{Birthday Party} Baby K is One!

Having a birthday party at your house is a lot of work, y'all. Especially on the heels of your best friends wedding. But we did it and it was a HUGE success! 

By far, my favorite party decoration was the dessert table. I tried to go with a pink and white polka dot theme with the desserts as well. They included pink popcorn with white sprinkles, pink covered marshmallow treats, pink and white cupcakes, and pink lemonade with striped and polka dot straws in mason jars instead of regular cups. 

The centerpiece was her first birthday "faux" chalkboard made by Paper Dime Design and only cost $2.00 to print at Staples.

My mother-in-law made this cake, how gorgeous is that?! 

And a close-up of the "One" we made using pictures from her first year. Huge hit, by the way!

Baby K was all decked out in her pink and polka dot outfit. She had a great time seeing everyone.

That was, until she was put in her uber adorable high chair that her mommy spent so much time painting and decorating and Lost. Her. Shit.

Here I am thinking that if I hold her, she'll lose less of her shit. No such luck. 

Turns out, she was exhausted. I snuck in while the party was still going on to take a picture of our party pooper, all pooped out. 

When everything was said and done, the 25 people that we had in our shoe box sized house had a great time and we have tons of memories to share with Baby K once she's old enough. 

And here is a last shot  of some of the details before they were taken down. 

Links: Popcorn Recipe - Marshmallow Recipe - Straws - Faux Chalkboard - Bunting Template - Crown - Onesie - Bloomers - Mason Jars - Polka Dot Balloons - Fabric garland handmade by me

{Monthly Baby Update} One Year!

I'm One!
Weight: 23 lbs., 14 oz. (88th percentile)
Height: 31.5 inches (apparently her height is off the chart)
Clothing Size: Still in either 18 months or 12-18 months. However, I am starting to see that some of her 18 month clothing is starting to get a little snug.  
Diaper Size: Size 4
Feeding:  Feeding is still REALLY difficult. She is still not interested in "real" food, which has been frustrating. The doctor assured us that this is normal and it can take introducing a food up to 15 times in order for a baby to take to it. So we'll just continue to introduce and cross our fingers that one day it will stick. We're in the process of transitioning her from formula to whole milk which will make our wallet happy - Formula is crazy expensive! She's still taking three, 8-10 oz. bottles/day and eating "real" food/baby food twice a day. Our goal going forward is to lower her milk intake slightly and introduce more "real" food. 
Milestones: Baby Girl is cruising! She's not walking by herself, yet, but she can get around the living room with the help of our ottoman, couch and chairs.

Don't mind of all the crap laying around. Yes, we use our banister to hang hats.  She is working on a 5th tooth right now. She's taking it like a champ! Baby Girl is pointing at everything. On our walks, she'll even point in the direction of a dog and say "daaaaaaaa" (which is her version of dog). She's definitely very expressive with her hands. We're noticing that she has a very dainty side to her. 

This is her "I don't know" response. Usually accompanied by a shoulder shrug. 

Loves: Playing with anything other than her toys. So this includes - opening the broiler (where I keep cookie sheets), opening the pantry, standing and holding on to her stroller, finding cords under our entertainment center, banging on the fireplace, climbing up the stairs. Just to name a few.  Another favorite is standing up in her crib and tossing her small blankets. She thinks it's great.  She is still a huge fan of giving hugs and kisses. I hope that never goes away.
Hates: Still not a fan of food.  Looking forward to: Baby K taking her first steps. Celebrating the holidays with her - Starting with the pumpkin patch and trick-or-treating!

{Adventures In} Starting Birthday Traditions Pt. 1

In the months leading up to Baby K's first birthday, I decided to find come up with my own amazing birthday traditions in the hopes that at least some element of the tradition can be duplicated every year. Not only will this make Baby K excited for her birthday every year, but you can also get some amazing comparison pictures as well. Here are a few ideas of what I found on Pinterest came up with.

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What child wouldn't like a crib full of balloons to play with!? Just like a giant ball pit, but way better. Just blow up 30 (or so) balloons and you've got yourself one amazing birthday picture. Once your child is out of their crib, you can move the balloons to the door and create either a curtain or an "avalanche".

