What do I do? What would he like? How do I make this birthday special for him?
He said, "frosting. Birfday cake."
Ned said, "What color frosting?"
Nat said, "Chocolate and vanilla, chocolate and vanilla. Bake Nat's birfday cake now, yes."
Ned said, "We could make him a cake every day this week?"
I said, "I could."
I have bought him one book,
National Geographic's Planet Ocean, a huge tome of simple questions everyone wants to know about the sea, with gorgeous glossy photographs and answers.
I am thinking about renting a moonbounce, and having one or two of his friends, but it is cold out.
On his birfday I will be like clockwork. All meals served and cleaned up on time, all family members seated on time, using salt, eating correctly.
I will probably play
a certain song that was on my labor tape and cry a lot, remembering. But not while he's around, because he hates it when I cry.
I will try to guess his silly talk, because lately that makes him laugh and laugh.
I will look at his baby pictures and the video of his bris with him.
His teachers will throw a big party for him in school and invite other classrooms to attend.
I will hug and kiss him a lot.