Time flies. It’s hard to believe but our little guy turned lucky number 8 last weekend.
T had been counting down excitedly for weeks. But his birthday week got off to a rough start.
Last Monday, T woke up around midnight and threw up. A lot. Then woke up every hour after to throw up even more.
We kept him home for two days. It turned out a stomach bug went around his class, as his teacher and classmates also caught it.
Thankfully, he was fine by the weekend.
We did a Sonic the Hedgehog theme birthday, with matching balloon colours.
The hubby baked a homemade Sonic cake with cake toppers purchased online.
And the cake was yum!
T really wanted a party, but with my sister’s funeral taking all our energy, we didn’t have time to plan one. We made a pledge to do one, his first-ever party, for his 9th birthday next year.
But it was wonderful that his CYW gave him a gift and two classmates each made him a card.
My good friend dropped off a book for T, another Oliver Jeffers book, which has become an annual tradition. Our family loves his books.
Instead of a party, we took T to Niagara for fun at the Fallsview waterpark.
The last time we were there was to celebrate T’s 5th birthday, with his foster parents and brother. Little did we know that a few weeks later, the world would forever change with the pandemic.
It was nice watching T have fun at the waterpark. What a difference three years makes. We didn’t need to supervise him closely this time.
We really needed this weekend as much as T did and it was a welcomed change from the challenging last while.
You know you’re exhausted when you sign a birthday card for your son using your first name instead of “Papa.” 😆
In Chinese culture, 8 is considered a lucky number, because it is often associated with wealth.
During the drive to and from Niagara, we played “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by Eurythmics.
I’m not sure where T first heard this song but it’s his current favorite and on repeat in the car. He calls it the “seven seas song.”
Growing up, we often heard our parents share their dreams. It often had to do with us being a doctor or having a well-paying job – because wealth was often associated with success and a good life.
As a grown up and a parent – and I’m not just viewing this through the lens of special needs – my dream for T is more simple and open ended.
In my prayers, I pray for T to grow up happy, healthy, self sufficient, to do something he loves, to have lasting friendships and relationships, to stay out of trouble, and to contribute light to this world.
How he does that – we’re open to all possibilities.
As life with T teaches us, there is no linear nor singular path to success.
Sweet dreams are not made of just this one thing.
As T noted while he was playing with his golden 8 balloon, 8 turned sideways is infinity.
And who am I to disagree?
Looks like a great celebration! Happy Belated T!! Also now I’m singing the seven seas song in my head, definitely an earworm for me.
Thanks Caitlyn. And yes, it does not leave your head once it’s in. 😆
You can’t go wrong with Eurythmics! So glad T had a lovely day!
Thank you! 🙂 It was a lovely day/weekend indeed. 😊
Happy Birthday to T!!! Sometimes doing other things, other than a party is more fun. I remember giving my kids a choice and they usually said no to the party so we could do something special like you did. I had to smile that you signed your name. Did T notice?
Forgot to say that cake is amazing!!! Kudos to hubby!
Thanks Diane. That’s nice to hear your kids like something other than a party. I do feel guilty as T has never had a birthday party with school friends before and he missed out on it largely due to the pandemic. So I hope it’s an experience we can give him at least once while he’s still a kid. 🙂
And thanks for the nice words about the hubby’s cake. He did a great job.
And no, T did notice how I signed my name. He calls me Ab sometimes too. Hehe.
Happy belated birthday, T! Sonic as the theme for his birthday was a brilliant idea — I’m biased because I loved playing that game! Despite the initial hiccup, and the fact that your energy has been depleted due to your recent loss, it looks and sounds like T had a great birthday nonetheless. Amen to all your prayers for T!
