Tag Archives: birthday

Dear Emmett – 20 Months

**This is a month late, Emmett will be turning 21 months tomorrow, but I wanted to get this posted, despite the delay.**

We are well into April and Emmett celebrated 20 months a few weeks back, however I still wanted to write and get the memories out there.

Oh sweet sweet Emmett, I am beyond shocked that we’ve hit the 20 month mark. You continue to grow and change on a daily basis and are slowly becoming a little boy, and not my tiny baby. Don’t get me wrong, I am thrilled that you are growing so well and developing, I just can’t believe how quickly time continues to go.

Your Yellow Duck School Picture

Your Yellow Duck School Picture

I love you so deeply, and staring at you while you read or play has become one of my biggest hobbies. You have such a particular way of doing things, and I don’t quite understand what that way is yet, so it’s such fun to just watch you, as you learn. There were several times this month where you’d leave the room we were all in and go to your bedroom, when we would peek in to check on you, you’d be surrounded by your books, with one in hand, flipping through it. Or you would climb into your rocker and read to yourself there. It makes me so happy that you love books so much!

We all went through quite the upheaval this month, we spent the majority of it packing and despite any boredom you may have been experiencing, you were such a good little boy. We had to remind you to stop touching something, or to stop climbing, but overall you were so good considering your life was changing all around you. There were even moments when you would be so interested in what your dad or I were doing, that you’d help. There were several times when I’d be packing a box of your stuff and you’d come over and start handing me things to put in the box. You’re often so helpful!

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However, I have to be honest, this month can’t be mentioned without sharing that you had some major meltdowns this month. You’re definitely getting to an age where you want to be independent on some stuff and when your dad or I keep you from expressing that independence (usually because it would harm you), you get very angry. At this point, I still think your tantrums are pretty cute. You stomp your legs, cry very hard and occasionally throw yourself on the ground. It ends pretty quickly, and has yet to happen in public, so right now, when they happen I let them run their course and then give you a hug and explain why you can’t do what you want to do. By then, your anger is usually forgotten. Like I mentioned, your’e a really good boy!

Food-wise, you’re still a great eater on the majority of days. Certain days you won’t like what your dad or I cooked, or you just won’t be in the mood to eat, but overall you’ll try anything we give you, at least once. St. Patrick’s Day fell in this month and you just LOVED corned beef, potatoes and cabbage. You went to town on ALL of it, (you can read about your other favorite foods here).

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You’re still loving day care, and actually can say a couple of the other children’s names. It’s so fun to hear you repeat them, and I love that you still enjoy going to day care. It makes taking you so much easier! You adore your teacher, and she’s so kind to you. I will be sad when it comes time for you to move up, but we have a little while, yet.

Hugs and kisses are still your thing, and you give them to your dad and I pretty freely, which makes us endlessly happy. There’s nothing better than when you run around the house say, “Ugg, ugg, ugg.” (That’s how you say hug right now.)

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You’ve also learned a ton of new words, but Emmett I’m really sorry, I kept terrible track of which words were new this month. I promise that I’ll start keeping better track, because it will be really fun to read these facts when you’re older.

Well Emmett, I think I’ll hit publish now because I’m a late posting this. I love you so so soooo much, and wish loads and loads of happiness for you!

Love, Mommy!

Sunday Meal Plan – Week 11

Hi everyone! I apologize for this being a few days late, things haven’t been going so well with our apartment and the noise and when one part of my life is sucking, I often let it spill into other areas. In this case, just the thought of putting any effort into blogging sounded awful. What makes this the most sad, is that I love blogging, I know I do, but when things start to overwhelm me I just lose any joy I felt in everything. 🙁

Likewise, since I was feeling so down, my Sunday meal plan was lacking. Seamus and I just barely pulled together enough ideas to fill the week, and it’s a pretty easy week. We went to my parent’s for dinner Sunday, and my birthday is Wednesday, we needed 5 meals and it took forever to create our menu. Oh well, we’re finding we don’t have a lot we can do to get them to stop the noise, which makes the whole situation even worse. However, if anyone is a lawyer or specializes in this sort of thing, and can offer some advice, please email me.

I really am sorry for being so depressing, I know most people don’t come to someone’s blog to read the negative crap, they come to be lifted up, but I’m feeling really lost and wanted to be real with my readers. I hope you can all understand.

