to party or NOT to party......

after three weekends of fun at 3 different showers given in our honor, i am a little bit partied out.

 and tomorrow is aregash's birthday.....

she will be three. 

\ she knows she is 3....we taught her that  but she doesn't really understand that she's 3, as birthday's are not celebrated in ethiopia and i'm not sure if they even talk about how old they are.  because most babies are born in the home rather than a hospital, there isn't any documentation.  so age is usually a guess.  aregash's uncle seemed sure of her birth-day.  he was there at her birth and he named her.  i have never done this next thing with any of my other kiddos (because i've never had a child born in another country who struggles with our language and customs).  we are not having a party.  well, we are having a party but we have decided it will just be our family of six attending.  aregash has, after all, had three weekends full of gifts and cake and lots of people and we decided it was 

time to just take a break....

for us, and for her.  

even having our families over would be overwhelming for her.  most of them she hasn't seen more than a couple of times, and she isn't familiar with them.  but we are still celebrating this special day with our special girl.  i am making her dorawat....a cultural meal in ethiopia.  i think she will be thrilled, although the injura will be missing.  i'm sure she will notice.:0(  

and i am making a very small 6 inch cake, 

because i have planned a strawberry shortcake birthday for the last year of waiting.  

because it will be sweet to see her blow her candles out and teach her one of our traditions. 

because i need pictures of her first birthday home to put in her baby book. 

 we can whoop it up with our loud precious family! 

partying on......

(hang tight.....pictures to come)


ps-i still plan to fast for ethiopia tomorrow.....
even through cake-baking (it's just that important)