We are One Giant Birthday Celebration

I can hardly even practically believe it. After months of meticulous planning by all kinds of organized moms (needless to say, mine was not among them ), we held our joint, so collective it was almost Socialist "We are one" Koombaya June Baby Birthday Bash. There we were, me and 16 other kids my age from the neighborhood, each with our respective posses of people, taking over the park, permit and all.

And to top off the day, before I went to bed, I had a special-edition joint skype session with Memphis and Melbourne. I got to talk to all four of my grandparents at once (on different days at the same time!) to tell them about the big event. (They were so excited, they kept talking over each other... and I didn't know where to look first...)

Anyhoo, it was a picture-perfect, blue-sky summer day, and the scene captured so clearly the reason why everyone who lives in Park Slope loves it - and why those who don't, well, don't. The camaraderie, the sing-alongs, the 'we are one' birthday onesies, the cupcakes and party favors and photo shoots, all timed to a tee... It was enough to make some of our guests do the gag reflex (and believe me, they did).

As my mom explained it to me, for some folks, it may have been a little too much Type-A organizing for their liking. But for my mom and dad (neither of whom are stellar planners), experiencing it from the inside, it felt like a fabulous community, one giant tribe of warmth and support for a bunch of clueless moms and dads going on the same wild ride for the first time. It was like they all graduated together from a year-long course on Parenting 101 (clearly, they've got many more courses to go...). And all it took was a $75 fee to join some random listserve. And now, a year later - months since the breast pumps and hooter-hiders have been put away - here we are, moms and babes (and even dads), hanging out with one another by choice. Whoda thunk it? I call it a combo of good people kissed with good luck.

As for the party post-mortem, here's how it went down: As in past cases, our parents acted like complete asses at times (see video below), but overall, the energy was fabulous. Except for when it wasn't. (Again, below). I also snuck in a few swigs of my mom's mimosa, which was not half bad. More here....