From Wobbly One to Energetic Eight

When I wrote my first post on Steem, my firstborn had just turned one. I even shared something about his first birthday. Two days ago, he turned eight. When I look at him now, I see a tall and handsome boy who is still very much my little boy. It feels just yesterday that I held him in my arms for the first time, but when I look at my Steem journey, it feels like I've been here forever. It's absurd that a certain period can feel so fleeting and yet so full at the same time.

I have always celebrated my kids' birthdays. People say there's no need to throw a party in the initial years because the child doesn't know what's happening and won't remember anything later in life. But I think first birthdays are more for parents. They have all the right to celebrate their child as much. To date, we reminisce about his first birthday, and although he doesn't have any memory of it, he loves hearing about it.

The first cake was a penguin, the second was a simple chocolate cake, the third was chocolate cupcakes, 4th was Avengers, 5th was a monster truck, 6th was Mario, 7th was Space, 8th was again a simple chocolate cake. All these years, I only baked the first cake and the 8th cake. During 2nd and 3rd years, he didn't know what was happening, but he enjoyed it from 4th year onwards; he has been super picky about his cake and presents, hence the variety. This year, he was only interested in having a party with a few of his close friends. So, I made sure he could have that.

I usually put a lot of effort into the backdrops which complement the cakes. But this time, I didn't do much - only some balloons and an old Spiderman banner from one of the previous birthdays. I guess, it's because he had not much friends before, so all my effort into the backdrops and props was a way to entertain him. Now that he has a lot of friends, he's more interested in having a good time with them. He still likes props, though, but didn't ask for them this year.

I took charge and entertained the kids by introducing them to birthday games from my childhood. We played Chinese Whisper and Simon Says. Kids had a lot of giggles playing both games. I hadn't planned any activities beforehand, but during the party, different games like musical chairs and pass-the-pillows came to my mind. But Simon Says won the show.

This reminds me that I lowkey don't like musical chairs. When I was around the same age as my son, my lips split open due to an accident while playing musical chairs. I only remember pools of blood from that party.

I don't remember getting any goodie bags in my childhood, but these days, kids make a big deal out of them. So, like a good host, we handed a bag to each kid when it was time to say goodbye.

I wish my son a year full of laughter and love and hope to cherish these memories in all the years to come. I also can't wait him to grow up and join Steem - that is only if he develops an interest for writing.