It's the little things...

The last few months have been pretty hectic (as you can probably guess from my lack of posts!).  Between parenting, work and enjoying the last of summer, I sometimes feel like I'm constantly running around.  I often need to remind myself to slow down and enjoy the moments as they pass by rather then always thinking about what needs to be done and planning what's next.  It's in these moments of reflection that I realize that it really is the little things in life that make me happy.  Some of these aren't things I would (usually) admit to others, because I confess they are silly but none the less, here I go anyways.  Hopefully you can relate to some of these and I'm not the only crazy mom out there!

1) When you make it home in time for nap and baby doesn't fall asleep in the car on the way home (which would ruin any chance at that nap at home).

2) When you finish your to-do list before nap time is over and you have time to do something for you!  These days I've been pretty hooked to my sewing machine.

3) When you catch your baby doing something incredibly cute.  Like trying to dress themselves.

4) When you wake up before baby in the morning and you have time to pee and scan Facebook before hearing that first peep from the nursery.  Although this one hasn't been happening much lately!

5) When your husband gets up with the baby and you get to sleep in!  Sometimes he even makes me breakfast when I wake up (I know, I'm pretty lucky!)

6) When all your diapers are clean, stuffed and organized by colour.  The only one missing is the one that's currently on the bum. (I told you I was a little crazy! But other moms that use cloth diapers will probably share my excitement.)

7) Drinking a whole coffee in one sitting without it going cold or having to microwave it.  Really the same goes for meals...

8) FLUFF MAIL!  Whether it's new diapers, a new baby carrier or some new fabric.  It's always an exciting moment for me.  Really, any mail that isn't bills is pretty fun!

And finally the most important one is those quiet moments where you get to just unplug and enjoy friends and family!

I hope you all got to enjoy the little things on this long weekend!

Julie

Music Man

We love music!  We always have it playing in the house.  We are huge Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz, Mumford and Sons, Of Monsters and Men, etc. fans.  That kind of stuff.  I can't say that K listens to much children's music, but he is exposed to a wide variety of artists and genres.  On top of always having iTunes going in our home, my very talented and artistic husband is playing the ukulele, piano or guitar for K, any chance he gets.  K bounces and gives standing ovations for his daddy when he plays!  It's the sweetest thing.

K has now become obsessed with the instruments we have in our house and we fully encourage him playing with them and exploring how they work.  Of course, this requires some supervision, as K likes to bash the ukuleles on the floor if we are not watching him.  He now crawls over to the piano, stands up and plays us some tunes, with a big smile on his face the entire time.  He even sings sometimes, as well!  I have very limited knowledge of chords on the guitar and ukulele and I can play "Mary Had a Little Lamb" on the piano.  So, let's just say that I'm no musical prodigy.  But, I don't have to be for K to be able to play around with the instruments and to enjoy and appreciate creating music.

To all of the parents out there who are like me - a little afraid of musical instruments, as I don't know quite how to play them - just let your child explore and play with them.  No need for lessons on how to use them, although lessons when they're older can be fun!  Explore WITH them as well!  I swear, they'll get a kick out of watching you "play" the piano, the guitar, the bongos, heck, even the recorder (I know, those can get quite annoying)!

Research shows the music can improve our spatial reasoning skills.  When you listening to music, our brains are prepared to solve all kinds of puzzles and complete tasks.  Check out the following links for information on even more benefits go exposing children to music!

http://www.educationoasis.com/resources/Articles/building_babys_brain.htm
http://www.raisesmartkid.com/all-ages/1-articles/16-the-effect-of-music-on-childrens-intelligence

You don't need musical instruments in your house to expose you child to music!  Here are some ideas on what to do/use to make music in your home!

- Use empty cans and cover the top with a balloon to make a drum OR add some rice or beans inside to make a shaker.
- Use an empty tissue box and rubber bands to make your own guitar.
- SPOONS!
- Use Tupperware or metal bowls, and sticks or utensils to make a drum set.
- Put rice, noodles or beans in just about ant container.
- For older kids: Use glasses or jars with different amounts of water in each to make different sounds.

