Party

Because I am his mother, Dash's first birthday party was completely out of proportion. I read somewhere that the guest count for a child's birthday should be age + 1. We had about 30. It was a farm theme, so we served fried chicken and mini cornbread muffins. My mother made a delicious potato salad and I tried my hand at coleslaw. Aunty J made her famous corn dip (two batches!) and a lemon bundt cake covered in Meyer lemons (which, thank God, because my attempt at from-scratch cupcakes was adorable but inedible). Also, buckets and buckets of booze (and juice boxes for the littles).

The party was exactly the thing I had hoped it would be. Dash was merry and the guests were congenial and there was a lot of laughing. Along with the adults we had a 5-year-old, two three-year-olds, a one-year-old (two, actually, counting Dash) and a teensy little Erin, all of six weeks old. It felt absolutely like flying to have so many children in the house.

As anyone who's ever laid eyes on him could guess, Dash took to birthday cake the way that Billie Holiday took to being sad. Now that he knows there is such a thing as cake I am completely certain he will never eat another vegetable as long as he lives.

Happy Birthday, Dash!

"Well now, what the hell is this thing?"

"Is she gonna let me touch it? Really? OK..."

"Oh. My. God"

"Why did it take me a YEAR to get cake?!"