Some birthdays are bigger

Everyone seemed convinced that Lon's birthday was a really big thing.

The only person who was tentative about it was Lon. He was working at a disadvantage, though; he had never previously had a birthday and wasn't sure what to expect.

Most of the others at the party has had several birthdays. One has had 88 of them and doesn't seem to get that excited about them anymore. But for Lon, this was a big deal.

Lon -- whom I'm required to say was NOT named after horror-film star Lon Chaney Jr. -- soon met an array of people, many of whom he barely knew.

There were two others who haven't had a birthday. Adelaide (not named after the "Guys and Dolls" showgirl) is Lon's cousin; Theo (not named after Brother Theo) is Lon's best and only friend.

The others, however, knew what to expect. His sister Kasia, who is almost 4, knows all about birthdays and about everything else. She has the dominant-sibling role down pat. When Lon went in to get his first pair of shoes, Kasia emerged with the free toy that comes with them. This tells you all you need to know about the power structure of their relationship.

The adults were there too and quite keyed up. Some were upset that Lon was napping a half-hour into the party. When he arrived, it took him a while to show interest, possibly because:

1) There was sensory overload. He was suddenly surrounded by packs of relatives, neighbors and friend.

2) We hadn't sufficiently explained the getting-toys part to him.

3) He didn't really need toys anyway. So far, his two favorite playthings are the dishwasher in the kitchen and the gate by the steps. With those, who needs more?

Anyway, Lon did his best to seem interested in the toys and food and relatives and such. After almost everyone had left, he was taken up to bed.

And then, oddly, he mentioned that this wasn't his proper bedtime after all. He was brought down again and stayed up two hours later than usual. He pushed the circus truck a lot, moved the multi-shaped wood blocks a lot, seemed genuinely interested.

It turns out that the getting-presents thing is good, after all. For his second birthday, I'll bet we have his full attention.