I could go one forever!  You can make music with just about anything!

If your child is constantly listening to music AND creating it, think of all the skills he or she is developing as such a young age, all the while having fun and exploring with mommy and daddy!

S

I'm a Good Parent, I Swear!

You may think my techniques are odd, but sometimes, s**t's gotta get done!

Please note that none of these are performed against our child's will.  This was all voluntary.

1.  The laundry hamper method.  Sometimes, I like to only fold my clean clothes once.

2.  The cardboard box method.  When I vacuum, I don't want you chewing on the power cord.

Sometimes, when I'm feeling wild, it's a plastic box! 

3.  The toy bin.  He's just so happy in there!

4.  The Tupperware drawer.  Mommy has to make dinner!

5.  The remote control.  Just take out the batteries and let them play with it, man!

6.  The kitchen appliance method.  

7.  The DVD shelf.  Yes, sometimes I want to finish my episode of Suits on Netflix.

S

Just go with it: life after work

I have been back to work for 6 weeks now and we are finally starting to get into a good routine.  Sure, there are still days where I'm running around trying to figure out what I can make for dinner in 10 minutes, that's considered somewhat healthy.  But for the most part,  I've got this.  However, if you would have asked me a month ago how I liked being back at work, I might have crawled into the fetal position on the floor and ignored your question.  It's not work itself that was the problem.  In fact, I'm really enjoying being back at work.  The problem was the sh*t storm that happened at the same time as my return to work.  It just seemed to be one thing after another.

First, my husband got an infection in his elbow that was so bad it required him to be on IV antibiotics for 4 days!  Of course if they stick a needle in your arm and attach a pump to your waist and they expect you to visit the hospital on a daily basis.  So that was fairly exhausting in itself.  The swollen elbow and IV also meant that my husband couldn't help much with J.  But to make matters worse, I got a bad flu at the same time.  Anyone who has had to parent when all they want to do is curl up in a ball and die will understand how awful this was.  And of course, all of this happened over the 4 days before I was returning to work after my mat leave!

Luckily, by Sunday evening, things were looking up.  I was feeling better and hubby's IV was coming out Monday morning.  We had survived!  But the universe had other plans... I managed to get through my first work day and actually enjoyed it.  J on the other hand, had an awful day at daycare and it was clear by Tuesday morning that he was sick.  Off to the emergency room we went, where the kind doctor informed me that I was to keep him home and stay home with him for the rest of the week.  You can imagine how good I felt about calling my boss with that news!  Luckily, she is amazing and totally understood.

So we got through the week and things were looking up by the weekend... So I thought.  The following week we got strep throat (all 3 of us).  The week after that J got an ear infection that was so bad that his ear drum ruptured!  By this point, I kept thinking things couldn't possibly get any worse, but it just kept piling on.  I got to a point where I had to just go with it.  Roll with the punches as they say.  Amongst the doctor and hospital visits we continued with life and work.  We even managed to celebrate J's first birthday.

Luckily, after the ear infection, things started looking up.  J received antibiotics that not only made him feel better, but it seemed to help with his appetite, which was something that we had been struggling with for months!  My baby was finally eating!

By my 4th week back from mat leave, I was finally starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel.  My husband and I fell into a pretty good morning routine and I finally felt like I could do this working mom thing.

So if you are about to return to work after baby, know that the first few weeks might be tough.  Hopefully you won't have to face too many issues but I think it's fair to expect some bumps along the way.  Just know that it does get better.  It still isn't always easy but as things come up, I've learned to just go with it.

J

How Having a Baby is Like Having a Dog

Sometimes, having a child is like having a dog.

10. Come! Come here!  Common!!!

9. Attempting to drink from the dog's water bowl. 

8. Sit! Sit down! 

7. Stepping on poop inside the house.  (Diaper changes can get a little rowdy.) 

6. Fetch is a popular game.

5. Farts really smell, whether they come from a dog or a baby.  They both can clear a room. 

4. Petting babies on the head.

3. Brushing teeth and cutting nails require wrestling a wild animal and are usually a two-person effort. 

2. At bath time, everybody gets wet.

1. Unconditional love.

~S

Make it yourself: change table storage

I used to keep my cloth diapers in one of those cube type shelves, and while that worked great at first, it wasn't cutting it anymore.  J is now tall enough to reach the top shelf and one of his favourite games was pulling every single diaper off the shelf about 2 billion times a day.  So I started looking for a creative storage solution.

