Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my birthday! And what a birthday it's been, too. M got up with Robert at 6:30 and took him out to Kroger, where they bought me a birthday cake. Our family tradition is for breakfast in bed on birthdays, but he killed two birds with one stone by presenting me with a giant slab of german chocolate cake and a glass of milk in bed. Tasty! M had already given me my present just after midnight, a personalized signed copy of Fantasy in Death, the newest hardcover from my very favorite author. One of the highlights of my internet career was when Nora Roberts called me a bitch (in a friendly way, honest!) in a romance novel forum, but that's a story for another time. =D It is an awesome cool present. He also got me a padded mousepad, with the faith that I will one day have an office desk to put it on.

Because it is Monday, though, M had to go to school as usual, at least in the daytime, so Robert and I did our thing for the morning and early afternoon. Robert gave me the excellent present of a nice long nap and a reasonably calm day. In the afternoon, we walked over to the deli and bought some turkey, a little pasta salad, and some pimento cheese, because it was my birthday. Robert got some adoration from the people there, including one very inquisitive toddler, and took it all in stride. Back at home, I sat out on the patio with Robert, who'd fallen asleep in the stroller. While he snoozed for a few minutes, I had myself a mini-picnic and finished a book I got from my folks' house when we visited. It was nice, very peaceful. The weather today was lovely, if just a bit on the chilly side.

I think one of the best parts about birthdays is hearing from all the important people in your life. I got calls and voicemails, emails and Facebook messages from all my friends, wishing me a happy birthday. It made me feel really good. Sometimes being out here makes me feel really isolated and lonely, but on days like today, I remember that I'm never more than an internet connection away. M skipped his evening seminar so he could come home early and ride herd on the baby, giving me precious relaxation time.

We hung around the house till eight, as Robert went through his fussy evening time and had his last feeding of the day, then at eight when I normally would've put him to bed, we put him in his car seat, sealed up the zippered cover, and headed out to Red Lobster. Red Lobster is our special occasion tradition, and we had some gift cards from M's folks just for this particular occasion. Like I said, we were worried that Robert wouldn't be able to handle it, but as it turned out, he was perfect. We sat in the bar area, which oddly enough is apparently the nonsmoking area now, where the lights are dim and things are pretty quiet. This was perfect for Robert, who basically slept through the entire meal and didn't even need the bottle we brought along. I had a pina colada, light on the alcohol, and the snow crab legs (my very favorite!) and we split a lobster pizza. It was wonderful. Talk about a great birthday present from the baby, giving Mommy and Daddy an hour to eat a meal and talk and enjoy ourselves while he snoozed. When we got home, he went right to sleep, unfolding like a little flower as soon as I laid him down in the crib. He's so beautiful.