Today is Aiden’s first birthday, so naturally we gathered at his house. To celebrate David’s birthday. Because, you see, we’re having Aiden’s party a week from Saturday. Which is David’s actual birthday. Believe it or not, this all makes sense to somebody. It’s even starting to make sense to me, but probably only because Tammy explained it to me. Somehow whatever she says has its own kind of logic, and you follow along. Or else.

One of the reasons we’re celebrating David’s birthday today is that Tammy got him tickets to a concert tonight. She gives him his present, and that makes it his de facto birthday. And Aiden’s party has to be on a weekend, so the thing to do is exchange the two dates.

Ah, but it can’t be that simple. I mean, this is the first birthday Aiden will ever have, and it’s the last first birthday he’ll ever have. Besides, David doesn’t like a fuss made over him, so we kept his part of the celebration low key and did our fuss-making over the baby. Aiden made it easy by being cute and charming and happy. He wasn’t putting it on, either. That’s his everyday personality.

What do babies like about birthdays, besides the attention (which makes it just like any other day, in some cases)? Well, there’s a lot of paper to tear. And the boxes! Oh my goodness, what fun are the boxes! Plus, new toys. Push toys and pull toys and toy versions of things he loves best (Mama’s telephone and Daddy’s measuring tape). He was in a level of baby heaven even higher than the one he normally resides in.

In fact, he didn’t even notice when his parents left for the concert. He kept Suzanne and Mom and me entertained until he started getting sleepy, at which time Mom and I left, to minimize the distractions. By that time D.J. and Dakota had finished rifling through Aiden’s new stuff and had gone off to bed, so we left Suzanne to send Aiden off to his first visit to dreamland as a one-year-old.