Now that all the birthday fuss is over, I can finally tell you about it. It was a sweet, low-key celebration—turning 29 didn’t feel dramatically different from recent birthdays. The day included everything from a foot massage with shaving cream (John mistook it for lotion) to watching Clara take her very first crawls. It was incredible. Everyone, including our pediatrician, expected Clara to skip crawling and go straight to walking since she’s been scooting on her bottom and recently started pulling up. Instead, she decided to try crawling for fun, and we even caught it on video. It was one of those small, perfect moments that make the everyday feel extraordinary.
So yes—baby talk alert. Sorry if that dominates my posts lately, but Clara is kind of amazing and she was honestly the best birthday present. The weather on Saturday was gorgeous—around 70 degrees and sunny, which is funny because when I lived up north it usually snowed on my birthday. We took a long walk through one of our favorite neighborhoods with Clara and the dog, and even spotted turtles in the river. Clara was fascinated; Burger, our dog, was suitably nonchalant.
All walk long I wore the new bun-and-thigh-toning Reebok Easytone sneakers John surprised me with for my birthday. I’d been asking for them, and he humored me. My first three-mile stroll in them didn’t hurt at all, so I thought they might be all hype—but the next day, after a similar walk, my legs definitely felt it. They do seem to work; after consecutive long walks you can feel the difference. So yes, my Reeboks had the last laugh.
We finished the day with a cozy sushi dinner, which is something of a go-to for us. I also received a few thoughtful gifts from John and his family. Beyond the Reeboks, John picked out a lovely book called Love Life, from a local shop, with a cheerful green-yellow cover. The book is full of short, meaningful reminders—perfect for keeping perspective in a world that often makes it hard to unplug. A few of the lines that resonated with me:
- “The work will wait while you show the child the rainbow, but the rainbow won’t wait while you finish the work.” – Pat Clifford
- “If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner, you have learned how to live.” – Lin Yutang
- “I think the most significant work we ever do, in the whole world, in our whole life, is done within the four walls of our own home.” – Stephen R. Covey
- “It is a great art to saunter.” – Henry David Thoreau
- “I haven’t a clue how my story will end, but that’s all right. When you set out on a journey and night covers the road, that’s when you discover the stars.” – Nancy Willard
Birthdays always seem to bring reflection—where I’ve been and where I’m headed. There’s that inevitable “I’m getting older” humor, and we joked that perhaps our blog should be renamed Middle Aged House Love, which of course sounds way less catchy. But the sentiment stuck: it’s nice to pause and appreciate how things are changing, especially with a little one in the mix.
John’s sisters also contributed to the celebration with some of the home-related gifts I’d been hoping for. We often create wish lists for each other to make gift-giving easier and more useful, and I’d been hunting for a few prints to add to our soon-to-be-expanded hallway frame gallery. I’m excited to mix these new prints with family photos and keepsakes once we finish installing more frames. We still have a stack of Ikea frames sitting in the kitchen waiting for their moment, and I can’t wait to knock a few holes in the wall and get everything up.
On top of that, my dear friend Heather surprised me with a bouquet of lilies in a lime green vase she knew I’d love. I adore the flowers and find myself strolling into the room just to admire them—little pleasures like that brighten the whole week.
All in all, birthday 29 was wonderful. Life feels full and grounded. I don’t know where I’ll be at 30 or 35, but for now I’m doing my best to make each day count and to enjoy the small things: baby snorts, puppy sniffs, and quiet moments with family. Maybe this post is a bit sentimental and personal, but that’s who I am these days—soft around the edges and grateful for the tiny miracles.
Pssssst—For anyone who’s asked how we organize Clara’s toys or wondered about the big brown basket next to our sectional, we have a simple “dump & cover” toy storage system that works brilliantly. Check our BabyCenter post for details and pictures.