Thank you, Bama. Sonic is a fun game for sure and glad it’s getting its comeback moment in film and cartoons. 🙂 It was a nice birthday and a way to move on from dreary January. 🙂
Happy Birthday to T. It sounds like it was a very special day for a wonderful boy and his parents. ❤️
Thank you LaDonna. It was a special weekend. Hope you and your family are doing well. 🙏
❤️❤️
Sorry to hear that T wasn’t feeling well and caught a stomach bug from school. Hopefully you and the hubby didn’t get it! It’s awesome that he made a full recovery just in time for his birthday celebrations on the weekend! The hubby did an amazing job with the cake.
Thanks Linda. We are all hopefully done with bugs and sickness this year. So ready to move on. 😊😆🙏 It was a wonderful birthday and hope it’s the start of more great things to come this year.
Happy 8th Birthday, T! OH BOY! I would have driven to Niagara for a piece of that beautiful cake! LOL Beautiful post ….. Ab, I mean Papa! (Te He)
Thanks Vickie! How far are you from the Falls? You would’ve been disappointed though cuz the cake stayed at home and didn’t travel with us. 😆
We are about 30 minutes from the Falls – I thought you were far from the Falls!
We’re 1.5 hours away so it’s a bit of a drive. But the cake is worth it! 😆😊
Happy birthday, T! It sounds like you and hubby created the perfect #8. And I agree that your sweet dreams for T are made of these memories ❤️ ❤️❤️
Thank you! It was very nice to get away for a day and to create, as you said, sweet memories. 😊
Happy belated birthday to T! Nice that there was showers of love going to your 8 year old.
Thank you! It was a nice weekend. 😊
I love that you ended with your sweet dreams for T. Which rhymes and sounds great. Like 8. Which also rhymes. And now I’m worried about how tired I must be to making comments like this. I was reading this post and mis-read the sentence about his first-ever birthday party. I thought it said that he was getting a party for the first-ever time he turned 9. And I thought, isn’t every birthday the first ever for that number? So I totally understand the joke about signing the birthday card with your first name. Very funny!
Sending happy birthday wishes to T!! So glad that you all had such a fun and yummy celebration. Wishing you all sweet dreams of open-ended possibilities. And I think T will be a source of light in this world – because you are such a source of light that I think he’s learning to shine from you! 🙂 <3
Thanks Wynne! It’s funny what our tires brains make us do. But we keep chugging along for our little ones and just smile and laugh about them. 😆
That’s a kind thing to say about T and us. Perfect timing too. He’s being a major grumpy pants about getting up this morning. Gonna need to channel some of that light and patience this morning!
I hear you, Ab! Light and patience —channeling some for me and some for you! 🙂
Happy Birthday T! Wow. 8 years old! I am so sorry he was sick but so happy he was better for his birthday. Love the signing of the card lol. True parenting! Take care and get some rest! The cake looked phenomenal!
Thank you Rebecca. The stomach bug was a bit concerning but we were glad it cleared in time for his birthday! 😊🙏
HAppy Birthday t T! BTW, Papa in Hebrew is Aba. Just add an “a” at the end and tell him you signed papa in Hebrew 🙂 That cake looks amazing and it sounds like you had a great time in Niagara!
Thank you! I loved learning about the word Aba! I’m going to share that with T. 😊
Awww, let me know what he says 🙂
The perfect dream, I’m with the same dream. We won’t stop until they get there. 🙏
Thank you Gary! And yes, we will not stop until we get them and us to those dreams. 😊🙏
Wow, I didn’t know 8 (my favorite #) is considered lucky in the Chinese culture. It’s been my favorite because I was born on the 8th.
Sounds like aside from everything you all have been through lately, T had a wonderful birthday. So glad you all enjoyed this time & I’m thankfully it was only a bug & he’s feeling better.
He also has great taste in music! I grew up listening to this particular song & sometimes got on my families nerves for singing it non-stop. Now you have it stuck in my head again🤣
Thank you Tammy! The 8 is an interesting thing. A lot of companies, including realtors, intentionally throw in or end their pricing with 8s just to appeal to a certain clientele. It’s kind of wacky sometimes. 😆
And Sweet Dreams is a great song indeed. Once it’s in your head, it’s hard to get out.