It was by most accounts a small party. K had 3 friends, their older siblings (who just happen to be K’s big sister’s friends too), 2 sets of grandparents, and a couple of other parents as well. When we were discussing what to do for the party and who to invite we thought this would be the right number as we have noticed in the past that he has a hard time when numbers get large and the interaction and intensity level of young kids gets elevated. Not to mention that he would know everyone that was in attendance and it was in his own house which would make things much easier to cope with. The party went very well and I think that a good time was had by all. All the kids played well together, there were only a couple minor incidents, as there always are with young kids, and K had a good day.

It was really good to see his anticipation and excitement for the party. He told me on many different occasions throughout the morning as we were getting ready for the party that we were celebrating his birthday and that we were having a party and his friends were coming. In fact, he was mentally ready to go at breakfast! This is quite a departure from the past when he would have been ambivalent about the whole ordeal, would have ignored the other kids, fixated on his presents (completely normal behavior I think), and may not have been able to cope very well with all the people and activity. What a difference a year makes! One of the biggest surprises and “cutest” moments came at our family dinner later in the evening when he started talking about what a great day he had and that it was a lot of fun. K was contributing to the conversation instead of regurgitating some echolalic speech as he is prone to do and I must say it was very exciting to see him be part of the larger social dynamic of the extended family dinner.

I’m sure this will be a topic of discussion for some time to come as he plays with his new toys and takes every opportunity let us know where he got them and why. It was K’s birthday, but he was not the only one who received a gift. It was really great to watch him playing with the other kids and to hear him recount the experience later with his obvious satisfaction with the entire event. Happy, sort-of birthday, K!!