happy birthday to me.

Celebrating my birthday isn't quite like it used to be - well, at least this ol' Momma tried to party like it was 1999.  Joe and I went out with friends on Friday night while James spent the night with my parents.  Before closing down a bar, we had a beyond delicious dinner at Lucca and then headed to Improv Asylum where I laughed 'til I cried.  We had such a great time and it almost felt like life-before-baby...until I woke up Saturday morning.  All I have to say is "ouch".  It wasn't too long ago that I was able to stay out until the sun came up and still have a productive day.  I guess becoming a parent changes ones tolerance for alcohol...I'd prefer to think that's the reason and it's not due to being another year older.  I'll stick to being a home-body, spending the evenings with my men, and going to bed early.  Wait, we have tickets to the Redhook-fest next weekend.  Crap.  I better start chugging water and catching up on sleep right now.

I think James could sense that his Mum had a mini-steel-drum band playing inside her skull on Saturday so he was generous with his naps.  I love that kid.  That evening, we stopped by my brother's house for some grilled deliciousness and James got a chance to show off his new crawling skills, stair climbing skills, and tomato stealing skills.

We had some much-needed yard work to do today.  Well, Joe did the work while James and I had a Cheerio picnic on the grass.

Actually, Joe did get a little bit of help...

Adding to the weekend's theme of stuffing ourselves silly, we went to lunch at La Paloma in Kingston.  Yum.  Then, to wrap up the day, we brought James on a tour of my Dad's foundry and tried to teach him how to earn his keep.  I think he'll stick to Cheerio picnics for now.

Aside from going out for one night sans-baby and celebrating with friends, it didn't really seem like my birthday weekend - hell, I didn't even have birthday cake.  Rather than having a day focused on me, it was just another weekend spent with the family - and I wouldn't have had it any other way!