             

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Next up! Donut birthday cake a la' Little Baby Garvin. This is a great idea if your Little One is having a birthday party in a few days but you want to make their actual day special as well. It's great for a first birthday because the donut shape is perfect for little hands to grab a hold of. This is another tradition that can grow with your child because eating donuts (at any age) never gets old. Right?

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Lastly, your little one takes a picture with a picture of themselves. What a great way to commemorate your Little One's first birthday - just use a newborn picture of them! As they grow older, you can choose to keep the same newborn picture, or take one of them the year before. Either way, you can't go wrong!

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So, how did we do?

We were definitely able to start some of these birthday traditions!  But documenting these traditions did not really go the way I had expected/anticipated/beendreamingofsinceforever.

You've seen the good, now it's time to see the bad and the realistic. 

{Gift Guide} Baby K's First Birthday Presents

Baby K celebrated her first birthday a few days ago (more on that later) and I was really overwhelmed by the amount of love and thought that went into the gifts that she was given. In addition to getting everything on her wish list (previous post here), she was also gifted with many more incredible items - Baby K is one lucky lady! So I've compiled a list of just some of the gifts that my family and friends gave her (yes, she received even more than this).

Tea Set - Rocking Horse - Baby Doll - Popper Push Toy - Stroller Blanket - Walker Wagon - Chatter Telephone - Pig Ride-on - Board Book - Wood Puzzle - Farm - Shape Sorter - Drum Set

Once she spends more time with her gifts, I will definitely do a 12-13 month favorite post.  So far the drum set, shape sorter and farm and are a HUGE hit! But she's still a little leery of her ride-on toys. However, I'm sure it will only be a matter of time until she's tearing around the house in her Radio Flyer Wagon. 

{Monthly Baby Update} 11 Months (A Little Late)

Weight: 23.5 lbs.
Height: 31 inches
Clothing Size: Still in either 18 months or 12-18 months. No change here.   
Diaper Size: Size 4
Feeding:  My child is easily the worst eater on the planet. She is usually very difficult to feed (think singing and dancing just to get the spoon in her mouth) but halfway through the month, she started cutting her two top teeth which made it even worse. After they cut through things went back to normal and we're just doing what we can to get 4 oz. of baby food in her belly. In the morning, she's started eating eggs and pancakes pretty regularly, but will not touch any other "real" food. She's still eating her trail mix (Cheerios, yogurt drops & blueberry Puffs) and yogurt. Some days, I feel like she's going to be eating pureed baby food for her entire life. I know that's not the case, but I'm over it. I really am. She's still drinking a ton of formula, 8 oz. in the morning, 8 oz. in the evening and 10 oz. before bed. We're attempting to transition her to whole milk, but she's not really into that idea either. Surprise, surprise. 
Milestones: Baby Girl is standing! We noticed that she would stand only while in our bed using us or the headboard as leverage. Then she started standing on the ground while using the ottoman for support. 

Excited about checking out what was in the fridge. She dressed herself by the way.
She now has 4 teeth. Right before the top two came in I noticed that she was sleeping all day. Like not waking up until 11am, taking super long naps throughout the day, and then going to bed early. We couldn't figure out what was going on with her, and then we noticed them coming in. Explains everything! 

In addition to knowing where her belly button and head is, we taught her where her foot and nose is. 
We've been working really hard to get her to say something other than "mama" and "dada", which she says all day long. So one morning, clear as day, she said "doggie" which was soon followed up by "dog". She doesn't say it regularly, but my husband and I have both heard it. 

Loves: Dancing. She'll stop whatever she's doing if a song is on the television and start dancing. Especially if we're watching Bravo and the Miley Cyrus/Will.I.Am song comes on.  
Kissing her stuffed puppy. She has to take that dog with her everywhere and give it hugs and kisses. 
Pulling things out of the pantry like it's her job:

So I'm not supposed to be pulling everything out of the pantry?

  Dipping her feet in the pool at Grandma and Pap-Pap's house:

Helping Mommy with laundry:

 Mommy's little helper.

Hates: Food. 
Looking forward to: Celebrating her first birthday! It will definitely be bittersweet and I expect to be SUPER emotional on the actual day. I can't believe how quickly this year has flown by.