Browsing through Micheals one day I found these beautiful baskets and I thought they would make perfect "shelves" for my diapers.  I got both baskets for about $50.  Of course once I got them home my husband mumbled and groaned because I couldn't simply screw a basket into the wall and expect it to hold weight (who knew?!).

However, he came up with a solution.  I originally wanted to place the baskets horizontally but our wall studs were too far apart for that.  So we placed them side by side vertically.  My husband measured the baskets and cut 2 pieces of 1x3 lumber to place inside.  This helped distribute the weight as well as insured that the screw wouldn't slip out through the basket weave.  Finally, he found the wall studs and screwed the baskets to the wall and voilà!  

The whole project took about 20 minutes and I'm loving the look, as well as the convenience of having this storage above the change table.

Julie

"I don't need you anymore, mommy"

Yesterday was a big day for K and I.  I worked extremely hard to be able to breastfeed K when he was first born (see another new post entitled "A Nipple What?").  He is now great at nursing AND at eating the entire content of our fridge.  He's a bottomless pit. Up to yesterday, he was still nursing three times a day: first thing in the morning, afternoon as a snack and right before bed.  That is what I planned on doing until mid August.  Then, my plan was to start introducing afternoon snack, so that when I returned to work, no pumping and no bottles would necessary.

Well, yesterday afternoon, he decided he didn't want to nurse.  I was heart broken and felt rejected.  I was warned by my mother-in-law that weaning  is "very traumatic for the mom." I believe it!  I teared up and then realized that he would have to start drinking cow's milk, as breast milk twice a day wasn't enough.  So my lovely husband and K went off to the store to get homo milk.  Based on other mom's experiences, I was expecting for this process to be long and difficult.  I was expecting K to refuse the milk, and that we would have mom-baby arguments about drinking the not-so-sweet type of milk.  The thought of him giving me a hard time about this actually made me feel good.  It made me feel like he still needed me and preferred my milk.

WELL, my kid chugged the cow's milk right up.  All 4oz of it.  So there I am, watching him down it and I find myself crying AND cheering for him at the same time.  I'm so proud of him for being such an easy-going baby with new foods, milk, changes in his routine, etc.  But, he doesn't seem like a baby so much anymore.  He's a big boy, who drinks cow's milk and who doesn't need mommy to pump or even BE there in order to eat anymore.

Is this what motherhood feels like?  So much pride AND heart break at the same time?

S

A Nipple What?

Before I had our beautiful baby, K, I knew that I wanted to breastfeed.  I could picture myself holding K right after giving birth and quickly being able to jump onto the breastfeeding wagon!  Although I am pro breastfeeding, I fully respect everyone's personal choice of doing what works for them.  Feeding your constantly hungry child is a huge job, especially in those first couple of months.  We do what we have to do and what works for us, and that's all that matters!

In my case, I wanted so desperately to breastfeed, and unfortunately my desire to start that as soon as that beautiful baby came into my life did not happen.  This post is not just to tell you my story and adventures, but to encourage those who struggle with breastfeeding in those first fews days/weeks/months, because let me tell ya, you're like a human wet bar, and it's not easy!

