Update on Birthday Party – PHOTO LINK

[Anonymous]

Pictures coming soon – I promise. Just have to upload them to my new

Mac and all – hopefully today!

Party went OK. We were hopeful of a good day because Marisa seemed to

be in a good mood and all. She fell asleep for a nap around 2:10 and I

woke her at 4:10 since a few people had already arrived. I sat with her in

her room before exposing her to others right after waking but she still

woke up on the wrong side of the bed and was crying for a while. She did

calm down by 4:30 or so though and had a pretty good time until about 6

– was smiling at people and playing a little and especially loving the

balloons. But at 6 she started getting REALLY upset again – she would

calm down in a quiet room or in the hallway but start crying again as

soon as in the living room where everyone was (12 adults including me

and DH and 3 other kids). By 7 she was pretty much inconsolable and we

gave her a bottle in her darkened bedroom and got her to sleep by 7:30

or so.

I know many babies get overwhelmed at events like this but we were a

little surprised at how extreme it seemed. She has been around large

groups before and is generally very sociable and loves to play especially

with other kids. She seems to do better though at other people’s houses

though and not ours – maybe at home she’s used to her routine and gets

too freaked out? She was also still tired despite the long nap and hungry

because she hadn’t been eating too well that day – so that didn’t help

matters.

Is this normal or anything we should be concerned about? It really just

seemed to extreme – she goes from being such a happy friendly baby

most of the time to what happened and it kind of freaked us out – my

poor angel…

But on a happy note she has been doing well pointing out Big Bird, Cookie

Monster, etc and trying to say Big Bird and Puffs. Too cute. And she did

eat half a piece of french toast (well really just wheat bread dunked in egg

and fried) yesterday!knb182006-8-21 16:10:17

[Anonymous]

Sounds pretty normal to me. We were just at a combined birthday party in the spring with a 3 year old and 1 year old. (birthday’s for the boys are just days apart) and the one year old was extremely clingy and had full blown stranger anxiety. I think it is pretty normal, and she was just not feeling too well, so she may just be getting back to herself.

Great news about the french toast! And great about the trying to speak and communicate! That is an awesome milestone!

I am curious what others say, as I only have had one baby through that stage so far, so I am curious what is the “norm”.

Ann Marie

[Anonymous]

Sounds normal to me too especially since she was just getting over a virus. We had about 25-30 people at Seth’s first b-day party (about 6 kids). He was very overwhelmed, clingy and shy which is not like him. I felt so bad (and mad since MIL guilted me into inviting distant family that I initially was not planning to include). It was not until most everyone cleared out except close relatives (grandparents) and his cousins that he really started to play and have fun. I decided then and there we will just have immediate family this year!

[Anonymous]

Thanks guys – that helps reassure me! I guess we knew it was normal but it

just seemed so extreme to us and in general Marisa seems to have a hard

time when people come over here but is great outside and in other settings

and flirts and smiles at everyone usually. Although when in groups at other’s

houses, even immediate family she does take a little while to adjust and be

less clingy. We were sad that she couldn’t enjoy her cake at all – or even look

at it really! But I still have cute pics and will try to post them later if she

takes a nice afternoon nap.

[Anonymous]

Oh i am sorry to hear… i think it is pretty normal. Matthew goes from doing what Marisa was doing to being the most social guy and letting everyone hold him etc… i guess it is just moods but also phases! Glad to hear she is doing well though.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I agree….very normal. Liza was a very social baby and did fine in situations like that, but Eliana and Myles would do the same thing. It’s always so disappointing because we have these great expectations and want them to enjoy things and then they cry and cling and we feel so bad.

[Anonymous]

Hi Karen –

Owen used to be exactly the same way – he was the greatest, easiest kid ever to take other places but once we had people in our house, forget it. He’d be a mess. His birthday party was good but we only had about 10 people there and he knew most of them, although he did keep taking off to go in the other room because the gates were down. He spent most of his time trying to go in the kitchen while we were all in the living room!

I just wanted to jump in because he has recently gotten over it and now LOVES to have company. He gets excited, runs to the door, and loves to interact. I think it’s got to be a phase that she’ll get through eventually.

Happy late birthday Marisa!

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone – you’ve made me feel much better! I finally posted a

bunch of pictures – hope this works! They are from throughout her birthday

week – the first ones at the swings, etc are on her actual bday at a great

playground in Brooklyn, the amusement park in Jersey later that week,

birthday party at our apartment and last ones from today with her new toys!

http://web.mac.com/kblass18/iWeb/Site/Library.html

[Anonymous]

Yup, I agree that it sounds normal (though probably not what you wanted for her party). Sometimes I try to remind myself that they are just little people like we are, and how would I feel if I was woken up from my nap to find a party of people downstairs. I’d also probably be crabby (though I do the same thing to the kids all the time). I wouldn’t worry about it too much.

Glad to hear that she’s feeling better.

[Anonymous]

OH KAREN – she is so grown up!!! The pictures are too cute – i love the cake… looks really really good! And love her shirt too… she does look happy in most of them. Too bad things did not go too well towards teh end. Thanks for sharing!

[Anonymous]

She is so ADORABLE!!! What a happy little girl – thanks for sharing!

[hellbennt]

she’s too cute!

and what a great elmo cake!!

[Anonymous]

Karen, she’s SO SO sweet. I just want to pinch her chubby little cheeks!!!!

Thanks so much for sharing. BTW, her shirt is so sweet, and what a yummy elmo cake! Did she like it?

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone – that shirt was actually from Babies R Us and the cake

from this great local bakery called the Cupcake Cafe. She wouldn’t try it

though – threw it on floor but did seem to think it looked funny (the day

after the party anyway) and she is still obsessed with the balloons (one Elmo,

one Sesame and one Dora). She also LOVES her new toy – the Laugh and

Learn Home and is going nuts with it with DH right now. Those pictures are

over the course of a week really – the playground is one day, the amusement

park another, the party another and the ones with the toys today.

She’s our little sweetie and such a happy and friendly girl most of the time!

[Anonymous]

What a little doll! Someone sure knows how to capture her great smile in pictures!! The photos are great.

[Author]

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