Amanda's Birthday Tale

[Amanda Lewanski]

Many thanks to all of you who sent me birthday greetings! Alas, my day
involved no relaxing, but it did have a wonderful surprise.....

My dark-eyed son Tomek's speech therapy is Mondays at 4 p.m., and I was
waiting with Kasia the newly 6 and Michael the newly 2, when Jan showed
up to take Kasia away "for something she was talking about yesterday."
Hmm.

So I took the boys home and made fish sticks one-handed while holding
Michael's alter-ego Velcro Boy on the other hip, wondering. And then
here come Jan and Kasia down the front walk. She's carrying this big
thing of flowers! Nobody gets me flowers. Not even Jan. Not since way
before she was born. I have no idea how she knew I'd like flowers, she's
never seen me get any. But wait! Jan was carrying a big cookie box.

[For explanation, in case they don't have them other places, you can get
large chocolate-chip cookies, about 15 inches in diameter, decorated, at
kiosks in the mall. I have never gotten one of these, either.]

And this cookie said "Happy Birthday Mom" and had, in the center, a
GOLDEN SNITCH made of white icing, with yellow M&M's stuck all over the
ball part!

Jan swore 'twas all Kasia's idea. Kasia confirmed this and said the lady
at the cookie place didn't know what a golden snitch was (6-year-old
eyes roll in wonderment at this) so Daddy drew them a picture. And they
didn't have yellow icing so she had them put yellow M&Ms on.

I just thought that was the sweetest thing! And I told not a soul, save
you at the chat yesterday, that I secretly wanted a Golden Snitch cake.
Is that cool or what? She is inordinately pleased with how pleased I
was, especially when I told her I was going to tell all of you.

And after having some birthday cookie, and then sitting down to a pile
of email messages which contained some lovely birthday wishes, and some
wonderful "Rickman is perfect" stuff too (odd that they left off the
"Amanda was right" part, oh well), this has been just wonderful. Thank
you all.

--Amanda, 37, older, greyer, and slightly deafer (but suspecting that
last might be due to the Birthday Howler rather than age)