Four Months

Dear Wesley,

Well what a month it's been! First of all, look how much you've filled out! Our four month appointment isn't until tomorrow, but the extra 5-7 oz. of milk a day has made all the difference! You're gaining 7 oz./week, and, while you're still little, you were also born that way, so I'm quite happy with your progress!

You seem quite pleased with yourself, too. In this past month, you've continued to be more and more interactive. Everyone comments on how alert and strong you are. Your giggles still make my heart leap with joy, and your smiles can calm the most anxious spirit, especially handy when your mommy is a pastor during Advent... And speaking of Mommy's job, this month I also got to give you the most important bath of your life as you were incorporated into Christ's body, the church. What a joy and what a privilege!

Going back to work has been an adjustment, and at times I feel like I'm treading water in every area of my life. But then I look realistically and see that you're thriving and well-loved, Ethan is happy and just showing how well he plays independently (your big brother has quite the imagination!), and if it's been a couple of weeks since our carpets were vacuumed, it's not going to kill us. This too will pass, and in the meantime, I'm savoring the baby snuggles as the cobwebs grow.

Last night you slept a 9 hour stretch, much to Mommy's joy and accompanying discomfort! You're starting to drop your last nap of the evening, and it certainly makes the nighttime routine easier as a result. And yet, each of these little signs of your growing up are met with a slight pang as I realize that these days are just flying by. Maybe things will slow down enough in the next month that I can really enjoy them. However, since the next month will see your first trip to Atlanta and your first time meeting some of your extended family, I sort of doubt it =)

Love,
Mommy

Three Months

Note: As a sign of being a second child, this blog post was penned on Wesley's three-month-day, but I was waiting to post it until I got on my computer to attach the picture. And a month later... Oops!

Dear Wesley,

Today is both a day of celebration and a day of sadness for your mommy. First the celebration: We made it to 3 months on nothing but my milk! That's three times as long as we made it with your big brother. The sadness is that you still are itty-bitty, and the doctor wants you to be slightly less itty-bitty, so as of today, you are going to get some supplements. On the bright side, Mommy has a wonderful friend who is sharing some of her milk with us, and we'll be using a SNS instead of a bottle, so not too much will change from your side of things except that you'll get a bit more bang for your suck!

Now that the issue that's most pressing on Mommy's mind at the moment is out of the way, let's focus on how amazing you are, tiny though you may be! This past month, you became your own little person in many ways. You can roll over, you grin constantly, and your personality is starting to shine through. You are such a happy baby, and you are so very loved, especially by your big brother. You're sleeping longer and longer stretches (up to 6-7 hours at times!), and you still take most of your naps in Mommy's arms, right where you belong.

Mommy started back work this week, but it remains to be seen how much that will affect our lives. Hopefully you'll remain happily oblivious as you'll still be by Mommy's side the whole time. It will certainly be an adventure, but it's one we'll go on together!

I hope that this little extra bit of milk will make all the difference, my precious boy, and my worries and anxieties over you can ease up a little bit. Just in time for you to start making me worry in other ways, I'm sure! But I wouldn't have it any other way!

Love,
Mommy

Two Months

Dear Wesley,

How in the world are you already two months old?!?!? You are becoming more and more alert and interactive, grinning from ear to ear during diaper changes, when Mommy plays with your feet, when Daddy makes funny noises, etc. You'd still rather be nursing than about anything else, but you're content to hang out in your bouncer or on your activity mat while Mommy cooks, sews, and cleans. This makes for a happier time for everyone, and you still get to be with Mommy 23/7 on average!

You are still our little bitty guy. You've grown another inch but are still gaining slowly. You're definitely gaining and your diapers are still textbook so hopefully the doctor will help us figure it out on Monday, whether this is just how you grow or if we need to dig a little deeper. I wish you wouldn't make us worry so much, but I guess it's practice for the teenage years again.

The next month will see our biggest transition yet as I prepare to go back to work days before you turn three months. Don't worry, though! Mommy will still be with you all the time. We'll just spend more time in the car and get to know Mommy's coworkers a few days a week!

So for now I'm just savoring these last few days where you and your big brother are my only job. I hope you enjoy them, too!

Love,
Mommy

Construction Site 3rd Birthday Party

So despite having a barely 1-month-old in the house, I decided to go ahead with hosting a normal fun-filled birthday bash at home for Ethan's third birthday. Since he's obsessed with all things construction of late, the theme was pretty obvious! It was definitely more low-key than last year, but everyone had a wonderful time, and I was actually more creative than I'd expected as far as activities and such (thank you, Pinterest!).

