A Birthday Party for the New Kid

It's hard to believe that Ian Archer is already three weeks old. Why, it seems like only yesterday we were celebrating his first birthday--his first day alive, that is. This may seem a little crazy (in fact, my own mother thought it insane at the time), but 24 hours after Ian Archer made his appearance, we threw him a little birthday party. It was nothing elaborate, I just threw up the birthday bunting and made carrot cupcakes, but it was a milestone I really wanted to celebrate, and thanks to an easy delivery, 24 hours later, I was already feeling up to celebrating.

I also wanted to do a little something to mark the occasion for Colin, who wasn't quite sure what to make of his new little brother at that point. But cupcakes and candles and "The Birthday Song," were all things Colin could understand. Oh, and presents. Our friends Craig and Rachel dropped by to see the baby and came bearing gifts: an adorable "Ian" puzzle, which Colin quickly appropriated. And I had even prepared a little gift for the new big brother: a home-made "surprise ball."

I'm not sure of the origins of suprise balls. My Aunt Matilda always gives them out at Christmas Eve dinner, and they're always a big hit with the kiddos. I made this surprise ball out of scraps from a recent quilting project (more on that tomorrow), and about $10 of little toys at the dollar store. Colin had a ball--no pun intended--unravelling it to find all the goodies. In fact, I think he might have thought the party was for him.