K joined us 5 weeks early, on the first day of school, which is a big deal, since my hubby and I are both teachers!  Contractions started on labour day (hah!) and 40 hours later, K arrived!  I didn't get to hold him right away as he needed immediate medical attention.  I was finally able to hold him but what felt like a millisecond, before he was taken away once again.  Then came the hard part.  I was told that breastfeeding would be too physically draining for this little fellow and so I never got to try.  Being a first time mother, this scared me and I just went along with whatever the staff at the hospital said.  "We will give him a bit of your milk, and also give him formula...".  Don't get me wrong the staff there were so kind and caring, and did everything they could to make K strong and healthy.  They educated me on what they believed was best at the time.  I do, however, regret not requesting to try feeding K all by myself.  I was then introduced to the mysterious nipple shield.  "What the heck is that???" is the first thing that came to mind.  Well, it helped me feed Kingsley, but I hated that thing at the same time.  Needless to say, he ate well, grew before our very eyes, but WOULD NOT eat without it.  It took me almost 4 months to get rid of that darn thing that I loved and yet hated so much!  It is so hard to keep going when giving up seems like the easiest way to go.  I was lucky enough to have experienced people help me through this.  USE THOSE PEOPLE!  And if you need to take your top off in front of them, they'll just roll with it, trust me.  I showed my boobs to people I never thought I would.  I never thought THAT many people would see them!  As for the people who are discouraging you or stressing you out by saying things like "try harder, your baby should be weaned off the shield by now", ignore them.

There are loads of opinionated people our there who feel the need to tell you "how it should be done".  I had a hard time learning that I need to take things with a grain of salt, and do what I wanted to do!

S

Worry Wart

I was warned by other mothers, but I didn't fully believe them.  "You'll always be worrying about something, just wait!", or "Even when they're adults, living in their own place, you'll worry."  My response was usually something like "Ya, ok..."  When you're pregnant, you think you have everything down pat, including how you'll act, how you'll be as a mother and how you'll handle yourself in different situations.  "I won't worry, unless I REALLY need to worry..." is what I thought.  That's just bologna!  I like to think that I am a fairly calm mother (my husband may beg to differ).  I am pretty good at staying calm, cool and collected when K is grumpy, when he won't sleep, etc.  However, I have been quite the worry wart in the following scenarios (I know that this is only the beginning of my worrying, so really this is an ongoing, forever growing list):

1. I thought K couldn't hear around the age of 6-7 months.  Turns out he was just distracted by whatever he was doing and he'd rather focus on that than turning around when he heard my voice.  He was probably thinking "Ya, ya, you narrate what you do all day.  I'm tuning you out, mommy!"

*Side note - I do actually narrate what I do every day.  More on that in a future post!

2. K took a long time to start army crawling and for a while wouldn't even bother trying.  Turns out, he was just lazy.

3. For the first few months, K would barely smile and I thought "Oh my God, he'll never smile.  He'll be the most serious baby!  It doesn't make sense!  His parents are never serious!"  Now, all he does is smile and laugh.

4. We were hoping and praying that K would just sleep through the night, and when he finally did, I didn't sleep.  I checked for signs of life every hour...  AT LEAST!  Poking him, putting my head against his chest, sticking my fingers near/in his mouth.  After my "life checks", I would lay wide awake in bed, waiting for him to snore (which he does... He really, really does!), sigh, or whimper.

5.  RASHES!  K had a rash, and it was all I can think about.  He would fight me, roll around, push me away, as I constantly inspected it and looked for signs of it improving or getting worse.  Turns out, it's a heat rash, just like the ones I sometimes get when it's so stinkin' hot outside!

I hope I'm not alone when I say that sometimes when I worry about something, it consumes not only my mind, but my entire body.  I sometimes feel like I can't do ANYTHING, but just lay down like a big pile of mush and drown in my worries.  I can't think of anything else!

A PERFECT example of me worrying.  I think he has a fever (he doesn't, it's just hot out) and I'm worrying that one of the thermometers isn't working properly. 

S

The struggle is real...

There are many moments as a parent that make you look at your child with nothing but love, admiration and wonder at this miracle you've created.  But sometimes, there are moments when you wonder what the heck you've gotten yourself into, and whether you will survive until bed time.  Although I love most of our time together,  there are some moments I dread each day...

One of these moments is diaper changes.  I don't know what's so horrible about it, but it makes J scream and squirm as if I were torturing him. I not only have to deal with dirty diapers but I have to somehow pin down a surprisingly strong 1 year old, while trying to avoid getting poop everywhere, and then get a clean diaper back on.  Most days I lose and I end up having to do a complete outfit change (sometimes for both of us) and cleaning poop off the change table, wall and/or floor...

