Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Cookie Cake Drama



This is how Tommy looked at 7 in the morning on his birthday.

I’d like to say that he had a wide grin on his face due to the fact that it was his special day. But no. My kid is a morning person. I know. I don’t get it either. I think, “Did he really come from me? How could I have created a being that enjoys the mornings?”

But he does. And he immediately started prattling on and on about the presents he hoped to get, about the cake he hoped to eat, about sharing a birthday with Dr. Seuss....and okay, I admit it, I hate reading Dr. Seuss books. That must be some parenting sin or something but I find when I read his work, my tongue gets tied and I just want to hurl the thing against the wall. But as far as Tommy knows I love Dr. Seuss and we’ve had lengthy conversations on that crazy cat in the hat.

We came downstairs and Tommy got to open some presents.





Then it occurred to me that I should ask him what he wanted for breakfast seeing as it was his birthday. But I’m half asleep first thing in the morning. So I went, “Do you wanna have a Pop Tart or an Oatmeal Cream Pie since it’s your birthday?”

Normally Oatmeal Cream Pies are dessert, mind you. And Tommy knows this so he was extra excited to be able to have one for breakfast. I mean, it has OATMEAL in it. So it's not totally unhealthy.

I took Tommy to school so I could drop off the cupcakes in his classroom. I’m glad his school allows cupcakes. So many schools are all, “Healthy foods this, and healthy foods that.” And yes, it’s important to get children excited about healthy foods but cupcakes should always be allowed for birthdays.



“Why didn’t you make them yourself?” Tommy asked when he spotted them.

“Um, do you want me to poison the kids in your class?”

“Oh. Right.”

I can cook cupcakes. But....mine never come out pretty. I just slather on icing. Sometimes if I’m feeling extra bold, I add sprinkles. But there are no cute swirls on my cupcakes. No bunny faces smiling back up at you. I don’t do the fancy cupcakes.

That’s what Tommy calls the cupcakes that parents bring into the classroom sometimes.

Fancy cupcakes.

“You don’t do fancy cupcakes do you Mom?” Tommy didn’t say this meanly just knowingly as he got into the back of the car.

I stuck the Wal-Mart cupcakes in the seat beside me. “I don’t. But I could try. If you really wanted me to.” But inside I was thinking for the love of God no, I don’t want to try and make a bird out of frosting.

“No. I like Wal-Mart cupcakes. Some other kids have brought in Wal-Mart cupcakes so it’s okay,” Tommy said grandly.

“Well. Thanks.”

So we drove to school and headed for Tommy’s classroom. He passed one of his teachers in the resource room and she wished him a Happy Birthday.

“You’re welcome,” Tommy said to his feet. Tommy has Aspergers and doesn’t always know how to respond to people. And he has issues with eye contact.

I rubbed the top of his head. “Say thank you,” I said in a way that wouldn’t embarrass him. “Eyes,” I added quietly into his ear so the teacher couldn’t hear. This is my way of reminding him to make eye contact. Tommy says he understands that he needs to do this but that he forgets sometimes.

“Thank you,” Tommy corrected, peeking up at the teacher.

We dropped off the cupcakes and I started talking about how proud I was of him and how I couldn’t believe that he was already eight...

And then I realized the little stinker was gone!

He apparently had slipped out the back door to the playground. I could hear his tiny voice shouting to his girlfriend.

I don’t think he truly understands what a girlfriend means. He just has this friend that happens to be a girl.

I went outside and was all, “Did you forget to say goodbye to your mother?”

Tommy gave me a Look. “Mom.” He was clearly a little embarrassed. I guess my job was to set the cupcakes down and go. But no, this was the anniversary of the day where I lost my figure permanently and dang it, I was going to get a proper goodbye.

“Can I get a goodbye?”

Tommy sighed. “But my girlfriend is waiting.” He pointed to a little girl on the swings.

“Okay. I just need a quick goodbye.”

“Fine. No kiss.” Tommy gave me a warning stare.

I held my hands up. “Fine. A hug?”

Tommy shrugged his shoulders as if to say if you must. And so I did.

“Happy Birthday,” I said into his hair.

