by Rachel | Family Life
Parker has always been a charmer, but based on his birthday party, I think it’s safe to say that he specializes in small groups rather than large crowds. As more and more people arrived and showered attention on him, it was clear that the birthday boy was feeling more than a little bashful. But the straw would break the camel’s back a little bit later.
We went all out with the nautical theme to match his nursery and new playroom (more on that coming soon!). So naturally Parker dressed the part in a sailor suit as the guests arrived. But before long, he made his first wardrobe change into swim attire so that he could join all his friends in the pool.
My mom and stepdad went above and beyond by not only hosting the party — which included opening up their pool to a gaggle of babies and toddlers! — but also preparing almost all the food. The spread was pretty fantastic. My mother-in-law contributed with fruit and desserts, and my mom’s friend Terri created the awesome cookies. I’m not much of a chef, so I stuck to decorating and making sure everyone was having a good time.
Parker made the rounds throughout the party, but spent the majority of it chilling in the pool with his buddies. He loves his friends! It was so cute watching them interact in the water. Parker looks like such a little peanut next to them (though to be fair, he is the youngest by several months).
The weather was beautiful…a perfect day for a pool party. It was fun watching everyone splash around and have a good time. That is by far the most people ever to swim in that pool at once.
After we filled up on hot dogs, hamburgers, pasta salad, and lots of other yummy food, it was time to sing “Happy Birthday”. Parker wasn’t thrilled about sitting in his high chair, and it only went downhill from there. He burst into tears as soon as everyone started singing to him, and wanted absolutely nothing to do with his smash cake.
I smiled for this photo, but inside my heart was breaking for my overstimulated, overwhelmed, overtired little buddy. I rescued him from the hot seat a few moments later, but not before Zach dangled him over his cake. I’m sure you can guess how I felt about that!
At that point, the 30+ person crowd began to thin out and Parker had a chance to chill out. He opened a couple gifts, including a pair of Air Jordans from his friends Augie and Charlie. Pretty fancy!
He also got his very own personalized soccer jersey, which of course Zach put on him immediately. One of my mom’s gifts to Parker was an engraved Louisville Slugger bat with his name and the Cubs logo. I think Daddy was much more excited about it than Parker :) Parker’s cousin Mason helped him open the rest of his gifts.
I’m so grateful first and foremost to my parents for hosting and doing all the hard work involved with throwing the party. The rest of the grandparents (especially my mother-in-law) helped out and made it such a special event. So many of our friends and family traveled to Springfield to help Parker celebrate; we are super thankful for the great company and of course, all the awesome gifts Parker received!
After the party was over, we loaded everything up and took our exhausted one-year-old (!) home to get ready for bed. Needless to say, he slept VERY well that night. We all did, actually. It was a wonderful day, but I’m glad first birthday bashes only happen once.
by Rachel | Family Life
After almost two years of taking weekly photos, we’ve wrapped up our latest project. The first was my pregnancy series, and no one was happier to see that end than Zach and I — finding a fruit that corresponded with the baby’s size became more stressful each week.
But the “52 Weeks of Parker” series coming to a close was a little more bittersweet, and for obvious reasons. Getting Parker to pose for his weekly photo was no easy feat in those last couple of months, but somehow we managed to pull it off.
For the most part, Parker was a good sport and played along with us. We got some pretty cute shots, and I know we will treasure the photos that show his growth throughout the first year. But the best photo of all is the very last one: it says loud and clear, “ALL DONE!”
I had the photos printed and then hung them up for everyone to see at Parker’s first birthday party (more on that coming soon). I also made a little video and recorded a special song to go along with it. Watch the video here.
by Rachel | Family Life
The last solo flight I took was almost exactly two years ago — when Parker was just a glint in my eye — to visit my friend Vanessa in Orlando. Since then I’ve traveled a LOT, but it has always been with my family. The last 6 flights I’ve taken have included a carseat, stroller, giant suitcase, multiple diaper bags, and a baby strapped to my chest.
So it feels a little strange breezing through the airport with just a carry-on and shoulder bag. I forgot how easy it is! But every time I see a family carting all of the aforementioned baggage, I get a little teary; this is the first time I’ve left Parker overnight, let alone for a long weekend.
I’m not going to lie: there were LOTS of tears as I said goodbye to him this morning. Poor Zach had to endure my endless stream of reminders and post-it notes tacked on to every surface of the house, but he took it like a champ. He knows how hard this is for me, but he also reminded me a million times how great this trip will be. And how much I deserve it, bless his heart :)
Every summer, I get together with my music therapy colleagues Michelle and Kimberly (and this year, Matt too!) for a “working weekend” in order to plan the upcoming year for our podcast and business. Matt lives in California, so we are heading there for 3 days of extremely productive work…plus seeing the sights of San Francisco and enjoying the wineries of Napa Valley. It’s going to be awesome.