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Now… Here’s our Sunday Meal Plan

Breakfast for the Week: GF bagel with Egg and Cheese

Lunch: Romaine lettuce leaves wrapped with Ham and Cheese, Grapes, Watermelon and Baby Carrots

Sunday: Mom and dad’s house

Monday: Leftover Chicken Fried Rice with Veggies

Tuesday: Steak with chick pea and tomato salad

Wednesday: Out to celebrate my birthday!

Thursday: Marinated Chicken and Zucchini

Friday: Hot Dogs and Fries

Saturday: Leftover Pulled Pork and Mac ‘n Cheese

Certainly not the healthiest menu we’ve ever created, but at least we made a menu, shopped and are sticking to it. You have to focus your happiness on something, I’m going to focus on the fact that we still made a menu and that we’re not just eating our emotions.

And for the fun of it, because he’s just so darn cute – here’s a little picture of my Emmett, playing at grandma’s.

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As usual, I’m linking up with Mommy Run Fast and JillConyers.com. Check them out, and link-up!

Your turn!

Do you struggle to find focus for the things you enjoy, when other parts of your life are a little bleak?

What are some of your fun eats for this week?

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Picture Posts

We have been taking quite a few pictures of Emmett and I never seem to get to share them all, so in an effort to share his cuteness I’m going to randomly start doing picture posts. Enjoy! picture-post-1

The remnants of the cake Seamus made for Emmett.

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Cousins! picture-post-3 picture-post-4 picture-post-5picture-post-8

New bath toy! Thanks Grandma!picture-post-9 picture-post-10

Fun new book! Thanks Aunt Ginny!picture-post-11 picture-post-12

Cards and Legos! What could be better?? Thank you Cousin Kevin, Becki and baby!

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I love my new Fisher Price farm house! Thank you Aunt Katrina, Uncle Mike and baby!picture-post-14 picture-post-16 picture-post-17

Bubble blower from Grampa Mack. Yay!picture-post-21 picture-post-22 picture-post-23

Yummy! picture-post-24 picture-post-25 picture-post-26

I think I’ll do some finger painting with the peanut butter mousse.picture-post-27 picture-post-29

OMG! This is so yummy momma!picture-post-30 pictures-post-18

Oooh! Something to climb on…

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Here we go…

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Almost…

pictures-post-21There we go! Thanks for the foam flooring Grandma and Grandpa!

Emmett is a very lucky boy and was so happy that day. He loved spending time with everyone and loved each and every gift he received.

If you missed his first birthday posts, you can read them here.

First Birthday Party Madness!

We celebrated Emmett’s first birthday party Saturday!

Let me start off by saying that I am not a party planner, never have been, never will be, but I think the party turned out pretty decent. If it weren’t for my mother asking my probing questions about whether I was buying this or that, or whether we’d be serving one food or another, the whole thing would have been a disaster… So, if you’re reading this, THANKS mom !

My parents live about an hour away from us and the party was scheduled to start around 1, because my parents were just hosting the party, not throwing it, Seamus and I needed to get down there early to put it all together. We got down there around 9 and spent a little time just hanging out and visiting with my mom and then we went right to work. My mom had rented a tent and some tables, which required us to set up the tables and chairs, and decorate.

We went with a monkey theme, our thought was that his entire first year of life has been monopolized by monkeys, why would his first birthday party not include them too. Thank goodness for Amazon Prime, seriously! Remember how in the first paragraph I said I wasn’t much of a party planner? I wasn’t kidding! I waited till pretty much the last minute to do everything, but we found these super cute monkey decorations (see below) that had a matching banner, plates, napkins, tablecloths, etc. We didn’t buy all of that, just the hanging decorations, the banner and some cake plates (of which I only bought a pack of 8, for a party of approximately 15). So, yeah, don’t hire me to plan your next party. Ha!

Monkey Decorations

 

Once the tables and chairs were set up, cleaned and then covered, I had a half hour to sit and chat with my sister. I hadn’t seen her since late May and we had so much to catch up on. I had missed her!

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The whole day was a bit of a whirlwind for me because I feel like I was talking to Bridget and then, boom guests were arriving, then food was being served, then presents, cake and clean-up.

Emmett was especially adorable the entire day, thanks to a nap on the ride down and then one at grandma’s house. He was smiley and giggly and was okay with anyone holding him, I think he knew it was a special day.

first birthday 6Emmett also got to play with his cousin for the first time. This meant there were two adorable babies in one location, just take a look and you’ll see what I mean.

