C.C. Turns 8!

Alec woke up early this morning to make C.C. chocolate chip banana pancakes and serve them to her in bed.  Like many people, she hates Mondays, so having her birthday fall on one made it better than most beginnings of the week.  Alec’s brother Nick had sent a video of himself singing two songs for C.C. (he usually performs at the kids’ birthday parties)—a dragon song that he composed himself, and the Gourds’ Hallelujah Shine, which is my favorite Gourds song.  Then Blanca called, and sang Las Mañanitas to C.C., which is the traditional Mexican birthday song.  It was 1:30 am in New York.  C.C.’s birthday has always been the anniversary of the date Blanca joined our family—when she showed up to work for her first day, I was in labor.

It’s a lovely song, and a beautiful way to be awakened on your birthday:

Estas son las mañanitas, que cantaba el Rey David,
Hoy por ser día de tu santo, te las cantamos a ti,
Despierta, mi bien*, despierta, mira que ya amaneció,
Ya los pajarillos cantan, la luna ya se metió.

Que linda está la mañana en que vengo a saludarte,
Venimos todos con gusto y placer a felicitarte,
Ya viene amaneciendo, ya la luz del día nos dio,
Levántate de mañana, mira que ya amaneció.

Translation:

This is the morning song that King David sang
Because today is your saint's day we're singing it for you
Wake up, my dear*, wake up, look it is already dawn
The birds are already singing and the moon has set

How lovely is the morning in which I come to greet you
We all came with joy and pleasure to congratulate you
The morning is coming now, the sun is giving us its light
Get up in the morning, look it is already dawn

* Often replaced with the name of the person who is being celebrated

I dropped the kids at school and spent the morning digging into the economics of happiness literature, which is pretty interesting.  Have you noticed that everyone and her sister is writing about happiness these days?  Either we are getting our priorities straight, or we’re a desperately unhappy lot.  But more about that some other time, when I have more to say.

Then I went back to the school with brownies for C.C.’s class.  Alec baked them last night with the last of the mix I had been hoarding; I am now a die hard brownies-from-scratch gal and there’s no turning back.  But those greedy little second graders shoved them into their mouths so quickly there was no way they knew the difference.

I had signed up for a Positive Parenting class at the school and today was the first of six sessions.  It really was a super mom kind of day, which is a little scary.  The class was good, but no silver bullets so far.  I will be happy to share the recipe for effective discipline if I learn it.

C.C. opted not to do her homework tonight, which I thought was just fine.  She played with her new dinosaurs and dragons instead, taking several of them into the tub with her.  You really need to check carefully before you step, bleary-eyed, into the shower in the morning.  We had skype calls with Nick, and with Grandma Lois and Aunt Jody, opened more presents, ate cupcakes, and got everyone to bed.  And now, it’s my turn.  I’m still not feeling 100%, and tomorrow’s another day.