Par-tay!

Last weekend we celebrated Brody's first birthday with family and friends! First birthday parties are an interesting phenomenon. It's the very first one, so it has to be great! However, you know that the guest of honor will never remember the party and barely knows what's going on.

That of course didn't stop us from wanting to do something special for his birthday. We invited our closest in-town family members and the couple of friends that Brody has close to his age. We tried to keep it small to stop from overwhelming him, but we're also lucky enough to have amazing friends and family & ended up with a pretty full house. At first Brody was shy, but it didn't take him long to warm up to the attention.

The party was themed around his favorite toy, a yellow and green train that signs the alphabet. He loves riding it and playing with the alphabet blocks. So I thought a train theme would be perfect for a one year old party. We found a cake decorator who did an awesome job on the cake.

Other than that, we had basic 1st birthday decorations and themed the colors around his train. We had a custom shirt made with a train on it and his name.

We had to try to plan it around his bedtime, but due to family conflicts, we had to make some sacrifices there. (That's the part you never think about until you have a 1 year old...no one wants a melt-down mid-party because the birthday boy didn't get a nap!) Luckily we got him down for an early nap that day and he was able to get a couple hours in before the guests started to arrive.Everyone was so generous and Brody got a bunch of wonderful gifts. A month after Christmas, I was a little worried he would just get more of the same toys (which are awesome - but I'm not opening a daycare here!) However, everything he got was more unique than what he already had. Big crayons to practice his art at home, puzzles, blocks, lots of books & some super cute clothes. And...his very own rocking chair!

Brody had a great time, even if he didn't really understand that it was his birthday. He loves cupcakes and loved having his friends there. He was even giving hugs by the time his friends left.

It's a little sad watching your baby grow up, but I love the little man he's become. And I can't wait for the many adventures of his second year...

Our battle with dairy

As past readers know, we've had milk issues with Brody from the beginning. First breastfeeding didn't work (due to me or him or both), then milk-based formulas caused a reaction, then soy formula didn't work, then hypoallergenic formula was the final, expensive solution.

After a month or so on hypoallergenic, we tried soy again. It worked perfectly. Then, several months of something that worked. It was great. We started baby food and just avoided anything with dairy.

Then around 10-11 months I tried yogurt. He got sick. Took some time off, we started cheese, no reaction!! Tried yogurt again, he didn't want to eat it. Tried yogurt bites (freeze dried baby food), no reaction! Tried mac & cheese - perfect!

Then the big test...whole milk. The week of Brody's birthday we mixed in 1oz of milk with his 5 oz bottle of formula. He drank about half of it and about 10 minutes later it was all over the carpet along with everything else he had eaten for the day. Ugh...

We gave him a week off and tried again. Now we started with a tablespoon of milk mixed with his formula. We're up to almost an ounce of milk after 4 days and so far so good!

It's a long process but I finally have hope that he'll be able to drink milk before he's two. In fact, he may be drinking whole milk by the time he's 13 months old!!

Happy Birthday!

Then and Now

Brody rediscovered his love for his bouncy seat over this weekend. He clearly wasn't able to enjoy it's bouncing powers a year ago.

There's a birthday coming soon

Brody's first birthday is less than a week away! Party planning has been going on for a few weeks now, but overall we're hoping to keep it simple and fun.

Based on the invite, you may have guessed that his party is going to have a train-theme. We picked this theme based on one of his favorite toys right now, "The Alphabet Train." However, when I picked this theme I didn't realize how hard it would be to find decorations that aren't Thomas the Train. So we're focusing around the toy and the color theme that goes with it.

The invites have been sent, menu has been planned, the decorations purchased and the cake ordered. And before my eyes this week, my baby will turn one year. And I am sure there will be tears.

Happy New Year

The year of 2011:

I know my baby is going to go through toddlerhood and every minute will be fantastic. We plan on our family continuing to be a family of 3 (plus two dogs). So as I look forward to the year ahead, I reflect on the one thing I can change, myself.

So here are my resolutions to make me a better mother and person:

-Organize, organize and organize. I'm always top of things, plan our schedule well and always pay our bills on time. But...my house is definitely not organized. So, I waste time finding things and doing things that should be faster. I'd rather spend that time with my favorite boys. (Yes, a house-cleaner is in our near future as well...and I refuse to feel guilty about it)

-Lose the pregnancy weight. A year later, Brody can no longer be an excuse for my poor health choices. Enough said.

-Spend more time living in the moment. Time flies by and I have a habit of looking into (a.k.a worrying about) the future too often. That also means getting home from work earlier more often. I realize I'm lucky to be alive and lucky to have the people that I have in my life.

And then...blog about it more often!