I know my friends will keep me thoroughly distracted and entertained, but at least a little piece of my mind will always be wondering what my baby is doing. I’ve already told Zach that I expect photos every hour and multiple FaceTime chats each day. And kissing his little face when I get home on Monday night will be the best moment ever.
by Rachel | Family Life
Nevermind that I’m turning 31 today; the real celebration will be on Sunday when Parker turns ONE. And so begins a lifetime of overshadowed birthdays (as it should be; I’ve had my time in the sun).
This week is very bittersweet to me. I’ve been feeling nostalgic, thinking back to this time last year when I was getting ready to have Parker. It does NOT seem like 12 months have passed since then! As quickly as this year has flown by, I remember every moment of it so vividly. It helps that I’ve taken hundreds of thousands of photos and blogged semi-regularly along the way.
I have a fun little video to share this weekend involving the weekly photos we’ve been taking of Parker. It’s just incredible to look back at pictures of him as a tiny newborn, and then watch him run around the house, showing off new skills just about every day. I’m so proud of the sweet, smart little boy my baby is becoming.
So far, our birthday week together has been pretty wonderful. Monday was my last day of work until July, which in itself was worth celebrating! It’s so nice to have a break. On Tuesday, I went birthday shopping while my mother-in-law watched Parker, and then yesterday we hung out at home and I got some work done on the new playroom (our big birthday present to Parker!).
I’m kicking off my 31st year today with lunch and shopping, meeting up with one of my college friends who is in town for the weekend, and then dinner with my family. More fun is to come tomorrow, when we head to Chicago for a Cubs game with the president of AAA. He wanted to treat Parker to his first game, and Zach (being quite the devoted Cubs fan) is more than a little excited.
Sunday is the BIG day, though, and I am getting super excited. Between the playroom reveal and a big birthday bash, Parker is going to be quite the lucky little one-year-old. Photos and blog posts to come!
by Rachel | Family Life
Just as I started to feel like I was getting a handle on this whole “working mom” thing, summer break arrived. Not that I’m complaining! Actually, I’m super stoked to have the month of June off; there is SO much happening in these next four weeks that I’ll need the extra down time.
It’s hard to believe that almost exactly one year ago, I was wrapping up work and getting ready to have a baby! I spent the entire summer on maternity leave with Parker, and it was wonderful. So wonderful, in fact, that I was tempted to close up shop until September once again. But that isn’t a very savvy move for a business owner, and I figured I would start to get antsy about halfway through, so I came up with a good compromise.
In July I’ll be offering a 5-week early childhood music class as well as a 6-week summer session for my students. I’m looking forward to a more relaxed schedule (no Fridays!) and earlier nights, which means I can actually eat dinner with my family. Then mid-August, I’ll have another short break before kicking off the new school year session in September.
Yesterday was my first official day of summer break, and it was pretty much perfect: birthday shopping while my mother-in-law babysat Parker, catching up over the phone with several good friends, a long stroller walk, and early bedtime. The rest of the week looks promising with my birthday, a day trip to Chicago for a Cubs game, and Parker’s 1st birthday party. Hmm…I could get used to this.
by Rachel | Family Life
Had Parker been born just 3 weeks earlier, I would have celebrated my first Mother’s Day last year. But instead, I celebrated being an almost-mama; one of my last quiet, lazy Sundays for a long, long time.
This year was quite another story. Life as Parker’s mom is anything but quiet and lazy, and Mother’s Day was no exception. Zach surprised me with a family weekend in St. Louis, so we headed down on Saturday. Our day started at the St. Louis Zoo with thousands of other families who had the same idea. It was crowded, but we had so much fun introducing Parker to all the animals. He loved them all, but his favorites by far were the birds. Go figure!
After a few hours at the zoo, all three of us were ready for a relaxing, low-key afternoon. We wanted to take full advantage of the gorgeous weather, so we headed to the botanical gardens. I really could have spent the entire day there! (And we almost had no choice — Zach lost his keys and we spent the last half hour tracing our steps with no luck. Fortunately, someone turned them in to the front desk.)
Our next stop was the hotel, where we rested for a few minutes before getting ready for dinner. Zach’s sister suggested we try Bailey’s Range, which was within walking distance of where we were staying downtown at the Hyatt. All I can say is OMG. Our dinner was amazing, and I haven’t stopped daydreaming about it since! Parker was an angel all the way through our meal, and then he fell asleep just in time for dessert. Perfection.
We headed back to the hotel after dinner and went to bed early. The next morning, we had a yummy breakfast at the Hyatt before hitting the road back to Springfield. We spent Sunday doing family stuff and getting more fresh air before I taught my Church Mice music class, and then had dinner at Zach’s parents’ house.
It was a nearly perfect first Mother’s Day weekend. The only thing that could have made it better would have been getting to spend part of it with my own mom, but she was in Phoenix meeting my new nephew, Alec. Luckily she lives just down the street and I see her all the time :)
One more little surprise from Zach: this adorable video he put together and played for me on Mother’s Day. It made me cry and feel SO incredibly blessed to be the mother of the most amazing little boy.
