"Guess what, Max?" Elizabeth said to her son as she lifted him from his crib. "You're one year old today!" Max grinned, showing off his new teeth. He had six now, four on top and two on the bottom.
Paul strode into the bedroom, buttoning his shirt. "How's the birthday boy?"
"Da!" Max exclaimed.
"Here's your 'Da'." Paul took the little boy from his mother. "Everything ready for the party?" Elizabeth had planned a get-together for family and friends at the Brimmer home that evening.
"I think so." Elizabeth bit her bottom lip. "Let's see...cake, check, ice cream, check, balloons, check..."
Paul laughed. "I'm sure you'll do a top notch job, Lizzie, just like you always do." He kissed her lips and then left for work.
Elizabeth spent most of the day getting ready for the party. As she had such a large family, there was a lot of decorating and food and drink preparation to be done. By the time Paul returned home from work that evening, she was quite exhausted.
"Everything looks wonderful, honey," he told her as he kissed her hello.
"I'm so glad you approve." She yawned as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"Da da!" Paul and Elizabeth looked to see Max toddling toward them. He saw them looking and gave a clever laugh, promptly falling on his well-padded bottom.
"Paul! He just took his first step!" Overjoyed, Elizabeth picked her son up and gave him a big hug and kiss on the cheek.
Paul laughed. "We're really going to have to watch him now!"
They ate a hurried meal and then waited for their guests to arrive. Ashley, Erin and their two daughters came first. Vivian was three, and Rosemary was a few months older than Max. Vivian had dark auburn hair just like Elizabeth's, while Rosemary's was a shade or two lighter. "Hello!" said Elizabeth.
"Hi there!" Erin exclaimed, giving her younger sister a big hug. "It's been ages, hasn't it? How have you all been?"
"We've been fine! Max took his very first steps this morning!"
"Well, you know you're gonna really have to watch him now!" Both women laughed. "I remember when Vivi walked for the first time," Erin continued. "Ashley and I had been practicing with her for ages, and one day, Ashley let go of her hands and she just took off! We cheered for her, and when she realized what she was doing, she fell on her butt but then got right back up again! With Rosie it was much easier, since she always tried so hard to be just like Vivi."
"Still does, it looks like," Elizabeth remarked as she watched the toddler follow her older sister around.
Erin laughed. "Oh, yes!"
At last all the guests had arrived, and it was time to let Max open his presents. First was a warm winter sweater that Olivia had knitted for him. "I hope he can still wear it when the weather gets cold, he's growing so fast!" Olivia laughed.
Next was a Teddy bear from Max and Elsa. "Just think, this came all the way from Germany!" Paul told his son. Max chortled with glee as he hugged the toy.
After all the presents had been opened, Elizabeth lit the single candle on the cake and showed her son how to blow it out. Next she cut the cake, taking care to cut the slices thin enough that there was plenty to go around, and served it with ice cream. Everyone was eating and talking and enjoying themselves when she heard a short, sharp cry.
She turned her head and saw Max lying on the ground crying beside his new red wagon, which was lying on its side. Quick as a flash, she rushed to pick up the sobbing child. "What happened?" she demanded.
"I was pulling him in his wagon, and it must have hit a rock or something," Vivian told her.
"He could have been hurt really badly!" Elizabeth was so upset she didn't even realize she was shouting. "You should have been more careful!"
Vivian began to cry, hard. "I'm sorry!"
Right away Erin was there, scooping the little girl up and giving her younger sister a glare that would sour milk.
"Are you all right, sweetie?" Elizabeth sat down with her son, whose sobs had dwindled to sniffles by now. A surge of rage went through her when she saw the angry red bump on his head.
Paul came over to investigate. "I think he'll be all right," he said. "Just make sure he doesn't go to sleep any time soon."
In the meantime, Erin stalked away in a huff with Vivian in her arms. "Come on, Ashley," she told her husband. "Nobody shouts at my little girl like that!"
