Last week was pretty rough, including my birthday. We think Evelyn has acid reflux, and it’s gotten increasingly worse in the past week or two, meaning a lot more crying and vomiting and neediness from her and a lot less sleep for me. That’s probably why this birthday did not get close to my top 5, or even top 10 birthdays to remember list.

Jared was very sweet though, and wanted to make sure that my birthday could be the best possible. Honestly- I kept forgetting that my birthday was even coming up until Jared interrogated me two days before. That conversation went something like this.

Jared: “So, have you thought about what you want for your birthday dinner yet? And what kind of cake do you want?”

Me, baffled: “No… I don’t really know yet.”

Jared: “Well, can you let me know tonight so I can get planning?”

Me, more baffled: “I guess… But we’ve got plenty of time to worry about it.”

Jared, almost patiently: “Elisabeth, you do know your birthday is in two days, right? That doesn’t leave me a lot of time to get ingredients for it.”

Me: “No… my birthday isn’t in… Ohhhhhhh. Wow, okay. I’ll get back to you on that.”

Jared, a little less patiently: “You do that.”

Poor man. He really did make an effort. I mean, check out this cake!

(He made it himself… with the help of Costco. The Tuxedo Chocolate Mousse Cake. It may not be the Chocolate Cake of Doom, but it was pretty incredible, and more manageable for the two of us. By the way, Costco, you’re welcome for the product plug.)

Anyway, because I was a basket-case most of my birthday due to a small little person who resides in our home’s persistent screaming every time I put her down, it was kind of a rough day. Jared also had a very busy week at work, because it was their big marketing week, so he couldn’t do much to help out.

Between the previously mentioned little screaming person’s persistent crying, which made me cry occasionally, we ate a delightful dinner, opened cards/gifts (it was a very gift-cardy birthday. Thanks everyone who remembered me!) and ate cake. Then I went back to my prison cell with my little cell-mate and spent the rest of the evening tending to her needs.

But to make up for it, Saturday, he brought me this in bed:

And when doesn’t breakfast in bed with heart-shaped pancakes and eggs make your heart feel a little bit better?