Birthday party was a chance to catch up

It was only the second time I had met her and she made it clear that she didn’t want anything to do with me. I offered her my necklace and she considered it. I turned her walker so it wouldn’t run into a wall. She thought I was trying to take it away from her. I tried playing peek-a-boo. She thought I was nuts. None of my many peace offerings did any good.
I accepted this as the way things were to be. After all, the last time I had seen her, her age had been measured in weeks. This time we were celebrating her first birthday.
The house was full of people. The gathering was evenly split between friends and family. Isabella was the star.
We had made the long trip to the other side of Cincinnati to the little town of Amelia. Our niece, Margaret, had invited us to the party. We jumped at the chance to see relatives we usually only see at weddings or funerals. Spending time with a baby was a bonus.
We watched Isabella dance with her grandmother. We loved how she grinned when her daddy held her. We noticed that she posed whenever a camera was pointed at her. We cheered as she helped unwrap her presents. We were amazed that she did not protest when one gift was snatched away to be replaced by another.
When it was time for cake, her mommy put her in the high chair. They tried putting a party hat on her head and she scowled and pulled it off. After a couple more attempts and lots of picture taking, the dreaded hat was set aside.
A small cake had been prepared especially for her. They set it on her tray. She tentatively touched the pink icing. Margaret took a bit of icing and let Isabella taste it. The little girl finally grabbed at the cake then looked distressed at the gooey cake covering her hands. I was afraid she was going to cry. Margaret showed her that it tasted good. All of a sudden, Isabella got the hang of it and demolished the cake. We were all surprised at how much she ate.
The mess was cleaned up and the rest of us ate cake using forks instead of fingers. Isabella grabbed her walker and toddled all through the house. She can walk by herself, but hasn’t been doing that for very long. The walker enables her to fly through the halls faster than she can crawl.
Thanks to the sugar rush from the cake, the other small children ran circles through the guests, screaming all the way. It reminded me of all the times we have been at our daughter’s house and our own grandchildren were doing laps around the kitchen island, screaming the whole time.
We caught up with the news from that side of the family. It was good to visit without the added pressure of a wedding or funeral. Even though Isabella never did warm up to us, we were honored to share her special day.
I’m not sure she will ever realize how lucky she is to have two such wonderful parents. She won’t know how fortunate she is to have so many people who love her. Her extended family visits often and it shows in how her face lights up when she sees them. It will be a very long time before she has to face the idea that not all families are as loving as hers is.
In the mean time, she will fight against having party hats on her head. She will revel in the love that surrounds her. And maybe someday, she will make friends with a great-aunt and great -uncle who also cherish her.