Here are thirteen things to know about Tatum’s birthday.
13. She made her own birthday cake, checkered with green and white squares across two rounds. I have no idea how she did that, but it was cool. She wanted to make yellow fondant icing but I couldn’t find gelatin on the empty shelves at Giant.
12. We’re living in the time of COVID-19 and therefore quarantined, or “quaranteened” as Sophia and Georgie put it. New virus, new hair style.
11. She was woken up to the sound of a trumpet blaring from our bushes. This reminds me of Dad blasting the Hallelujia Chorus to wake us up as teenagers. Georgie’s version was less aromatic to the ears but definitely produced happy gawks from passers by and giggling from all the embarrassed and gleeful kids. The Hathways also put up an orange HAPPY BIRTHDAY TATUM sign on popsicle sticks in the yard. So creative!
10. To find her presents, I put together a scavenger hunt with ridiculous riddles, like this:
When you turned 10, you got bubble gum tea, two holes in your ears, and time with kitties.
Now that you’re 13, you have a new dog, you still like cats, and you can sleep in like a log.
So go look in a place where you get very cozy
On lucky-day sleepovers where toes get frozy.
9. Presents included a translucent starry phone cover (Uncle Hugh), a purple seahorse t-shirt (Baba), coupons for bubble tea (Finn), acrylic paints (Mom and Dad), all-white (trendy but ack) Nike sneakers (Goodnews), Smithsonian Magazine (Grandoug), a sewing book and Quality Street chocolates (Poppy & Grams), a star choker and starlights for her room (Clara), money (Morrisons, Baba, Goodnews), a hot water bottle wearing a sweater (Mom), overpriced Lululemon leggings (Mom and Dad), and super-desired Airpods (Uncle Brooks and Aunt Kathy).
8. We’re in lockdown, but we snuck in a garden visit with Poppy.
7. Tatum got surprise deliveries of Cinnabon from Mom and flowers and balloons from Uncle Brooks and Presley.
6. Her neighbor Jessica made a colorful HAPPY BIRTHDAY TATUM sign for our front door.
7. We went to the beach. It was just off of Rockville Pike near Poppy’s old office, but the chichi Pike & Rose fairly transported us to Rehoboth with it’s painted-fence ocean and sandy set up.
5. Did I mention we’re still in lockdown? We had a parking lot play date.
4. Tatum got birthday videos and messages from the world over. She got virtual hugs from long-lost JIS friends to her church buddy here to beloved cousins and kin to staff from Jakarta. She got a little teary eyed. We all did.
3. Her request for dinner was salad (Sweetgreens take-out) and chips (Doritos). Doritos are only allowed in our house on birthdays due to palm oil restrictions from Finn.
2. Tatum is sweeter and more affectionate than ever. I think not going to school suits her spiritual well-being, if not her academic progress. She continues her creative pursuits, making hand-sewn clothes for Clara’s doll and losing time in her painting and new interest in chalk art. Neighbors are impressed by her back flips, aerials and back round offs in the yard, and she continues her gymnastics conditioning virtually. The friends she mainly spends socially distant time with right now are Sophia (BFF), Luli, Andrea, Caroline, Rachel and Emma.
- The day after her birthday, she doubled pierced her ear with a needle, ice and an apple core. She is grounded (obvi). I guess she’s 13.
@theterrace 