Birthdays and how to make a little girl cry

For some reason this morning, I told this memory to Meri during breakfast. I don't remember what triggered it. It was probably the spinach on my omelette... who knows?

I'm older than Melanie by 4 years. She was just turning 7 or 8 and REALLY wanted a Dancerella doll for her birthday. That was THE toy that year.However I could never afford that. So I had purchased with my OWN money a hamster for her with a cage, wheel, the works! I knew she was going to love it! And every time she asked me what I was getting her, I tried to evade her questions. She pestered me and I wanted to keep it a secret. So finally she asked me directly, Did you get me a Dancerella doll? And out of frustration on being asked so many times, I finally answered Yes. Then she left me alone.

Problem solved and secret still intact. *whew*

Then came the next night... Her birthday dinner. She opened the presents everyone gave her and waited anxiously for mine. Since it could not be wrapped I had it in the garage and ran to get it. Herman the Hamster made a wonderful entrance and all were impressed except the birthday girl who promptly burst into tears and several sentences that were incoherent.

Curiously Dad disappeared. Mom tried to calm Melanie down but it was useless. She hated Herman. Hmm.. Guess he's mine! :)

About 20 minutes later Dad reappeared and said that he had found one more gift that he'd forgotten in the car. Wrapped in his standard wrapping paper of a Woolco bag, he presented his gift. She opened it up and started squealing. For a few days after I believed that the gift had been left in the car, but later found out that he'd ran to Woolco (or was it Shopko then?) and purchased it. It was just a few minutes drive away.

That was a birthday she never forgot.

So now when my husband hounds me about what I got him for Christmas or a birthday, I merely say a breastpump. Because I don't want to get his hopes up and besides... he doesn't really want one...