The runner up to diaper changes is getting him strapped into the car seat.  Of course, the more public the location, the more J will scream.  It's like he enjoys the looks I get from people wondering what in the world I am doing to my poor child.  And even though he doesn't speak yet I swear there are times I hear him say "In a hurry mom?  No problem!  I'll just go stiff as a board so you can't possibly get me strapped in (insert devilish grin)."

We do both of these things multiple times a day, yet every time, it's as if it were the end of the world and I find myself wishing it was acceptable to day drink and parent... Sigh!

Luckily he's pretty darn adorable!

Julie

Working out

Let's be honest, working out isn't often on the top of our to-do list.  And, the thought of working out often makes me want to cry, since I'm already sleep deprived.

I am quite lucky!  K is amazing at playing independently, and keeping himself entertained.  All he needs is a bowl, or some other weird thing from the kitchen.  So, I have been working out at least 4 days a week, while he plays on his own and/or watches me work out.  He also enjoys laughing at me while I do this...  What a kid!

I'm sure that I'm not the only one who doesn't have time for long workouts.  Although I would love to start Insanity again, those are 40 minutes long!  My baby cannot play on his own, without interruption for 40 minutes!  That's crazy talk!

So, here are some Stretchmarks Mommies approved, FREE workout programs that are short and extremely effective.  Don't think for a second that "only 15 minutes!" means it's going to be easy!

Bikini Body Mommy (http://bikinibodymommy.com)
Brianna Christine created a series of 90-day challenges, along with meal plans for mothers.  Her 20 (ish) minute videos combine cardio and strength exercises for a full-body workout.
There are also Facebook groups you can join in order to have accountability partners, who keep you on track and motivated throughout the challenges.  

Betty Rocker (http://makefatcrychallenge.com)
This girl doesn't mess around.  Her 30-day challenge is no joke, even if the daily workouts are only 15 minutes long!  She's got it all in this challenge - pilates, yoga, tabata workouts, cardio, etc.  You are guaranteed to break a sweat every time.  This program is actually my personal favourite!

Jillian Michaels 6-week Six Pack - you can find her videos on youtube!
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ8Zdj0OPMI&list=PL3-z68yfGgnC5itBwbe1QfEDFRs6xATjO)
I just started Level 1 this week, and although it targets your core, it's an intense, but doable, full body workout.  I love it!

S

Things I never thought I would say...

An oldie but a goodie!  

1) "That is the cutest poop I have ever seen!" - S's husband

2) "Stop trying to french mommy!" - S's husband

3) "If you wake that baby up I will punch you in the face."  Let's change it to "If you ________(insert action here)______, I will punch in the face!"

4) "Don't lick the truck!!"  - To J as he played with the baby on the bumper (aka his reflection).

5) Chanting "H2O, H2O, H2O!!!" while the baby drinks water, because it's funnier than saying "water".

6) "Stop chewing on the electrical cord!!!" (No babies were harmed during this and the cord was removed... Sneaky baby!)

7) "You may touch your penis, only when the poop is cleaned off."

8) "Don't lick the dog..."

9) "Quit chewing on the furniture!" (I swear J chews furniture more than my dog ever did!)

Just go with it: That Don't Impress Me Much

This is about the moments where you, despite how you feel about the situation, must just roll with it, go with the flow and live those moments you never thought you'd have to.

My husband and I went to see Shania Twain in concert this weekend.  Shania is the REAL love of my husband's life.  We have an understanding when it comes to Shania (yes, we're on a first name basis).  He has permission to leave me for her, just like I have permission to leave for Jimmy Fallon.  Fair, right?

Anyways, this was an outdoor concert at a new park (don't even get me started on how disorganized and chaotic it was!).  We were so excited and made sure to read all of the "rules" on the website.  Here are some:
- No parking at the location.  Shuttle services will take you to the park.
- No outside food and beverages.
(A bunch more basic rules)
- Only purses and small backpacks allowed, and they WILL be searched.

Here's where my story begins.

