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 | Motherhood
From birth day to 1st birthday, Parker and I spent much of his first year together in that very position. I can’t even imagine the number of hours devoted to breastfeeding over these past twelve months, but I will treasure them always.
I know how many moms struggle with breastfeeding, especially those who have to pump several times a day, so I consider myself very lucky that it worked out so well for us. And I definitely don’t take it for granted, because I know that I might not be so lucky the next time around.
In all honesty, I’m really struggling with weaning. Parker does fine with whole cow’s milk, but it is very apparent that he is not ready to be done nursing. We are down to once a day, right after he wakes up, and then on Friday I leave for my first-ever overnight trip without him. All along I’ve planned to wean in time for this trip, because I don’t want to have to worry about pumping for the 4 days I’m away. Also, I figured having this time apart would help him get used to not nursing anymore.
But in the back of my head, I keep questioning this decision and wondering if I’m rushing it. Maybe we would both be happier if we continued…or maybe I’m just trying to delay the inevitable. Motherhood seems to be full of questions without definitive answers, and I feel like I’m just making them up as I go along.
We’ll see how the next few days go, and I’m going to take my pump with me to California just in case. But whether this week is the end or we keep going a little longer, I’m thrilled that we were able to make it to my goal of one year.
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
When Parker was born and we decided to take weekly growth photos until his first birthday, it seemed like FOREVER away. Now all of the sudden we are just a mere month from taking one last photo in the chair next to Mr. Teddy. Parker’s thoughts on this: “Thank goodness!”
My thoughts are a little different. I’m really sad to be moving out of the infant stage and into toddlerville, because this year has been so wonderful. Stressful, exhausting, overwhelming, and wonderful. Not that the next year won’t be all those things, but I’ve never been good at change.
But I’m trying to accept the fact that my baby is turning 1 and get excited about it. He’s hit so many new milestones these last couple weeks, and it’s so much fun to watch him turn into a little person. Here are his latest party tricks:
- Walking. Running. Everywhere.
- Shaking his head no.
- Waving hi and byebye.
- Saying “mama” and “dada” and knowing their meaning.
- Throwing balls.
- Dancing.
Parker is getting more and more adventurous with eating, and will usually at least try whatever I put on his tray. We’ve been giving him little bits of whatever we’re having, and so far his favorite foods seem to be cheese, yogurt, banana, and meat.
He’s still nursing as much as usual, but our pediatrician told us we could start transitioning in whole cow’s milk this month. The plan is to replace the only bottle he gets (in the afternoon, while I’m working) with whole milk, starting next week. That means I can stop pumping, which will help with the weaning process. I’m going to wean completely right after his birthday, since I’m going on my first baby-less trip a week later. It’s sad to think about being all done, but at the same time it will be really nice to have my body all to myself (for the first time in almost two years!).
One more month of babyhood, and then we have a fun summer to look forward to with our big boy. Lots of swimming, traveling, and outdoor adventures are in our near future.
