The big day: Jenny's First Birthday

Have you ever seen kids on weekends?  5 days a week, a stampede couldn't get them out of bed.  However on weekends, they miraculously awake before everybody else.  Ditto here.  I mean Anuja and I were already excited enough but on that day, Jenny was up and awake by quarter past 5!  And that, too, wide-awake!  We wished her, fed her and then took her to Church.  We attended mass and the celebrant blessed her.  That took care of the formal part of the birthday. 

A taxi had been arranged to pick up my mother and Anuja's parents.  They arrived 90 minutes late, but by then, we had breakfast hot and ready for them!  In the previous blog, I had mentioned an artistic friend of mine.  He came over and the two of us inflated around 3 dozen balloons in one hour!  His wife (also an artist) prepared some pencil drawings (which she coloured with crayons) based on the theme we had used for the cards.

By half past 4, my brother-in-law, my friend and I transported the balloons to the venue and spent more than an hour decorating the central area.  Hotel people were kind enough to help out.  By the time we were done, it was already past six and my wife informed me that people were already en route to the venue.

Guests: I wish to thank all my friends and relatives who attended the function.  Apart from a handful of people, everybody else was almost precisely on time!  And I especially wish to thank Nitesh, who came all the way from Mangalore for the function.  It felt so nice to be in the presence of friends and loved ones.

We had the cake cutting (during which one friend scared the group by bursting a 'Party Popper').  Cake was very good; very light and chocolaty like a cake should be.  Then the food.  I think I can safely declare that everybody liked the food...I myself found it very tasty.  And there was plenty to go around (we even had enough to take some home, which was enough for the rest of the weekend).  By 9 o'clock, the last guests left (it was a children's party, so no party after bedtime!!!) and I settled the bill and went home satisfied.

This was the gist of the party.  But how did the birthday girl like everything?  She loved it.  She wasn't cranky and she did not cry once (as long as people were not trying to carry her!).  She enjoyed the lights, the balloons, the cake and everything altogether.  In fact, when my friend Sandeep came, Jenny started giggling and laughing, as if his coming was the highlight of the entire evening!  Even after we came home, Jenny kept talking and talking (in her own language) about the events of the day and how she enjoyed the party.  By 11, we forced her to go to sleep.

One year...it's been one year since Jennifer has come into our lives.  I just cannot believe it how time has gone by.    I cannot even imagine a life before Jenny.  I know from the times she has been in Kerala how I cannot bear not having her at home.  I cannot express the joy I get by just holding her...by looking at her toothless smile...by hearing her babbled words...by getting intoxicated by her innocence.  I have enjoyed being a father all this year...and I can only look with wonder and anticipation on what all to look forward to with Jennifer in my life.

(Photos of the party can be seen @ http://tilput.jalbum.net/Jennifer's-1st-Birthday/ )