“Thanks,” he answered.

I left after that.

When Tommy came home from school, he requested spaghetti as his birthday dinner. Phew. Something I can make well. After that we sang Happy Birthday and had cookie cake.

This is when a bit of drama occured.

After singing the birthday song Tommy geared up to blow out all the candles...



...but Natalie beat him to it. She blew out all but one.



This is Tommy yelling at Natalie for blowing out his candles.

So I re-lit them all. Yum waxy cookie cake.



Everything went smoothly. Tommy shows this by giving a creepy Jack Nicholson grin.



That night as I was tucking Tommy in he told me that it was the best birthday ever.

"You say that every year," I reminded him.

Tommy smiled. "This time I mean it."

He says that every year, too.

But somehow it doesn't matter.

55 comments:

  1. Great, great post about a wonderful birthday.

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  2. Ah, yes, eight is the year when you sort of have to start bartering for the kid affection. My eight year old has figured out that the stash of peanut M&Ms in the cupboard isn't there for nothing!

    (We can't even bring homemade treats to school. Everything has to be individually contained in its original wrapper, so come birthdays, we're lugging in boxes of treats!)

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  3. By the look on his face, he really did mean it was the best birthday ever!

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  4. Sounds a like a fun day! Are they really allowed to start getting embarrassed this early in life? I don't think so...

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  5. His big grin is much better than Jack Nicholson's.

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  6. I approve of Walmart cupcakes and that's all that matters. Well, I guess it matters a little bit what Tommy thinks but he approves too so you've got all your bases covered.

    What a sweetheart

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  7. 8 years old! What a handsome young man you have there. Presents first thing in the morning, cupcakes at school, cookie cake and spaghetti for dinner?! No wonder why he said it was the best birthday ever! I hope mine goes half that well! LoL.

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  8. What a sweet story! I LOVE his cute little blue vest!! And for the record, Walmart cupcakes ROCK!!!

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  9. Is it wrong that I am only wrapping my daughter's presents (for her first birthday) because she likes to eat the paper? And I'm also buying cupcakes...no homemade goodies for this mom!

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  10. Awwww, Tommy is a sweetheart. I too am a morning person who happen to love the tales and twists of Dr. Seuss. Anytime Tommy want to visit the Ponderosa just point him this way. It is frustrating when little sis blows out the candles, mine delighted in doin' that .

    Have a fantastically blessed day!!!

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  11. I love the sentence about "cooking" cupcakes lol. A very sweet post, and I'm glad he had a great birthday :) Spaghetti is TOTALLY my fav birthday dinner as well :)

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  12. Lmao...sometimes (SOMETIMES) kids can be so easy to please! What a cute 8 year old. I love his blonde hair!!

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  13. I'll never have to worry about the whole school birthday thing. My oldest was born at the end of June and my youngest in the middle of July. I'm a summer baby myself so I'll be able to sympathize :)

    Happy birthday to Tommy! He looks so snazzy in his little sweater vest :)

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  14. How adorable! He is one gorgeous little boy!

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  15. Love the creepy Jack Nicholson grin! Happy Birthday, Tommy!

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  16. Happy Birthday to Tommy!

    He has Aspergers? He sounds like every other typical kid. Maybe they all have it. :)

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  17. Tommy is so adorable. I'm glad he had "the best birthday ever". I would never have been able to allow my kids to open presents before school. They wouldn't have wanted to leave them!

    I was actually completely upset when the kids were little and the schools decided that all treats had to be store-bought.

    ♥Spot

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  18. I'm glad Tommy had a good birthday! I can't believe he's 8. I think I started following your journal on OD when he was just a toddler.

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  19. we dont even have the option to make something to send to school so Im off the hook! Everything has to be purchased, no homemade goodies

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  20. Some schools won't allow home-baked stuff! It's so weird, but like they're scared of weird germs or something.

    Happy Birthday to Tommy! And it's a real positive outlook to ALWAYS think that this birthday is the best ever! Good for him!

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  21. Aww what a sweet birthday! Glad he had alot of fun!

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  22. Awww...what a sweetheart. Sounds like a great birthday..store bought items and all (in fact, we can't even bring homemade stuff to the kids' school).

