10/18/2009 Birthday party madness

We ventured to Oak Park yesterday for our nephew's birthday party. He is turning FOUR this week, which is so hard to believe. It was not that long ago when I received the text saying he had been born (ironically, while sitting in my "Death, Loss, and Grief" class in grad school- the announcement allowed me to leave with a definite pep in my step instead of the morose way we usually filed out of there! ). At that time he was Jim's new nephew, and it's been a joy for me to watch that title evolve into "OUR nephew. " Long-term relationships come with many benefits. It's been so much fun watching him grow up into the amazing little boy he is today. When we walked into the house yesterday, it was pure madness (or, as one father described to us, similar to a prison riot). Kids shrieking, yelling, banging things- all organized chaos. In talking to the other adults you had to raise your voice louder than at a bar on a Saturday night. We arrived to a blur of children running around and around the dining room table. Our nephew shot past in a flash of maize and blue. He happened to look up and when he saw us, got a huge grin on his face, and exclaimed, "Heyyy! ! !" He is such a genuine, sweet boy. He sang happy birthday to himself along with all the other kids and was excited about every present he opened. Years ago, I babysat for this family whose boys were so overindulged that in a corner of their playroom sat a pile of presents that they didn't even care to open. Those kids had so much, that nothing was even special for them anymore. To this day, I think that has been one of the saddest things I've ever witnessed. The level of appreciation that has developed in our nephew for the people in his life, for activities and presents, has been a pleasure to see. It will be exciting to watch as he continues to evolve into his own person. I know his life can take him in a million different directions from here, but I think this kid is off to a great start.