Elan actually wrote a wish list for Hanukkah/Christmas this year.

In translation:

angry birds

pigs

snow hat

soccer shirt

money

This list is hilarious because a) it showcases his obsession with angry birds which seems to be a fairly universal obsession for any 5-6 year olds who have been exposed to it, b) my child hates wearing hats, proven by the fact that he doesn’t want to wear his “snow hat” even though it’s a yellow angry bird hat, and c) he asked for “money” so that he could lend money to people on kiva.org (we received a gift certificate for kiva from our neighbors when Emry was born). This last one made my heart sing. It made me feel like I must be doing something right as a parent, despite the angry birds obsession.

Between his birthday at the end of November, Hanukkah, and Christmas gifts that we were waiting for him upon our arrival home, that child has received a gift more days than not over the past month plus.

So it makes sense that the subject of my birthday gift might come up.

When Elan asked what present I wanted for my birthday, I said, “This is what I got for my birthday.” I held up my new hot pink-clad iPhone, my first-ever smart phone and Number One Drool-worthy Item Currently Coveted by the Baby in the House. You should see how Emry’s crawling picks up steam if he spots my phone in an accessible location.

Elan looked concerned.

“You can still get me a present, though,” I said. “Talk to Dada about it.”

“Okay,” he said. Then my football-obsessed son brightened. “We’ll put our heads together and make a huddle, just like in football!”