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When you have kids, birthdays are suddenly a big deal. By birthdays, I mean the birthdays of your child(ren), not necessarily your own birthday. My pre-motherhood birthday celebrations usually involved going out with a bunch of my friends and my main squeeze, all dolled up for a night on the town. Once Bear came along and then Beauty, my birthdays became back seat occasions of my own choosing. But my kids’ birthdays are HUGE events in our home and in our family.
It’s not to say we spend a fortune or throw amazingly lavish parties, but more so we just really celebrate our children, our family, our life. It’s incredible, and we really try to spend the day focused on the blessings we’ve received in our lives having two amazing little people who refer to us as mommy and daddy. And really, what kid doesn’t love a birthday (or any day, really) where he or she is the center of attention? It’s not to say we don’t “celebrate” them in some way every day, but birthdays…birthdays are just extra special. Beauty has her claim staked on March; Bear presides over May. But they also both rule over February.
Why February, you might ask, if Bear and Beauty were born in May and March respectively? Coincidentally, both children were legally (re)adopted in February—Bear at the beginning of the month, and Beauty more toward the latter part. So March and May hold b-days, but February holds a-days (adoption days). And those are almost as good as b-days, let me tell you.
Every February, we make it a point to really and truly celebrate the day both our children were legally adopted (well, Bear is only adopted by Kev, but you catch my drift) or in Beauty’s case more specifically, re-adopted in the United States. We don’t make a huge production out of it, but we spend both days really focusing on the four of us and what makes us the awesome family we are. We let each a-day celebrant select the dinner menu (be it a restaurant or something homemade), we make a special dessert, and try for a special activity. It’s pretty blustery in Chicago during the month of February, but we do what we can. Last February, we went to the aquarium (twice, as a matter of fact, because Beauty wanted “fishies again” once it was her turn to choose). They were both such lovely days. As the kids get older, we’ll focus more on the deeper meaning of our a-day celebrations, but for now, we just touch on the concept of adoption and mainly focus on how lucky we are to be the mom and dad of such amazing kids.
We want what all parents want for their children: good health, happiness, and a life filled with love. However, we also want our children to grow up knowing they are adopted and proud of that fact. Celebrating birthdays is a given, but celebrating both birthdays and adoption days are simply that: another reason to celebrate all the beauty, wonder, and love in our lives. If any of you have special “adoption day” traditions or celebrations, I’d love to hear about them! Please comment here or drop me a line at courtneyo@adoptionblogs.com. Thanks much and happy celebrating!