The big decision this year was guest list. Last year, he'd just started preschool so we decided to go with some LLL friends, since they were the main ones who had invited him to parties thus far. This year, we had to choose from three groups: LLL, preschool, and the local meet-up group we've belonged to for 2.5 years. I decided to rule out LLL since there is such an age spread there and the kids closest to his age are mostly girls (I usually shy away from gender-stereotypes, but I wasn't sure how much fun they would have at a construction party based on the toys they usually bring to play with). With the preschool set, about half of his classmates are new so he doesn't really know them, a couple of the other ones aren't my favorite (sounds awful, but I got to know the kids working at the preschool last year...), and it just gets difficult inviting some but not others when that is all they have in common with other party goers. So in the end, I decided to go with the meet-up crew + Ethan's best friend from preschool since she is also a member of the meet-up group. That meant leaving out one preschool friend that we had wanted to invite, but he ended up going to the beach the week I did invitations anyway so it would have been too last minute by the time he got back. My main hesitancy in going with the meet-up group to start with was that I could not invite everyone I wanted to and still maintain my sanity, but in the end I just had to deal with leaving some friends out and hope they understand.

The invitation was not quite as involved as in years past, but I made it when I was 39 weeks pregnant and most of the time I had Ethan in my lap telling me, "That's a nice picture of an excavator you have, Mommy!" I used GIMP to create it, the same program I used for his first birthday party invitations, and it was much quicker going this time around. They don't look professional, but they're still cute and themed, so I was happy with them!

In years past, I've also done a banner. Each year, it's gotten less labor-intensive, and this year, I just stuck some construction-themed decals on the wall in the dining room. My in-laws got these for Ethan months ago, but I didn't have anywhere to put them and decided to save them for his party instead. It added some themed-interest to the house, but I certainly wouldn't have bought them for this purpose. They're still stuck on the wall as I write this so eventually I need to take them down and find a piece of plastic or something to stick them to so Ethan can have them to play with. No sense wasting them!

Once again, a simple spread this year. His party was at the same time as last year, but I just didn't have it in me to provide anything more than snacks. And since we've been to plenty of ending-at-lunch-time parties that only provided cake with no real food, I decided to be OK with that! So we had apples and grapes in a bowl and pretzels in the dump truck. I did make the cake, of course. Since I find myself not using carriers quite as much with Wesley as I did with Ethan, I did everything with him either asleep in my arms or nursing, so it was no small feat to make the cake! I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, and everyone was raving about it. Probably because I put 1/2 cup of (decaf) coffee in the icing. Coffee makes everything better, especially chocolate!

 

My little construction worker!

 

We spent most of the party outside this year since it was a BEAUTIFUL day. Seriously, it's like Autumn decided to descend for 24 hours just for Ethan's party. I had a few construction-themed activities set up. I took his busted kiddie pool and put sand in it with mini-construction vehicles. This was a big hit! Then of course we had the rock box for more digging fun. I also had been saving cardboard boxes (made easier by the large number of Amazon shipments received in the week leading up to Ethan's birthday!) to be used as outdoor building blocks. These were put out on the lawn, and I don't think people really knew what they were for. Once I explained it to one mom, she and her son went over and had a lot of fun with them, but everyone else stuck with the sand pit and rock box. Oh well! And of course, the goats and the chickens were a big hit as always.

As for the last picture in this series? Well, that's my favorite picture from the entire day. It's Ethan and his best friend from preschool. They are so cute talking to each other and hugging on each other. Seriously, every time they see each other, even if it's just been 2 minutes since they parted, they give each other a hug, and they were constantly walking around holding hands or with their arms around each other. Adorable.

 

 

It was a wonderful day, full of fun, friends, and family! Wesley did wonderfully, sleeping for about the first hour and then nursing for a bit before being passed around by the grandparents for the remainder of the party. One of my friends was laughing at me at one point because I was walking around with Wesley nursing in the ring sling and still taking pictures =) There's no such thing as single-tasking when you're a mom of 2! Ethan seemed to have a great time, and that's all that really matters!

So there you have it! 3-year-old birthday party with a 1-month-old went off without a hitch! Thanks to the visiting grandparents, clean-up was a breeze, and I enjoyed having the last few slices of cake this week as a reward for my efforts. Now next year I'll have to plan a 1-year-old party and a 4-year-old party within a month. Thankfully I have 11 months until then!

Three Years Old!

Dear Ethan,

It's been quite a year! You have changed so much, and it's such a joy and a privilege to watch you grow. You are hilarious, sweet, and oh so smart! You carry on adult conversations (complete with the occasional grown-up word...), you know exactly what you want and who you are, and you are always curious to learn more about the world around you and how it works. You love construction vehicles, cars, trucks, trains, and airplanes. You spend a lot of time playing with Play-doh, and your favorite color is purple. You make up narratives and plots as you play with your cars, speaking for them as they interact. You have quite the imagination!