I'm not a light packer, but I am an organized person!  So, here are the contents that made it into my backpack:

- Water bottles (they had to be small ones, or they'd be taken away)
- Towel
- My husband's medical supplies (a necessity!)
- Wallet
And..............
- My portable, travel size breast pump!

So of course, things got a little awkward when the big tough security guard with the spider and skull tattoos on his bald head looked through my bag.  Words were not exchanged, but the search ended very quickly, once he got to the breast pump.

The hand pump was really only there as a "just in case" kind of thing.  You know, boobs can be unpredictable.  Some days you thing they'll get huge if you're away from your LO and they won't.  Other days, you're away from you LO for like 2 hours and WABAM!  The ladies have grown 3 million sizes.  So, considering we were arriving at 12, waiting until 4 for the concert to start, watching three opening acts from 4 to 8:30 and THEN seeing Shania, I figured the pump would probably come in handy.

The issue here came up when I looked around this intense crowd of people drinking, eating, partying EVERYWHERE and I thought "Damn, my boobs are going to explode!  Where the heck am I going to pump?".  Well, ladies and gentleman, here is my "just go with it moment": I found myself pumping in a small, dirty, smelly... PORTO-POTTY!

That, is one thing I never, ever thought I would do in my life.  But there I was, staring at the green plastic walls around me, listening to the pumping "pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft", and checking my Facebook with the other hand, to make time go by just a little quicker.  On top of all that, breastmilk is like liquid gold!  Every drop counts, when your baby is starting to wean and pumping becomes more difficult.  Sadly, I had to dump it.  I dumped into the porto-potty.

What made it all better was seeing this amazing woman, who, I must admit, I have a lady crush on.

Sometimes, we gotta JUST GO WITH!

S

Why the F*%# can't anyone make "young mom jeans"

This an open letter to all the jean designers and manufactures out there...  Why in the world can't you guys make regular ol' boot cut jeans.  I don't want these ripped up and bleached jeans that seem to be in every store I visit.  I can do that to them all by myself...  Just give me a few years with them.  And who do you know that actually looks good in those??  I also don't want any kind of flower or bling or anything else on my pockets.  A little stitching is acceptable if it makes my butt look good.  Furthermore, I love skinny jeans as much as the next person but they aren't right for every occasion either.  Also what's with the rise being soooo low?! Half of the jeans I try on don't even cover my butt and the ones that do don't allow me to sit without an extra long shirt to make sure my butt crack isn't hanging out.

Now you might be thinking that I'm just shopping in the wrong place and maybe you're right, but here is my issue...  I like to think I'm still young and cool.  I might not be completely up to date with what all the teens are doing these days, but I was a teen not all THAT long ago.  I do have Facebook and Twitter and Instagram... but I also know that I don't look good in 90% of the jeans that are currently in stores I frequent.

However, I'm not ready to shop at mature ladies wear stores either.  And I don't want jeans that go all the way up to my boobs.  Or don't flatter me what so ever!  I just don't want them hanging off my butt either.  Am I asking for too much?!  I can't possibly be the only one with this problem! I'm not asking for much! 

So if you are a jean designer, here's what I need in my pair of "young mom jeans"; medium to dark blue bootcut and mid rise.  By mid-rise I mean jeans that are not hanging off my butt but not up to my belly button either.  Jeans that allow me to bend over but still wear a belt without having to tuck in my shirt (80's fashion anyone?).  I also need jeans without rips, bleach spots, stripes or stars or whatever else is in these days.  And finally I'd like it at a reasonable price.  After all I'm raising a small human and that isn't cheap.  So, I'm on a budget!  

If you are reading this and you know where I can buy such jeans please let me know!  I really don't think I'm asking for too much!

J

"What the ****?" Mommy Moments!

We all have those moments where we go "What the ****?", as mommies.  Here are some of our very best and most memorable ones so far!

1)  "What?  Really?!  Actually?! You just puked in my HAIR!"

2)  "POOP JUST FLEW ACROSS THE ROOM!!!"  (direct quote - no joke!)

3) K ate the table at East Mario's, instead of his dinner.

