Life with Baby McDonnell: Erin's 30th Birthday

For my 30th birthday some of our close friends flew in and we all rented a cabin in the Smokey Mountains together. It was wonderful to be able to spend concentrated quality time just being together. It was quiet and loud, there were moments of serious bonding and moments of that were just silly. So all in all, it was just what I wanted. Even though I had a minor meltdown and got stupidly caught up in the little details that don't matter (like burning the turkey and burning my hand using a flimsy washcloth to try to remove the burning turkey) and lost my temper.

But even that was sort of a growing experience, and strangely became one of the more reflective moments of my birthday. Customarily I like to pass birthdays by reflecting on what the past year meant to me as a person and what the upcoming year may hold. But often life gets so busy I haven't always made time for those reflective moments. But losing my temper over something stupid, and in front of all my closest friends who had flown around the country to be with me, was a startling moment that catalyzed reflection. It made me realize, or be more conscious of, the ways that being a mom, and always giving giving giving to Liam taps into a store of patience. I am now more aware that I have to be conscious of when that reservoir of patience is getting low and make sure that I plan in more "me" time than I used to need. I used to joke that I got all the "me" time I needed during my brief morning shower, but that isn't so true anymore. A good friend of mine recently quipped that sometimes she feels like she'd be a better mother and person if she occasionally got a week long vacation from her family. And even as I love my husband and son from the bottom of my soul to the top of my head, I can understand now that sometimes at the end of the day all I want is to curl up in a symbolic cave and read a book and have no one ask anything of me.

Well, that became more of a confessional than I intended. But this is as much for me and posterity as it is for all you readers, so I suppose it is good to faithfully represent what happened, even (or especially) when it doesnt show me in the best light.

But there were also great time! Girls laughing in the hot tub! Boys playing pool! The best freaking birthday cake ever!

The view from our balcony when we arrived at the cabin was spectacular

Wenona and Eric enjoying the sunset with baby Zane

My college roommate Natasha flew out from San Francisco to join the fun

Liam meets baby Zane

Eric demonstrates the finer art of playing pool while wearing a sleeping baby

Everybody hangs out in cozy jammies while Terry makes a great breakfast

Zane gives Sian some quality snuggles

Zane does a little tummy time. Check out that drool!

Eric and Erin rock the baby carriers on our outing to Gatlinburg. We thought it might be quaint. Turns out it was a major tourist trap, complete with its own Ripley's Believe it or not!

Wenona and Sian in Gatlinburg

Back at the cabin, Liam passed that iconic baby stage: he discovered the toilet paper and promptly unrolled an entire roll.

In homage to years past when we hosted our friends for Urban Family Thanksgiving, I wanted to have a turkey dinner for my birthday dinner. This was perhaps a little overly ambitious for the poorly appointed cabin kitchen. There was burning things (including my fingers), turkey stock all over the oven, cursing, and more. A good reminder that sometimes ordering pizza and spending time with friends is a better idea.