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This my absolute favorite picture from the day! This was Emmett’s present from his Uncle John and Allison, a Buffalo Bisons hat.

first-birthday-party-7We have a tradition in my family where we put a half dollar, a rosary and a shot glass, in front of the baby turning a year old. The first one they choose is supposed to speak to their future and what direction they’ll head in (it’s all just superstition but it’s fun). The rosary is obviously for religion, shot glass is for drinking and the half dollar is for money. My boy chose the half dollar! Woohoo! He’ll be able to take care of momma and daddy in old age. 😉

first birthday party 7And then cake!

first-party-8 first-birthday-party-8We made him his own cake in hopes of a cake smash. No such luck, he just daintily picked at the peanut butter mousse, and then rubbed it all over himself and his hair. We took a splash in grandma’s baby pool after cake.

There are so many more pictures! I’ll try share some periodically throughout the next few posts I make and also on the Baby Doodah! Facebook page.

Question of the day:

How did you celebrate your child’s first birthday?

 

 

 

First Birthday Video

Happy Friday everyone!

I’m so glad the weekend is here and I get to spend time with my guys, but tonight I am tired and just going to make a quick post before relaxing on the couch with some TV.

We took this video on Emmett’s actual first birthday, when we were at Friendly’s.

Don’t worry, he wasn’t hurt by the straw, it had just tickled him.

I’ll share more this weekend, but today was such an AMAZING day!

Question of the day:

How did you spend your Friday?

Happy First Birthday, Emmett!

I think if I were a one year old, I would have been really happy with how Emmett spent his first birthday.

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When my niece celebrated her first birthday back in May, my sister had commented how she wished she had taken the day off just to spend it with her. I made a mental note of this comment. I know me and I know how much it means to me to be with the ones I love on their special days, so I took off July 23rd, as did Seamus. We made no real concrete plans, we didn’t want to, we wanted to go with the flow of the day and in the end it was simply perfect.

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Emmett woke up at his normal weekend time, around 6 am and we spent a little time cuddling in bed (our normal weekend routine, described here). After awhile, Seamus was still tired and I wanted to go get breakfast, so Emmett and I headed out to get bagels at Bagel Jay’s an awesome local bagel restaurant, while Seamus tried to nap longer. Emmett and I ate there, I wanted to just be alone with my baby boy before our day really got going. He was wonderful, just smiley and loving, I was so happy.

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We got home and while daddy ate his breakfast, I got Emmett dressed in his birthday shirt. It had his name, a train and a 1 on it. It was a hand-me-down but it was perfect for his special day. Don’t worry, we’ll be getting him his own for his birthday party in August.

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Not that a one year old can make their own decisions, but I wanted Emmett to dictate how the day went to the best of his abilities, meaning that he’d nap when he wanted to and we’d go out for lunch when he woke up, we’d play with the toys he chose, read if he decided he wanted to be curled up in our laps, I didn’t care. I wanted the day to be about him (and our memories of his birth).

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We played and he practiced walking all morning long. By the time nap time had rolled around he’d been so active that he was pooped, he nursed and fell fast a sleep for a nice long nap. He woke up with a squeal (of delight) on the monitor. I went in to find him sitting up in the corner of his crib, playing with his pacifier and blanket, just smiling away. I know that he’s only one and likely had no idea that it was his birthday, but he sure acted like it was a special day, maybe it was just being home with Seamus and I.

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Before we headed out for lunch, Seamus gave Emmett his first present from us (he’ll get more at his party in August), a set of Duplo Legos. Oh my goodness, this child is in love with them! We spent so much time just opening the package and examining every block. We’d then stack them up and Emmett would knock them down, it was a blast.

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At lunch, we had a happy, silly boy. I got a ton of great pictures, as you can see below. He always seems to really enjoy himself when we go out, I think it’s because he has new scenery to look at. We don’t give Emmett a lot of sweets, typically the sweetest thing he eats is fruit but we let him splurge, since it was his birthday. He had his very first Cone Head sundae at Friendly’s and he loved it SO much!

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Seamus and I decided that for as long as Emmett will tolerate it, we will take him to Friendly’s for his birthday. I think it might be the first tradition we’ll be making as a family, you have NO idea how excited this makes me. Along with my love of reminiscing, comes my love of traditions, I’m sure you can understand why.

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The rest of the evening was spent playing with his new Legos and going outside for a bit.

See! Doesn’t it sound like THE perfect first birthday?