{Adventures In} Wedding Day Emergency Kits

As one of my gifts to my best friend for her bridal shower, I decided to make her a wedding day emergency kit. Most day-of coordinator's will have a fully stocked kit at their disposal, but she decided against hiring one since her venue has mostly everything on site - except someone with an emergency kit. So what did I do? Hit up the travel section at Target and filled up a basket with all of these goodies!

I didn't want to put these items in a clear tupperware box and call it a day. I wanted something that was more personal as well as something she can use forever. I found these adorable personalized bags at WeddingChicks.com - I had such a hard time choosing the style I liked best. Best part, it was only $10, plus the cost of shipping! I eventually chose this one and think it came out amazing!

The last thing I included was a note to explain what I had put together. (So it didn't look like I scavenged the travel bins at Target for fun). I found this poem on Weddingbee and changed it up a bit to match items that I had included. This Survival Kit was made just to say, I'm thrilled I'm beside you on your wedding day! There's trail mix to give you that sugar high and a packet of tissues in case you should cry. Chapstick to help you care for your smile, If a nail should break, I've included a file. There is Shout if you should spill on your dress and Altoids to keep your breath minty fresh. There's Advil and Tums if it's ill that you feel and Band-aids to help you tackle high heels.  I've put everything in this handy pack so you'll know that this bridesmaid has got your back! This kit was created so that you can see  how much you mean to me, your Matron-of-Honor to be! I wish I had taken a picture of the kit, complete with the poem, but it didn't happen. #blogfail. I hope this helps you ladies put together your Day-Of Wedding Emergency Kits.

{Adventures In} Gifting for Baby's First Birthday

Well, the bridal shower is over and it was a success! I'm exhausted, but everyone had a great time and the best part is that my best friend REALLY loved it! SCORE! Now that her shower is over, it's full steam ahead for Baby K's birthday party. Baby K's grandparents have been bugging me for a list of suggestions for gifts for her. Since she's still so little and already has a TON of toys, my husband and I decided that asking for things that she can grow into would be best. Here is a short list of items we KNOW she's going to love! (Full list can be found here)

Activity Cube - Pottery Barn Chair - Personalized Plate - Blah Blah Doll - Swing - Tee Pee Zany Zoo Activity Cube - Baby girl is into everything now. She's especially interested in how things work. This activity cube will be perfect for her curious nature.  Pottery Barn Anytime Chair - My niece and nephew both had this chair and they used it FOREVER! This is definitely something that she will grow into and use for years. Not to mention that I think it's the greatest idea for a little one to have their own version of what adults use. I can't wait to see her use it! Personalized Plate - How adorable is this? You create the little one on the plate to resemble your little one?! I'm hoping this will make eating more fun for her since it's such a struggle in our house. If not, it makes a really cute keepsake. Blah Blah Doll - These dolls are incredibly popular right now and come in tons of styles. When I saw that Brickyard Buffalo had them for 25% off, I knew that I needed to scoop one up!  Swing - Can't go to the park today because it's too crowded? Not anymore! If you have your own swing at home, you can get the park experience without dealing with the crowds!  Tee Pee - I am a firm believer that kids needs to have their own space. Something that they can use their imagination in and just have fun. When I was little, I had a card table in my room that I covered in sheets/blankets and turned into my fort. It was the best. She may be a bit too young to fully grasp this concept now, but it's something that she'll grow into and love for years to come, I just know it.  What items were on your baby's wish list?!

{Monthly Baby Update} 10 Months

Checking herself out in the mirror
Weight: 22.5 lbs.
Height: TBD
Clothing Size: This baby is all legs! If she's wearing Carter's, she's in 18 months. If she's in Baby Gap or Old Navy, she's in 12-18 months. Luckily the weather is getting warmer, so pants aren't a necessity. That way, I can still get her into 12 month clothing.  
Diaper Size: Size 4 diapers now!
Feeding: Half-way through the month, I decided to get all crazy and give her Stage 3 baby food (in the jar). She did OK with it, but didn't love it. I think I freaked her out because after a few days of that, she stopped eating baby food. Like, wouldn't touch it. Ever. Over the past couple of weeks, she's back to eating her Stage 2 baby food, but that was a nightmare. In all seriousness though, I need to get her off of baby food relatively soon but I don't want to go through that all over again. She's still eating her trail mix (Cheerios, yogurt drops & blueberry Puffs), yogurt, and a little bit of scrambled eggs and pancakes.  We've been noticing that she's not interested in her small, 4 oz. bottle that she usually has with her baby food, so we've dropped it. I'm trying to work with her on taking a sippy cup of water instead, but she's not into that either. (Seeing a theme here?) So now we're down to roughly 30 oz. of formula per day.
Milestones: Baby is crawling! Whoop! The night before Mother's Day, Baby K finally decided to get moving. She maneuvered her way to a toy in the middle of the living room. Freaked out. Then cried while crawling to Daddy. It's wasn't pretty, but she did it! A little while later, we tried it again upstairs and she was much happier. Now she crawls all over the place. And then as soon as she crawled, she started kneeling. 