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  23. Happy Birthday to yooooo Tommy.

    What a brilliant birthday...any day that includes cupcakes is a brilliant day.

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  24. what a sweet boy i think he must be!!!

    and so glad he had such an awesome birthday!

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  25. Aw the blowing out the candle war! Happy Birthday Tommy!

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  26. I'm glad he had a great birthday! :) I am SO not a morning person either . . .

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  27. My baby's birthday is tomorrow. She will be 11. She won't hug or kiss or even acknowlege me in public unless she wants something. Ok, a slight exageration-but it feels like that! Some days I miss when they were younger and somedays I'm so happy they are older.

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  28. Happy birthday to him! He's a doll.

    I love that last part at the end, about him meaning it. :)

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  29. What a cutie he look so cute in his birthday outfit! My daughter school you can't bring homemade bake goods have to be store bought. I'm glad he had the best birthday ever!

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  30. I guess I am lucky that my son still wants to hug and kiss me goodbye (he's 11 with aspergers too!)

    So glad that Tommy had the best birthday ever again!

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  31. Looks like Tommy has a great birthday, girlfriends, cookies and cake - any man's dream!

    Happiest Birthday, Tommy!

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  32. sounds like a great day! but i did hate those days when my little boys were too big for hugs and kisses!

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  33. You are a terrific mom with a great kid! Happy Birthday Tommy! Who cares if you don't bake? He probably gets twice as many presents as other kids because you are awesome at shopping the deals.
    I saw a kid blow out another kid's candles at a birthday party in a McDonald's, and the birthday boy knocked the other kid over! Poor Natalie was just trying to help, right? :)

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  34. Oh, come on, you're not old enough to have a kid that big. (yes, I'll keep saying that)

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  35. LMAO at “Um, do you want me to poison the kids in your class?”

    You crack me up... surely you aren't that bad... I mean.. it comes in cake mix boxes...

    :)

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  36. Sounds like a lovely day to me!

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  37. Awwwwwww....he is so adorable! I am so glad he enjoyed his birthday. I don't make cupcakes either...lol

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  38. hey don't feel bad about the wal-mart cupcakes. that's all we're allowed to bring to school. it has to be prepackaged and have the nutritional info on it... and they're not really allowed because they're not on the list of approved snack foods... but oreos are.
    Go figure.

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  39. That was such a sweet post. Made me realize I still have a lot to look forward to with my 3 year old girls

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  40. Great birthday by the sound of it!

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  41. What a sweetie. Enjoy these years!

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  42. That's the biggest cheesiest grin ever and its SO awesome!

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  43. I am the queen of store bought goodies. I say who flippin' cares! Ya done good Ma!

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  44. Happy birthday, kiddo.

    We got birthday cupcakes from one of the girls at ballet class yesterday. They were homemade with doubled up wrappers for some reason, icing all over the place and each one was crammed into a ziploc baggie so that the icing peeled off as you pulled the cupcake out. The kids absolutely didn't care. It's not about the swirls and bunny faces: it's about the SUGAR. Kids know. They have their priorities in check. ;)

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  45. Aw, what a sweetie. And what a great birthday. You're a lovely Mum. Walmart cakes look good.

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  46. i know i have said this before but he is just a beautiful little boy. Silly sister for blowing out his candles. You should be proud, he looks so happy.

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  47. Hahaha!! The first thought that went through my mind when I saw the walmart cupcakes was, "She didn't make them herself?" Then I remembered who we're talking about. Carry on.

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  48. Aw, sounds like a wonderful birthday!

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  49. Aw that last picture is absolutely adorable!

    Sadie@
    nelliebugs-swaps.blogspot.com

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  50. Here's Tommy! Love the Jack Nickelson look! Sounded like a great day!

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  51. What a sweet boy!

    Is an oatmeal cream pie not part of this complete breakfast?

    Happy birthday, Tommy!

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  52. Happy birthday to Tommy--sounds like it was a good one: )

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  53. Really nice and interesting post. I was looking for this kind of information and enjoyed reading this one. Keep posting. Thanks for sharing. YRKKH Written Update

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