4) Turn around for just a second...and hear "splish..splash".  Baby has turned the toilet into a water table. (Thankfully my husband finally remembered to flush!!)

5) My baby started crawling for a straw wrapper.  No toy in the world was tempting enough, but a straw wrapper did the trick.

6) That moment when K crawled away without a diaper on, peed everywhere and then crawled through it.  The entire floor was covered in pee, along with the child.
table at East Mario's, instead of his dinner.

7) 4 words: Diaper-free poop.... Not cool, kiddo!

8) When your baby and your dog are both staring at you and smiling, and you don't know who that funky smell is coming from...

9) When I'm on the toilet and my little guy tries to pull himself up, using my legs or pants...

Bring on the Cake!

I'm not sure how it happened but somehow my sweet baby boy turned 1 year old over the weekend.  It feels like just a few months ago I was (impatiently) awaiting his arrival.  He was 9 days past my due date and each of those days felt like a year in itself.  Yet somehow here we are celebrating his transition into toddlerhood!

Of course an event this big couldn't just be celebrated for one day.  Go big or go home right?  So the birthday celebrations started a few weeks ago with a cake smash photo session with Ang from Moment.us Photography.  Whether or not you want to include a cake, I definitely recommend doing a birthday shoot.  Babies this age are so full of character and we had so much fun!  Plus, we got some amazing shots that I will treasure forever.

Not sure how to prepare for a cake smash?  Here are two things I learned from our experience.  First,
go in with no expectations and just go with the flow.  Directing a 1 year old to imitate that amazing Pinterest pose you saw will only leave you frustrated and disappointed.  Let them be and I promise you will get great pictures!  The second thing I learned was to avoid red icing.  I had heard this before but my cake had red and blue dots.  Since it wasn't a lot of red I figured it would be ok but I was wrong.  Our pictures still look great but J looks like he's wearing lipstick in some of them and he even left what looked like a bloody handprint on one of the crates!  For similar reasons I wouldn't recommend chocolate cake or brown icing... enough said!

I chose to do the cake smash about 2 weeks before his actual birthday so I would have the proofs back in time for his party.  I set them up as a slide show on the TV and they were a great addition to his special day.

The day of his birthday was a quiet affair at home but the next day was party day!  If you ask my husband he'll tell you I went overboard in my planning.  A few nights before the party, as I was getting decorations ready he told me "you realize he doesn't even know it's his birthday right??".  I do know this but the truth is that throwing myself into party planning made me excited for this milestone.  Otherwise I just wanted to cry because my tiny baby was no more...  Yes, I know he will always be my baby no matter how big he gets, but he's growing much quicker than I'd like.

But back to the party;  I chose a tractor theme and I worked with a few amazing WAHM (work at home moms) to get decorations just the way I liked.  You can see links to their business pages below.  The rest of my party supplies were from Micheals, Walmart or the Dollar Tree.  All in all, they were fairly inexpensive but I love how they all came together the day of the party.  I also used some of my husbands prized model tractors and some monthly photos of J as décor. 


The party food was labeled with tractor or farm names such as tractor tires (oreos), nuts and bolts (bits and bites), veggie garden and fruit orchard.  For dessert, my amazing sister made delicious cupcakes and of course no party is complete (in my books) without mason jar glasses and some delicious fuel... I mean fruit punch!

Although I am still having a hard time with how quickly my baby is growing up, we had an amazing party day.  The weather was perfect and we celebrated my favorite little man with family and friends.  There really isn't much in this world that is better than that!  I can't wait to see what the next year has in store for us and all the new things J will learn!

Party Animals!!

Julie

Business links:

J's birthday shirt (tractor and a 1) was from Little Lily Bamboo https://www.facebook.com/littlelilybamboo

Banners, cupcake toppers, chalkboard poster and our invitations were designed by M&M chalkboard creations
https://www.facebook.com/mmchalkboardcreations

Cake smash photography by Moment.us Photography
https://www.facebook.com/Moment.usPhotography

Also a special thanks to my fellow Stretchmark mommy S for taking amazing photos of J's special day.