Yesterday was Liam’s third birthday party, at the Mobile Bay Bears game. I took no photographs of this party, sadly – I was too busy enjoying company and protecting my children’s precious heads from fly balls.
Liam’s actual birthday is Saturday, June 15th, and another kid in his class is having a huge Super Why party on that day. (His mother got out her invites before I had a chance to even think about what we were doing for Liam, so I lost the day. Ah, well.) Given some calendaring constraints, we had no other chunk of daytime during which we could throw a party with all his little friends in his class. So instead I decided that the other kid’s Super Why party would serve as Liam’s party with little class friends, even if it wasn’t for Liam. And we would have a day at the baseball for our kids and some adult friends as his celebration.
It worked out perfectly. We were put at tables to the side of the field, and though we had tickets and actual seats, we stayed at the table the whole game. There was a little field area to the side, a small patch of lawn surrounded by fences, and that was a perfect play place for Jack, Liam, and Liam’s buddy from school (also named Jack – we call him Little Jack). They went over there and tossed baseballs and climbed bleachers and made friends with a little girl named Alexis, and over all had a great time without watching one second of the game going on behind them, over the fence.
I watched almost none of the game, too – instead I watched the kids. But the others saw the game, chatted, ate pretty gross pizza and chips and pretty amazing cupcakes, and overall had a great time. It would have been a terrible place to have a third birthday if we’d invited actual three year olds, and would have been tougher if we’d sat in our seats. But given the setup, it worked out great.
A couple of memories – one good, one bad. We’ll start with the bad. Some older boys swarmed into the little field and kind of took it over at one point, setting out gloves as bases and playing their own game. (It was too small for that, but whatever.) I pulled our little kids out of there so they didn’t get run over or hit with baseballs, but then later got caught up in saying good-bye to our guests, and Jack got back over there. He thought he was playing with the boys, but he was actually irritating them. I eventually twigged that he was missing and walked over to fetch him, when I saw a ten year old lift him bodily up off the ground and body slam him down, screaming at him in uncontrolled rage.
Whoa. You wanna see some uncontrolled rage? I was already walking that way to get Jack out of their hair, but I let that kid have it. I told him that I understand Jack is getting on his nerves and I was coming to get him out of their hair, but he is five years old and you do not EVER, EVER pick up any human being and throw him, no matter how mad you are. The kids looked terrified, and their own mothers came over at that point. It was almost a Thing, as Jack of course was screaming his head off, so hurt and confused as to why his fun game with these boys ended in them hurting his body.
We all simmered down, and I pulled Jack over to our table and gave him some juice and explained a few things about understanding social cues and bigger boys wanting to play by themselves. A few minutes later the bigger boys came to sit not too far from us, and Jack popped up and went over to them. “Jack!” I hollered – “let those boys alone!” “I just wanna say I’m sorry for messing up their game, Mama” he said to me sheepishly. I let him say sorry, and they gave him a fly ball they’d caught. So it all ended ok. But boy, let me tell you how my heart roared out of my chest and swallowed me whole when I saw those kids literally throw him out of their game, and saw his bewildered and hurt face wondering why they didn’t want him to play.
Anyway – a couple of happier memories. Our friend Joe, who drove over from Mississippi for the game, bought the boys a foam finger and a foam bear claw thing (Bay Bear claw). Liam wore that bear claw all day and growled at people with it, scaring everyone. It was cute. He also loved the Bay Bear mascot, walking up and giving him a hug – while his buddy Little Jack had an absolute freak out and screamed in terror. (That episode reminded my of my own Jack at that age – so sensitive.) Liam also, as a birthday boy, got to throw one of the first pitches to the mascot. It was pretty cute – didn’t go far, but he got to keep the souvenir ball. At one point, the little boys somehow threw that special ball over the fence to where the players were warming up. The boys shouted “Ball! Ball! Ball!” and the players gave them a hard time, making them say the magic word before they would toss the ball back.
Liam opened some Doc McStuffins stuff, a couple of books, some hot wheels cars, a Super Why game, and his very favorite – a baby doll. I’d seen him loving on my friend’s daughter’s baby doll last summer, and I decided to get him one even if people would make fun of me for it. Well darned if he didn’t carry that thing every where he went – it’s already filthy. Last night he said he no longer needs his puppy (a lovey who goes everywhere with us), and threw poor Puppy on the ground to make room for Baby. (I felt like picking Puppy up and soothing its poor feelings, until I remembered that it’s a piece of cloth with a stuffed puppy head, and wouldn’t notice it had been thrown over so easily. I’ve watched too much Toy Story.) He asked me to get Baby a pillow and to cover her up so she’s not cold, and then wrapped his arms around her and went to sleep. He adores this baby. And although the men at the party teased me a bit, saying I needed to hurry up and have myself a daughter, I happen to know that every one of them is a loving, sweet father who nurtures his own real baby, and so I rolled my eyes and told them all to suck it.
Anyway, that was our fun birthday party. I think it ended up being a great idea – not a repeat of Jack’s party, and much much easier than Jack’s party, but still fun for all involved. Liam enjoyed himself, we enjoyed ourselves, it wasn’t too expensive, and I didn’t have to clean my house OR go to one of those hideous indoor bouncy house places that make Jack lose his mind with fear. So it was a win all around.
I just wish I’d taken some pictures! Well, here’s one that Little Jack’s mother took:
