The Sanborn house was abuzz this last week with preparations for Samantha’s First Birthday. The temperature skyrocketed above the normal tropical level of ‘hotter than hell’ as Anne baked cakes and goodies for the Little Munchkin and her friends. Our little home also got a bit of spring cleaning that I’ve been putting off for a while.
Wednesday was Samantha’s birthday (May 7), and it seems that she decided to pull out a few tricks she had up her sleeve for us. She is now willingly clapping, high-fiving, and waving. She’s been able to do these for a few months, but didn’t want to. I guess she was just waiting for her birthday. Or perhaps she was concentrating on her walking skills. You see, she’s been walking for a month now. She took her first steps in Mid March, then refused to walk for 2 weeks. During a conference in Chiang Rai in early April, she started strutting her stuff for all to see. I think she was trying to keep up with her new play mates! I’m very glad she’s walking, cause for now she walks slower than she crawls, so I get a little bit of a breather. LOL.
Okay, back to Birthday Party…. I decided to have 2 birthday parties on Thursday May 8 – one for her play group and preschool aged friends (AM), and then one for her school aged friends (PM). The morning party was a hit. We pulled out all Sam’s toys and went to town. Then it was time for a dip in the kiddy pool. Samantha loves swimming, so she was in her element. She’s very intense and some of the kids didn’t quite know what to do with her, so they run away. She screams with delight and splashes and wants to interact in the pool, which I understand is not usual for a child her age. 1 year olds usually engage in ‘parallel play’ rather than interactive play.
By the afternoon, big black clouds were forming and the sound of distant thunder. As the kids arrived, we directed them straight to the pool for a quick dip. Then suddenly, there was a loud clap of thunder, very close. All the kids jumped, Hannah spilled her drink down her front, and everyone came running inside. Now I was in a real spot. You see, I know how to run a play group party; I know the structure and what’s expected. But with other kids, they want games, they want to be entertained. I was at a complete loss. Thankfully, my Darling Husband came to the rescue and organized a PlayStation playoff, while I socialized with other Mums and kept the little ones stocked up with toys. Samantha was pretty grumpy and tired, so she just wanted Mummy to snuggle with her, rather than interact with the multitudes.
I was very glad some of Samantha’s Thai friends also came to the party. But soon after they arrived, my house helper informed me that we needed to buy ‘real food’ (all I had was snacks), because of the time of day and, well, you don’t just provide junk food at a Thai party. So, I sent her off to the market, and she returned with a feast. Sticky Rice, Pork Satay, BBQ Chicken, Kanom Jiin (noodles with veggies), and a bunch of other stuff. Sean and I didn’t even see the food, it was gone in a flash. But this meant that went it came time for cake, everyone was too full to eat it. It’s a good thing I have a party to go to tonight, and I can make trifle with the leftovers…
Samantha got so many gifts. She was too distracted to open them, so I did it with the help of a few of her friends. One of her friends was so helpful, he not only unwrapped the gift, he proceeded to take it out of it’s packaging and play with it. I didn’t mind so much, but when I asked him to give it to me, picked it up and went into another room. *growl* There were a few gifts I particularly liked. I personally like the plaque for hanging Sam’s art work from that says, ‘Art from my heart’, sent from Australia by my sister and Mum (definitely a Mummy gift). And Sam also got a drum. I was really happy to get it! Seriously. I’ve been looking at drums for Samantha. Barbara was really surprised when I told her how pleased I was. Last night we were at her place for her daughters party, and they have a full drum set. Hmm, one day I may regret the drum, but for now, it’s fun to play with, and Samantha likes it, too. 😉
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