Question of the day:

How did you spend your children’s first birthdays?

Dear Emmett

11 months!

Looking at you and watching you move about, I know you’ve grown but in my mind, you are still my tiny baby. Since we’re nearing your first birthday, I’ve become very nostalgic. I have spent a lot of time looking at pictures of you when you were first born and when you nurse it makes me reminisce about the small struggles we had when we first started nursing but how it has absolutely been worth it.

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I actually have to share a story, I’d like to try and nurse you past a year, my goal is 18 months but I will take it a week at a time after your first birthday. Anyhow, I went to the doctor’s last week and he had to put me on some antibiotics and the PA that I saw said I shouldn’t nurse you while on the antibiotic, I panicked! I was not ready to stop nursing you, in my mind I still had at least 4 weeks left. I was so heartbroken, I called your dad and was talking to him and started getting worked up. We got off the phone and I sobbed, I just wasn’t ready! So I called your pediatrician and they checked their prescription book and confirmed that it was perfectly safe to continue nursing you while on the antibiotic as long as you were older than 2 months, which you are (of course). I was so relieved!! So my sweet boy, we continue on with the breast milk.

What a busy month we’ve had. You are a crawling machine! Last month you had a nice leisurely crawl, you’d stop and look around then move a couple more feet but now you crawl like you’re in a race. You are SO fast!! I like when I put you down on the floor and go into another room, you chase after me. When you get to the new room, you peer around the doorway, looking for me and then motor on over. I just adore you.

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You’re still not walking, but its close. Right now, you will pull yourself up on nearly everything and if you have strong, steady footing you will let go and stand there independently for a while. There have even been several occasions where you stood on your own for at least 30 seconds. It is really just a matter of time before you let go and take a step in my direction.

Grass!! Oh my goodness did grass freak you out. At the beginning of the month, we went outside to hang out with your dad while he was doing the grilling. I put you down on the grass so I could unfold my chair and you started crying so hard. At the time I had no idea what happened, I thought maybe you got stung or bitten by a bug. I put you down a second time and you did the exact same thing, I finally determined what was bothering you. So for the next few weeks after that, I slowly got you used to the grass. I’d sit on the ground with you and let it tickle your toes or let you reach for it. We slowly worked up to you sitting independently and now you’ll stand on it. However, if you want to move around you will put yourself into a downward dog position and then move your hands and feet like a bear crawl. It’s so silly but you must not like the way the grass feels on your knees. Silly boy!

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Speaking of the outdoors, I’ve been trying to make sure you get outside everyday unless it is raining. The summer months can be hot in WNY but I want you to like summer and the heat so I’m hoping by taking you out in it, you’ll grow up liking it.

At the beginning of this month you went through a very finicky phase in regards to food. You’d really only eat a few things here and there and then refuse to eat any more. Your dad and I kept on offering you everything that we normally would and with a week or so you were back to your old self, eating full meals. Now you’re a champ when it comes to eating, I can’t think of a single thing that we’ve given you that you didn’t like. One of your favorites this month was corn on the cob. We tried giving it to you cut off the cob and you’d have nothing to do with it so then we just gave you the cob and you went to town. Such a big boy! I hope you continue like this for the rest of your life, it will make you a much healthier person.

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Up until last week, you had been using a sleep sack for naps and nighttime. We decided that maybe we should start moving you from the sleep sacks to blankets, so now for all of your naps you use a blanket. One day I got to day care early and you were still asleep, it was the cutest thing seeing you all curled up in your “blankie,” it warmed my heart.

Exploring is a huge deal to you right now. You love sitting down with a new toy or a toy you haven’t played with in a while and staring at it, turning it over and over in your hands, trying to figure out just how it works. I wish I could have a little window into your mind so that I could know exactly what it is you are thinking or what you are learning. One major thing that fascinates you right now are holes. For instance, my hair brush has a hole at the base, so it can be hung up. You love looking at it and sticking your finger in it, trying to understand what’s going on with it. I could sit and watch you play for hours.

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We also took you to your first playground this month, you can read about it here. You had fun swinging back and forth and bouncing around on the different activities around the park. I think your dad and I had as much fun as you. We love watching how curious you get when you are somewhere new.

Do you have any idea how much your father and I love you?? It is so hard on a daily basis to leave you at school and not bring you with me to work. Every little thing you do amazes me and just makes me so proud to be your mother. Next month, we’ll be celebrating a year of life, I cannot wait!

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