. I’m sure you now know why : )