Since I was a child, my father has told me how important it is for me to count my blessings. When you're younger, you might not understand the impact of such a ritual. Thus, my "blessings" then were usually about a good meal or a satisfactory grade at school. These days, I'm thankful that we're all just safe — and that my daughter isn't at an age where I have to fully explain to her everything that's happening in the world. She's too young to comprehend it.
I was also thankful for the fact that my daughter's birthday, which was just a week ago, wasn't a big disappointment given the circumstances. At the age of 3, my daughter has friends, but none of them would actually expect a party invitation. She, herself, has never had a big birthday celebration before. Usually, it's my husband and me, plus a small cake. I can't imagine what it would be like to cancel a full-fledged party, even though that has been happening worldwide on a daily basis. Birthdays are a big deal, especially when you're younger. It's the only day on the calendar that's truly yours.
No matter what, I still wanted to celebrate my daughter's birthday as best as I could. She deserves to know how proud we are that she's now a threenager. So here's what my husband and I did to make it special.
I planned in advance.
The initial plan was to tour Washington, DC, as a family to hit up a few museums. But obviously, everything was closed.
Back in early March, when things were starting to get bad, I figured that her celebration would probably have to be indoors. Funny enough, I thought it would be possible for the grandparents to visit. However, that didn't happen — and I was thankful. It would be terrible to know that I put a loved one in jeopardy like that. It's a shame that they couldn't celebrate in person with her, but we all need to do the best we can to keep distant right now.
Just to make sure we'd be able to do something, I bought decorations from Target weeks in advance. My goal was to make this a special day.
But I knew family was important.
My daughter may not have had her own crazy birthday parties before, but she's familiar with the topic. She's seen multiple celebrations on television. She's practiced blowing out birthday candles since her birthday last year, which didn't even include a flame. She knows the drill.
I figured one of the best ways to make her feel more celebrated was to have family and friends make a short video for her, which would then be edited into one big compilation.
It felt good to send that group email out.
I'm not going to lie. The video was also for me. I've never considered myself to be an overly social person, but I've missed seeing the people I love. Virtual conferencing has meant more to my mental state than I ever thought possible. It's amazing how incredibly lonely you can feel when days go by where you don't even chat with a cashier at the convenience store.
But I didn't realize that it would also serve as a wonderful project for my loved ones. My husband and I have an incredible combined family filled with people who have taken on plenty of professions.
It was a way to keep us connected.
We have family members who are nurses, and cousins who are teachers — with small children at home, to boot. We know some people who have been temporarily laid off, while others are trying hard to manage an influx of work. People are all over the place.
The video project was one that gave them a little bit of joy. It gave them something fun to do and focus on that's not the health scare. So that was the big part of our stay-at-home celebration. We got to witness so many familiar faces who all came together in celebration of my daughter turning 3.
And it will last for years to come.
In a way, it was even more personal than a party. It was a way for everyone to get their moment and speak their mind. Meanwhile, I didn't have to focus on entertaining or passing out appetizers. There was no small talk involved. They had a spotlight to be as creative or as emotional as they wanted. And even better, it will be a keepsake that my daughter will be able to hold onto for the rest of her life.
But the video wasn't all we did.
There was also decor.
We tried hard to decorate the entire living room. That meant plenty of balloons. While balloons aren't my personal favorite, they seem to attract toddlers like a moth to a flame. If all she remembers from the day is that she got to play with 20 balloons from Target, so be it. It made her very happy.
And of course, there was cake. This was one of the biggest fears I had. When I asked her what she wanted for her birthday, cake was her only answer.
We made it happen without having to resort to my terrible baking.
She and I may have differing personalities, but one thing's the same. She loves ice cream cake just as much as I do. After sampling it for my birthday back in January, she asked about ice cream cake for a full week after it was gone.
I managed to score some cake mix just in case there weren't any grocery stores making small ice cream cakes, but we were in luck. Shockingly, I also managed to make freezer space.
FaceTime was also important.
And, of course, there was the birthday FaceTime. That was a good way to feel as if her grandparents were actually in the room celebrating along with us. Turning 3 is definitely a big deal for her, but it's also a celebration for all of us. Just three years ago, our lives all changed for the better. And even the sweetest kids are hard work sometimes — especially when they've been stuck indoors for a month. So it's a celebration that we all survived the year under such a tough situation.
While it was strange, we still had a good time.
Many parents on Facebook have done the "parade" routine, where family members drive down the block to celebrate their children and grandchildren from a distance. This is an excellent way to spend a birthday. However, it's also tough when your closest family members live an hour and a half away. So if you've been dreading your own child's birthday, just know there are other ways you can make it special.
If videos aren't your thing, perhaps you can ask all of your friends and relatives to make a homemade card. Or even just jot down a great memory they have with your child. When this is all behind us, you'll have a wonderful memento that'll end up being a lot more meaningful than a standard party.