The biggest change this year has been becoming a big brother. You are so proud! You tell everyone you meet all about it, and you are such a big helper. Every night before bed you tell me "Let me know if you need anything for Wesley! I'll bring you a clean diaper and put the dirty one in the pail!" You hug and kiss and sing to him. You reassure him when he cries. You speak to him in a special, softer voice just for him. Sure, you crash your toys and wake him up, but you also get down on the floor and try to play with him. Wesley is one lucky little boy to have a big brother like you!

You are so independent, but you still love Mommy and Daddy. You and Daddy have tickle/sword/rubberband-gun fights and take care of the animals each night. You go fishing and to the playground together. You watch excavator movies on YouTube every night before bed on his tablet. You cuddle and read with Mommy and help her run errands. You create Play-doh scenes while Mommy fashions traffic cones and barrels. And while our nursing days seem like they may be coming to an end, you still usually ask to nurse at least once a day.

It seems like there's not much you can't do. You're even writing your name already! I think 3 might be the most fun year yet!

Love,
Mommy

One Month

Dear Wesley,

It's hard to believe it's already been a month! We've certainly been busy. None of that staying home and relaxing when you have two kids. You've probably been out more already than your big brother was in his first 3 months! You are so similar and yet so different from your brother. You certainly love your mama, and as long as you're touching her, all is well. But put you down or give you to Daddy when you want to be with Mommy? We will all feel your screaming wrath! You're a definite comfort nurser and are thus content to suck all day and night. Heck, you don't even have to suck as long as nobody tries to take it out of your mouth! But despite this, you usually go a couple of 3 hour stretches during the day, in addition to cat naps, and at night you usually give me at least one 3.5 hour stretch.

You're definitely getting enough to eat as you have at least 5 yellow, seedy poops a day (compared to Ethan's average of 1 green poop a day). You lost a good bit after birth due to your prolific pooping (9 poops each the 2nd and 3rd days alone!), but you've slowly gained it back. You're definitely on the lower end of normal, but you're still gaining just enough so I'm trying not to worry! It certainly didn't help when you caught Ethan's cold at 2 weeks!

You are a strong, social, and long little guy! You're working on holding your head up and have given Mommy several coos, especially in the morning while I get all of us ready. And you've already grown over 2"! You're going to be long and lean, just like your big brother. I can't wait to watch you as you grow and become your own little person. This is just the beginning!

Love,
Mommy

Birth Story

So I have completely neglected this blog since April. New job + pregnancy + toddler = semi-organized chaos. However, I want this blog to serve as a record of Wesley's early years just as it has for Ethan's, so I will attempt to revive it. Starting with his birth story:

After almost 2 weeks of start-and-stop early labor, I was getting really discouraged, especially when all contractions completely disappeared on  Friday and Saturday. On Sunday the 11th, I bitterly got ready for work as I had expected to have my baby by now. On the way there, I noticed some contractions, but nothing unusual. By the time worship was over, I was definitely uncomfortable and feeling a lot of pressure, but I figured it was just from the heat and running around. After getting Ethan down for his nap, my husband, mother-in-law (who came up the weekend before to make sure she would be present with Ethan at the birth), and I relaxed on the couch to watch some TV, and I decided to begin timing the contractions. They were coming pretty steadily at 10 minutes apart. By that evening, they were averaging 7 minutes apart. We were all cautiously optimistic, but very aware that things could stop again. No other signs of definite labor other than the contractions, but I never really had any with Ethan's labor either. I decided to try to get some rest, and when I laid down, the contractions spaced back out to every 10 minutes, though they were increasingly uncomfortable. I finally couldn't take lying down anymore and stood up to discover they were suddenly 3-4 minutes apart, and I couldn't speak through them. Even though they hadn't been that far apart for a full hour, I decided I should go ahead and call the midwife since we're 45 minutes away and my labors tend to go quickly once they get going. As I called, I still wasn't convinced I was actually in labor.

