Today, my lovely wife turns 40.

The day didn’t start auspiciously — both of us slept badly, and Noah woke up screaming at 3:15 am, refusing to settle down for at least half an hour. I wound up sleeping on the extra mattress on his floor until about 5:30, and then we got up again an hour later to “start” the day.

On the other hand, from such a beginning, 40 can only improve, right?

Jill got lots of calls and emails of happy birthday from friends and family. I think those helped. A lot. Noah and I also loved hearing Grandma and Grandpa sing Happy Birthday!

Noah gave This Mommy a framed series of his most recent painting and coloring projects:

I gave her a pair of $40 gift certificates, one to a fancy spa I know she loves and one to a yoga and pilates studio in town.

We’ve also been joking that the whole summer has involved something of a “Jill Turns 40 World Tour” of concerts and basketball games, which continues until about a week after Esmerelda Freugenspeigel is expected to make her appearance.

PS - Aunt Anna posted some hilarious pictures from her visit, begging the question of whether or not I look more like a beached whale or a The Great Pumpkin.