I'm not quite sure why birthdays are often difficult... The week prior to Friday I had spent a lot of time reassuring myself that it would feel like a normal day, that the kids wouldn't magically be perfect and that even if it was hard, Dave would be home around 3pm. It didn't work.
I started off positive, despite Hudson waking up very miserable and crying his way through breakfast, I reassured Dave it would all be fine and booked an appointment at the doctors. We arrived right on time and I was feeling upbeat. Then I was informed that the doctor had only just arrived and there were still three people to be seen before us. Suddenly all my positivity vanished. 'This is not how I pictured spending my 30th birthday!' I thought as I kept hauling myself off the waiting room couch to let a whingey Hudson in and out, and in and out again from the play pen.
Half an hour later, the first patient had only just exited the room and I was pretty dark. We eventually made it in and found out Hudson has Tonsillitis. We quickly picked up the antibiotics and made our way back home. On the way back Eli started massively cracking it wanting me to stop in the middle of the intersection for an indistinguishable reason. I lost it and by the time we got home the waterworks had started. Eli kept asking me, 'Why are you so sad, mum?'
The day didn't really improve as Hudson woke up from his nap very miserable and both kids decided they needed to spend the rest of the day attached to me. Of course, toddlers don't tolerate rivals lightly and the rest of the day was spent breaking up fights in my lap. By the time Dave got home it was all I could do to stop myself literally hand balling both kids to him.
We made our way to mum and dad's to drop off the kids for a sleepover, then headed into Doncaster for some downtime before the big dinner. I struggled a little to get out of the negative headspace and felt like I was now missing the part of the day I had been looking forward to for weeks. Dave suggested that I was expecting too much from the moment and to just relax and enjoy the time for what it was. He was right and I had a much better time after that.
The dinner at Mama Manoush was so much fun! I was so happy with the way everyone interacted and that mixing groups didn't prove to be at all awkward. The food was really interesting and having little tastes of everything is exactly the way I love to eat. Dave spiced things up a bit by proposing controversial hypothetical situations, and it just worked really well.
We had almost convinced ourselves to book a last minute stay in Fitzroy, but then the inconveniences of having no change of clothes or toiletries weighed in. As soon as we curled up in our own bed we were very happy with our decision. Waking up after a leisurely sleep-in and only having to dress ourselves in the morning felt like a massive holiday! We enjoyed a yummy brunch at Four Figs in Beaconsfield and then went to pick up the kids. That feeling of seeing your kids again after a short break is pretty damn special...
Kluska restaurant awaited for a joint celebration of mine and dad's birthdays. The food brought back so many memories of our time in Poland. I had a spicy sausage and cabbage stew and by the end it seemed like we tried at least half the menu offerings!
Maybe in some ways the hard morning helped me to treasure the anticipated moments more, as, realistically, life is really not that hard anymore with both kids mostly easy to manage (when they have had enough sleep). I definitely learned to relax a little and not expect unrealistic things from big moments and appreciated how a night with friends can really energise and inspire you. Birthdays as a mum are certainly different, but they sure teach you to treasure the special experiences. Three meals out in a row at amazing places felt positively hedonistic! Now to get into the first year of my thirties....
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