Can we build it? Yes we can!

It's a big weekend here at our house. First of all, Maymuna went to a birthday party Saturday morning for her friend Julie. Despite the horror stories I'd heard about the excessive birthday parties thrown here in the United States (and you know it happens in Canada too, people), I am thankful that Julie's mom is very reasonable - no petting zoos, no caterers, no tiaras, no gifts (though I guess some people did bring some anyway). I like the premise here: "let's have some fun at the park with our friends" as opposed to "you are Queen for the day, what colour tulle shall we drape the house in?"

Maymuna was a bit grumpy leaving the house, but upon arriving at the park she spotted the swings and that is just about her favourite place in the world. She had at least 15 minutes in that swing before I think she even said hello to Julie. Poor party etiquette, I imagine, but I tried. My girl is like that somehow, she wants to be exactly where the action... is not. So when Julie was opening gifts, Maymuna took the opportunity to go down the slide and have the whole play structure to herself. Again she abandoned her cake to get the big-girl swing on the right, just the one she wanted, before the rest of the crowd rejoined the mix. This behaviour used to concern me, but it doesn't anymore... it's just her quirky little personality, and she's still having fun, just on her own terms, if you will.

We had a great time at the park and were among the last to leave. The rest of the day at home centered largely around her new birthday party experience. The loot bag was promptly decimated, and the Bob the Builder party hat was worn by everyone in the family in turn. At lunchtime it was Ozayr's birthday and he wore the hat and we "sang" to him. Maymuna's singing is great, it's completely off-key and wacky "HAAAAAA-pee BIIIIIIIIRTh-day to my BAAAAAAAAAAABAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!" I think her main philosophy is that good singing has to be LOUD.

Then I got birthday-ed at dinnertime. We talked alot about the different foods she was making for me... cake... ice cream... pasta (the food for any occasion according to this girl). This was some of our dinner conversation:

Maymuna: do you want pasta or...
Mama: pasta or what?
Maymuna: or pasta.
Mama: pasta or pasta?
Maymuna: yes.
Mama: okay, um, pasta.
Maymuna: okay.

Maymuna: I'm making you a CAKE.
Mama: a cake! great!
Maymuna: i'm BAKING it.
Mama: lovely! what flavour is it?
Maymuna: RED!!

Maymuna wanted to put the Bob the Builder party hat on to Hafsa so I indulged her (hey, being a big sister is hard sometimes, let's let her get a kick out of it every once and a while). So I put the hat on Hafsa and I even took a picture... then I got distracted by something. I think I was brushing Maymuna's teeth. Then she went to bed and I went to the kitchen. Then I thought to myself, it's quiet. Too quiet. I rushed back to the living room to find that I'd left Bob the Builder with Hafsa the Devourer... I pried it from her clenched fists (okay I took a picture first) and I tried to straighten it out to dry. Luckily Hafsa didn't actually bite any off. She doesn't have teeth, but trust me if you slobber on something enough it'll just come right apart in your mouth - this is the baby motto, slow and steady drooling and gumming. I know that Maymuna is going to want to wear that thing on Sunday so I hope it looks okay by morning.

Not long after this there was a knock on the front door. The refrigerator we got with our house conked out on us this past week and our new one was supposed to be delivered today. Ozayr cleaned out the fridge this morning and we were ready and waiting for them to arrive this afternoon. We waited and waited... our food slowly getting warmer and warmer in the laundry basket we'd piled everything in to BECAUSE WE WERE EXPECTING THEM ANY MINUTE. After dinner we decided that they just weren't coming and piled it all back into the freezer (which was barely holding at regular refrigerator temperature). Well, it was just before 9 p.m. when we got that knock on our door and I must say that the first thing I said when I opened it was "You. Are. Kidding. Me." They were suitably apologetic and promptly went to work replacing the old fridge with our gorgeous new Whirlpool side-by-side model. Ooo-la-la!! I didn't enjoy waiting all day for them to come, but it sounds like those delivery guys had an even WORSE day. And one of them has a 5 week old son. Though my pity abated somewhat on finding out that his kid sleeps through the night. Hmmm. Hafsa and I have GOT to have a talk.

I'm finishing this post Sunday morning... Maymuna woke up this morning to hear the new refrigerator had arrived while she was sleeping. I wonder what she thinks, that major appliances just appear in the middle of the night? brought by little elves perhaps? I told her about it and suggested we go downstairs to check it out. She looked at me with excited, bright eyes, "Mama," she said, "is it a pink one or a red one??!" Oh dear, my darling... it's just white...