In a matter of weeks, my PRESHUS BABEEE BOI will turn four years old.
I have no idea why I wrote that out that way, but it seemed fitting as I typed it. (Welcome to NaBloPoMo, where we stop caring about anything!)
He is a December baby, falling squarely on the Day That Will Live in Infamy. That always, always, always poses a challenge when it comes to planning his birthday.
One: that entire month is hard enough. Without a birthday party. You’ve already got office parties, school parties, cookie parties, what have you all month. You’ve already got THE BIGGEST HOLIDAY OF THE YEAR to plan and buy for. But, you know, that’s not HIS fault. He didn’t choose to be born in that month.
(Well, he did. The doctor expected him around Thanksgiving. YOU MADE THIS HAPPEN, TONY.)
I won’t even get into the fretting I’m currently performing over when to enroll him in school. Okay, I’ll get into it briefly: I hate to be the “My Child is a Genius!” person, but my child is .. smart. And he’s technically already met all the criteria to enter kindergarden. BUT. He’s a December birthday, meaning he can’t TECHNICALLY enroll when all of his friends do; he’ll have to wait till the following year. But he’s already bored. I AM LOSING SLEEP OVER ALL OF THIS.
Anyway. One thing at a time. Birthday.
So you want to keep the birthday party early enough in the month that it’s not hard for people to fit it into their already busy schedule. But you also don’t want to inundate your house with toys/presents because there’s a holiday right around the corner complete with MORE stuff.
It’s JUST HARD, IS WHAT I’M SAYING.
We’ve debated what kind of party to throw, from those indoor inflatable yards to a salon party (look, Tony LOVES getting his hair cut: SHUT IT), but we haven’t narrowed anything down. We may just suck it up and do what we did last year: rent a party room at our local YMCA and let the kids run insanely around their indoor playground.
But I do want to do a theme this year. And that theme, as decided by Me, is Superheros.
Oh man oh man oh man, has Pinterest helped me out here with ideas!
How cute, right? Each kid gets their own Superhero disguise as well as ..
.. their own Superhero cape? Dude, that would be awesome. But .. um .. a little pricey. Okay, a lot pricey.
Super cute photo area.
As well as this one. Love the Action signs!
Love the cape detail on this cake, and this hits all the important Supers in Tony’s world.
AND OHMYGOSH, LOOK AT ALL THOSE SUPER CUTE IDEAS THERE.
We shall see what finally comes to fruition, but one thing I know for sure:
Momma needs that headband.
I wish I was closer, I’d totally help you make this happen. Maybe you could find some cheap fabric and find a no-sew pattern for the capes. You wouldn’t have to do any other favors if you are giving out capes. Or maybe just have a few capes at the photo booth? (but the birthday boy definitely gets a cape!)
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@Andrea, Yes, he is TOTALLY getting a personalized cape, no matter what else happens. And I wish you were closer for a number of reasons!
I know you’re not addressing this is in this post, but I vote to hold him back. My son is really smart too and his birthday is 12/3. We have never regretted for one second sending him later but have regretted every day sending our daughter too early. Statistics show that older kids do better in sports, schools, etc. (Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell makes a big case for this, if you’re interested.)
Oliver is going to be 9 on his birthday and just wants his friends to come over and “run around” whatever the heck that means. But if he were just a little bit younger I would totally steal, ahem “borrow” your idea.
@Leandra, I have to say – with a room full of four year olds, I would love for them to “run around” and wear themselves out!
I am a December birthday. The 19th actually. So I’m familiar with all the SUCK that surrounds it. Be grateful that your geographical location saves you from one additional level of sucktitude – you don’t have to worry about your party being cancelled due to BLIZZARDS. NO. EFFING. JOKE. Heartbroken kid, crying, tears, not understanding why her friends didn’t come. MY POOR MOTHER.
Anyway, CAPES! Capes are doable. I am the least crafty person on the planet and I MADE the baby’s Halloween Owl costume. YOU CAN DO THIS. Go find the cheap fabric store. OR, go to a thrift store/Good Will and buy giant mens shirts in all different colors. Cut the front and the arms off, leave the collar – viola! CAPE!
