Lead up to Caroline’s Birthday

Caroline’s third birthday happened to fall on a Saturday: March 14, 2020. We planned a fun birthday party with all of our favorite people. We sent the invites in early February and had been collecting birthday party supplies each weekend since then. We wanted “Yee Haw and Yippee, Caroline’s Turning Three!” to be a fantastic time. Kay Kay and Pa booked their flights. Mike and I made stick ponies and a tissue paper campfire. We painted rocks gold (for a Panning for Gold station). We even “booked” my co-worker Cowboy Curtis to serenade the partygoers at the campfire sing-a-long (with a marshmallow ‘roast’, as requested by the birthday girl). We even ordered a unicorn cake at Costco.

Then, about a week before, we started hearing more and more scary things about coronavirus. The phrase we all kept hearing was “out of an abundance of caution.” How we should be teleworking. Not gathering in large groups. How schools would soon cancel. How people shouldn’t fly. I went to work on Monday and Mike started telecommuting. Then on Monday night, Matt and I talked and we thought Mom and Dad shouldn’t travel. On Tuesday, Mom and Dad cancelled their flights up here. On Wednesday, my office told me I had to start telecommuting on Friday, due to my pregnancy. Group meetings were limited to fewer than 10 people. On Thursday, my last day in the office, about 15 people asked me “WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE??” before it was even 10:15 am. This was getting serious, but people seemed to be very cautious. Thursday night, Mike and I had a long talk about whether to still hold Caroline’s party. We had over 75 people RSVP yes. We’d rented a room that we’d been assured had been thoroughly disinfected. We consulted Tommie and Joy about it, being medical professionals and all. We decided to keep the party and I scheduled an auto-send email for the next morning at 9 am, letting guests know.

First thing Friday morning, I headed to Costco to pick up Caroline’s unicorn cake and some party snacks. I was shocked by what I saw. A mob of people at the door before it even opened. Streaming in when it did, to be met by people grabbing Lysol and hand soap like it was free cash money. Carts stuffed to the gills with water, frozen chicken, giant bags of rice. Not toilet paper though–that was out. Everyone had a wild look in their eyes. The checkout line extended the entire length of the store. As I got close to the check out, a lady told me that they’d just received a shipment of toilet paper and were giving out one per customer. And then the NICEST man in the world offered to run to the back corner of the store to bring me some. I was so touched! When he returned, everyone in line gave him a standing ovation. There is hope for humanity!

As soon as I got home, I told Mike we had to call off the party–there was no way this was a good idea. So we did, and a few short hours later, the Community Center closed anyway–effective immediately. That’s how fast this all moved. It was definitely the right call, and in retrospect, it seems silly that we’d even considered having it. But a LOT changed from Thursday night to Friday mid-day. Schools closed, for one. But the all-around panic level shot up exponentially. By 10 am Friday morning, I had about 15 texts from people saying they couldn’t come to the party. No one wanted to take a risk…and could you blame them? I felt the same way.

March 14 

A birthday is a birthday no matter what is going on in the world…and so we woke up our sweet new three year old with the family tradition of the Splashdance Happy Birthday to You song! She loved it of course 🙂

Breakfast was making bacon and eggs with Daddy, per their Saturday morning tradition, and then present opening:

She oohed and ahhed over each gift :). Even when they were clothes, she said, “ohhh look! Clothes!!” which I loved.

Then we loaded up her giant unicorn cake and Costco pinwheel sandwiches, her scooter, and some plates and forks and headed to the Fairlington Park for a last hurrah gathering with a few friends–Meg, the Robersons, and the Carneys. The kids all had a ball!

Suelen and Mirele brought balloons and made animals and swords out of them. And got to love Mirele for climbing on the high equipment chasing Caroline so I didn’t have to!

We gathered everyone around for pinwheel sandwiches and then sang Happy Birthday before diving into that unicorn cake:

Here is the cake, in all its unicorn glory:

Caroline’s sweet friend Julia Jellyfish even happened to be at the park that day, so we summoned her over for snacks and cake:

It was a wonderful morning. We went home and everyone crashed. When we got up from naps, the birthday girl requested red popsicles so off to the grocery store we went for those and a few other items. It felt weird to be in a store. Our kids have not/will not go in one again, for a long while. We came home and enjoyed the popsicles outside next to the Caroline Isabella Tribute Garden, now three years strong…Mike planted it in the first few days after Caroline came home from the hospital:

She opened up a few more gifts–money from Aunt Carole for her Travelin’ Chicks Fund, along with the cutest card featuring THREE cupcakes:

And a few cool games from Cousin Pressy (which we have been playing non-stop):

Along with Magna Tiles (which she found in my closet and insisted on opening a week early ‘for being so good’) and a fun new tea set from Mommy and Daddy:

She definitely felt loved! And even though I can’t wait to pull off her fun party (we have saved everything for a big bash…maybe 3.5?) I totally know it isn’t for her–she was thrilled with what we did. It’s for me. I want to see how the gold panning games go, and watch the cuteness unfold as these little cowboys and cowgirls sit around a camp ‘fire’ singing songs, and gallup around on stick ponies saying “giddy up!” Ahh, we will get there. But in the meantime, we will be washing our hands, staying home, avoiding playgrounds, and running around the park getting lots of fresh air.

Happy, happy birthday Caroline Isabella! Three was a birthday we will definitely never forget!