Advanced Maternal Age

I turned 35 today. I remember when my mom turned 35 like it was yesterday. I was 8 and she was pregnant with Mallory. Fast forward (really fast, by the way) and now it is I who am 35, and I've officially hit the age I've always remembered as "advanced maternal age". Doesn't that sound awful? Anyway, for whatever reason, the medical community decided 35 was when a woman was supposed to start feeling old and as though her eggs are rotting. So here I am with all my "rotten" eggs (which I don't intend to use by the way, so don't get excited) feeling just as I did at the rather non-advanced maternal age of 34 yesterday. Funny how those numbers really play games with your mind. I digress. The girls were really into my big day this year, and it was just so sweet to experience the little things they did to make me feel special. It began yesterday, when Matt took them on some top secret birthday errands. This morning, Jillian came sneaking in to our room and she went straight for Matt's side of the bed (this happens twice a year--Mother's Day and my birthday). They ran out of the room in secret while I pretended to stay asleep. It wasn't too terribly long when they all came rushing into my room to wake me with "Happy Birthday, Mommy!" and all sorts of giggles. Giggles abound when you have little girls, and we were full of 'em yesterday. Jillian quickly ushered me to my seat at the breakfast table, proud to display the tableware she had chosen specifically for my birthday breakfast.

Jillian chose red utensils (b/c red is my favorite color) and the plates had pink on them (because pink is my second favorite color).

I was then instructed to don my tiara, and everyone else had to don their special hand-selected party hats for our breakfast of waffles (which Jillian insisted were really pancakes)

How 'bout those party hats?!?

Adrienne kept saying, "I'm a witch!"

the girls forgot to choose a hat for Matt while shopping, so he had to wear his Derby hat in a pinch.

I got to be queen for a day, so of course, they chose a tiara for me.

We ate the fastest breakfast known to man (because Jillian wastes no time cutting to the presents), and then I was instructed to go downstairs and open my gifts.

Well hello, MacBook Pro, I've waited a long time for you!

Jillian wrote my name all by herself on a card she was proud to give me. And she wrapped my gift in a lovely Christmas bag.

She was so proud to give me her gift--one she had apparently told Matt I needed for the last 2 months: a very specific water bottle that is only for when I play tennis.

Pardon my pajamas. It is my birthday, after all!

We cleaned up and headed downtown to check out Irish Fest. The girls enjoyed playing with people dressed up in fairy costumes, making crafts, and playing games. We lunched outdoors at Chester's (where we just so happened to run into the Tauntons who were doing the same, and saw the Diehn girls crafting as well. Bonus).

Coloring shields.

I found it sort of amusing that Jillian happened to choose her American flag hair bow on the day when we went to an Irish festival full of orange and green. I hope no one thought we were trying to be overly prideful!

Waiting in line for balloon swords

Pink sword fight. Thank goodness for the shields!

My little leprechaun and Irish lass

After lunch we headed home for "rest time", which has become a joke since A has decided she's too big to nap. That issue is for another post. Anyway, rest time is my nemesis, or at least the transition to rest time is, so Matt offered to take care of it while I went downstairs out of ear shot and enjoyed a couple hours to rest on the couch, watch some tennis, play on my new puter, and workout. At 5 p.m., Matt had to go online to do his Fantasy Football draft (let's not talk about it), so the girls and I took this chance to watch a special movie together--Cinderella. Cinderella is my favorite princess movie, and this was the first official viewing for my girls. They were both excited, but it was Jillian who was enamored the entire movie. Adrienne liked it, but her attention span didn't allow her to get the full experience.

Snacks in hand and ready to watch

The Fantasy Football Drafter (aka husband in trouble because he drafted on his wife's birthday)

The draft ended shortly after Cinderella, then we headed upstairs for some pizza and cake before putting the little princesses to bed. I love the sight of a pink Daube's box in the fridge, and this cake did not disappoint.

I guess we didn't keep track of the 3 and the 5 after Matt's birthday, so he got creative and did some addition to make '35' for my cake.

This girl (who stole my tiara) can barely contain herself on a birthday

The cake was good enough to eat. And wear.

To end the day, I requested that my love engage me in a game of  Scrabble. He obliged, and we had a very tight match. In the end, he won by just a few points, and only because I allowed some words that never would fly in my family. I guess I was feeling nice since it was my birthday, but never again.

My formidable opponent.

All in all it was a very nice day. I tend to get reflective on my birthday, and it is a time for me to count my blessings, think about what I have learned in the previous year, and think about where I want to go. This last year was a big one for me in terms of personal growth, and I am pretty confident in saying that I am better at 35 than I was at 34, for a multitude of reasons.  Maybe I am like a fine wine and will continue to improve with age? Let's hope so. Cheers to another year!