Good luck! xoxo
@Allyson, Wow, the 19th? You got FULL suckage there.
I am so UNCRAFTY. Like, really. I might try ONE cape to see how badly I really could screw it up. If nothing else, it might empower me to make more.
There are developmental and academic concerns to consider with the “do we hold him back” debate. You might find a compromise in the fantastic fours program. He’ll get a school environment where the ratio is typically small enough that he can learn at a slightly accelerated pace. (at least, that’s what I hear.)
All of those desserps are cute. But they are ALL also COVERED in fondant. YUCK! How is he supposed to eat the icing if it’s covered in nasty fondant?! All he wants to eat is the choochies anyway. I bet Aunt Gee can make that happen.
@TheJBO, I know, fondant abounds on those. Except for the superhero cake pops, which are pretty cute. We’ll figure out something to do.
I completely understand the December birthday situation. My birthday is on the 7th and not only is it my birthday, but it is my mothers also. I love that we have the same birthday. We have received most of our presents wrapped in Christmas paper over the years. I love Christmas and all, but to actually celebrate your birthday as a separate day is something special. I love the super hero theme!! The holding back thing was not as huge an issue looking back. I felt like I was with the right group of people (which one of them was you).
@Brandy Frasier,
You were totally with the right group of people. And I TOTALLY thought of you when Tony was born .. I knew you guys would share a birthday!
We try VERY hard to make Christmas and his birthday two separate occassions. Not everyone helps, but you know? We do what we can.
Will was actually due on Christmas day. He came a few days early, but still, his birthday is Dec 22nd. We celebrate at his half birthday instead to avoid: a) all presents at once b) Christmas conflicts and c) having his gifts be birthday/Christmas combo gifts. I figure everyone celebrates a birthday on one day a year- does it really matter which day it is? We do cake on his actual birthday, but no gifts of party. And the cake is really just because I’ll use any excuse to have cake.
You can do those capes! Use the cheapest solid-color “fleece” you can find; the edges will curl a bit, but they won’t fray. It’s usually 45 inches wide, buy about a yard length per kid (or 2 feet per kid for thinner capes. Cut out giant triangles (one up, one down.) Cut the top points down a bit & glue-gun on some ribbon to tie it on. Done!
(Make sure you, Wonder-mom, have a cape, too! Not that you need additional proof of your super-hero powers.)
I WILL MAKE HIM A CAPE! I just made 2 for my kids for halloween and they are so fun! Tell me colors and themes and I will make it happen.
Pics here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/katieandmarkdavis/6295989231/in/set-72157628014377968
http://www.flickr.com/photos/katieandmarkdavis/6296527144/in/set-72157628014377968
And – I can help you with easy, but similar capes for the other kids. Just make them out of something that won’t fray – like LizzieV said, fleece is a good option. Then use pinking sheers and fabric glue felt shapes on to decorate. If you make those darling masks you’re going to be using flet and fabric glue anyway. I can send you the pattern – they are super cute.
I used to think to myself of parents with kids who had December birthdays, “You couldn’t plan better?” I was a jerk.
And then I had a baby Dec. 28. I have been fretting and fretting over when to celebrate her birthday.
So one more cape comment- I totally made capes as the give away for Noah’s party 2 years ago, and I can’t sew. I cut them out of broad cloth (SUPER cheap) with pinking shears. I just drew out a pattern on newspaper. Wish I could draw you a picture on here. Then I cut their first initials out of felt (could match it to the masks) and glued them on with liquid stitch. To hold the cape together around the neck, I glued on velcro with liquid stitch. Seriously, no more than $2 each. Much cheaper than a goody bag that will just get tossed in the trash anyway.
Have fun!!
I’m right there with you on it all! Try having his birthday be Dec. 27! I think we are going to wait and have Jillian’s party the weekend after her birthday (1/8). We are going to rent a party room at Dublin and I am having an indoor carnival!
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