Baby K knows where her belly button, head and (sometimes) ear is. I don't know how we did it, but it's pretty amazing. 

This is what you get when you ask her where her head is.  Baby Girl is babbling up a storm! Most of the time it's "vo vo vo", but sometimes when she's really tired, it sounds like she's saying"god, god, god". So weird. But cute. And just as of recent, she's also started saying "mama". Melts my heart. 

Loves: We bought her a Fisher Price activity table right after Christmas and she was interested, but not really. Once she's started crawling, she's become obsessed with it. The usual drill is, crawl to the activity table, kneel, squeal with laughter as it plays music, sit, chase Jack around the ottoman, go right back to the table, kneel, squeal with laughter as it plays music and so forth and so on.   She also loves batting and hitting things away (which is mom's current hate). We're working on teaching her "no" (which I'm sure will be her current hate, shortly).    Hates: Men. She clings to me like a spider monkey when a man comes near her. Even her Grandfather's.  Looking forward to: Summer weather so we can get her in a pool! And now that we know that we're having her party at our house, we're going to be in full-on party planning mode soon.                                                            

{Adventures In} DIY Fabric Garland {tutorial}

Otherwise known as, That Shi*t Fray. (See what I did there?)  Anywho, everyone familiar with these gorgeous fabric banners? 

source Ok good. They are super simple to make - it just takes some time. And a whole lot of patience. As you all know, I am planning my best friend's purple ombre' bridal shower (which is in 3 weeks...eeek!). One of the design elements that I desperately wanted was a fabric garland, like the one above. The perfect place for this beauty will be in front of the fireplace. Only problem is, my friend's fireplace is MASSIVE. Like 6 1/2 feet of marble, MASSIVE. So, in order for the garland to not be completely eaten up by this fireplace, it needs to be massive as well.  Items Needed: Fabric. I bought 3 different colors of fabric, 2 yards each. I thought I was over-buying at the time. Ha. Twine. It depends on how you want to display the garland. I chose a thicker twine knowing that my garland would be heavy. You can use a thinner twine or a 1 inch thick piece of left over fabric.  Self-healing mat. Rotary cutter. These are nice to haves. You can certainly just cut 2 inch strips with scissors.  Step 1: Cut strips. The mantel alone is 22 inches tall, so I wanted my strips to be close to that. I cut my strips to be 18 inches long, but remember the fabric comes folded over in half, so your strips will be 36 inches, total. Be prepared for the strips to fray (more on that later).

Step 2: Assemble.  Place strip of fabric behind twine with the folded over part of the fabric at the top.

Take the bottom of the 2 strips and pull them above the twine (this will create a loop), through the top of the strip and back down again. 

Pull tight.

  Voila!! Lather, rinse, repeat. Like a billion times.  So after a couple hours spent, I figured I was done. Or so I thought. Remember how I mentioned that the fabric will fray? (You can actually start to see it fray in the picture above.) Imagine that X's 100. (In hindsight, I should have taken a picture of it, but I was too concerned with getting rid of the fray, I forgot. #blogfail) So I took the scissors and cut each piece of fray. On Every. Single. Piece. Of. Fabric. It took twice as long to cut the fray off as it was to actually make the thing. Had I bought better quality fabric, this may not have happened, I'm not sure. Just be prepared. So, do you want to see the final product? 

and a close up. 

Still some fray, but not NEARLY as bad 

I love how it turned out. Baby K will definitely have one on her 1st birthday, just not 7 feet long. :)