We had hoped Ethan would go back to sleep on the drive in, but he announced that he would be staying awake because he wanted to meet the new baby, too! He kept us laughing with his commentary (Why is it dark? Daddy, these lights hurt my eyes!), but each contraction became more unbearable stuck in that seat. We got to the birth center just after 3:30 AM, and they got my IV antibiotics going for GBS+. First try for the IV this time but at exactly the same time as a contraction. I found the birthing ball to be fairly comfortable, but had wanted to try the tub out, too. Before I got in, the midwife checked me and I was only 4 cm, 100% effaced, which was somewhat discouraging. The tub didn't do much for me at all, but I stayed in for about an hour until I began to have the urge to push, even though I didn't think I was fully dilated. Sure enough, when she checked I was only 5 cm. I had this same early urge to push with Ethan, and it can get really unbearable to resist, so the midwife suggested I just give into it as gently as possible. Ethan was hilarious this whole time, telling me how silly it was that I was in the tub, saying he didn't want to get in because it was dirty, and laughing at the "funny noises" I made moaning through each contraction.

At the midwife's suggestion, I tried a couple of other positions on the bed to counteract the need to push, but they offered little relief. What did help was hard counterpressure at the base of my spine so she showed my husband how to do it, and he did for the duration of my labor. I spent the next 20 minutes on the birthing ball and things began to get really intense so my mother-in-law suggested Ethan come out with her to the living room to watch a movie. The midwife checked me again, and I was 9 cm. She let me all-out push on the next contraction, and afterwards I was complete and ready to go. So yeah, I went from 5 to 10 cm. in about 25 minutes.

I hadn't wanted to push lying on my back, but by this point the contractions were one on top of the other, and I physically couldn't move. I couldn't even pull my legs back, so my husband and the nurse held them to the side for me. At this point, I pretty much lost it. Things were moving really quickly, but I figured I had at least 30 minutes of pushing ahead of me and I just wasn't getting a break. The burning was already so intense, but the much-acclaimed "Ring of Fire" was still to come (or so I thought). I later learned he had his hand up by his face, making the burning even worse as my body had to adjust to allow a head AND an arm at once. Some choice exclamations from this point include, "I can't do this!" "Oh my GOD!" and "HELP!!!" I just knew I couldn't keep it up for as much longer as I was SURE it was going to take. And then, after just 13 minutes of pushing, I felt a tiny body slide out, all the pain was gone, and a baby's cry filled the air. They put my child on my chest, I yelled for Ethan to come meet his new sibling, and it was at least a minute before any of us thought to check to see if it was a boy or a girl.

 I nursed him almost immediately, and he snacked and dozed on my chest for over an hour before being weighed and examined. I had brought breakfast so the others went out and got McDonald's (keeping up the trend from my brother-in-law's home birth). Ethan fell asleep on the bed with us and woke up just in time for lunch. My father-in-law had arrived by this point so they brought us Noodle & Co. (keeping up the trend from Ethan's birth). After lunch, they did our discharge exams, I got Wesley dressed, and we were home less than 12 hours from when we'd left home that morning!

While it was definitely intense, it was an absolutely perfect experience, and we are just so in love with our little guy!

Back to School

Introducing Wesley Robert

Born August 12, 2013 at 6:06 AM. Weighing 7 lbs 2 oz and 18 3/4" long. Ethan could not be more proud!

Once again, this entry was written well after the fact and pre-dated in order to be on the correct date.

Ethan's Big Boy Room

               Before and After

It started with a rug.

  

Ethan's BeBe gave him this awesome road map/city scene rug to use with his toy cars (stashed under the nightstand) for Christmas, and I immediately knew it would be going into his big boy room when I began converting the guest room in January. It was the first thing chosen and dictated everything else.

 

Then came the painting above his bed. I had seen it at Target and thought it would fit perfectly, but I couldn't bring myself to spend $30 on a piece of mass-produced "art." So I passed. Yet a few weeks later, I kept coming back to it in my mind. So I finally gave in. It was closely thereafter followed by a set of navy light-blocking curtains (also from Target and seen better in another picture) and a $30 bedding set from Big Lots (yes, his bedding cost the same as that picture). We kept one of the nightstands the same, but repurposed the other, as seen below. The lamp was in the original guest room, but we added a new Target shade that fit the base better. The nightstand also holds his favorite truck book and Mater. The trashcan was free at a church sale. The "E" was moved over from the nursery when Ethan was, and I made the book sling out of a couple of curtain rods and some fabric for Ethan's most often-read bedtime books for added convenience.

 

 

The headboard was the final project in here, completed less than 24 hours ago. I had seen a tutorial in Young House Love's book for a headboard made out of two IKEA Lack side tables. So we picked a couple up last weekend on our trip to Charlotte, and C helped me make it and mount it yesterday. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out! Ethan absolutely loves it, mostly because the surface is quite reflective, and he likes watching himself jump on the bed and make faces into it!

 One of my other favorite areas is Ethan's reading wall and poof. I asked C to build several shelves to hang for all of Ethan's books, and then we spray-painted them in coordinating colors. Then I sewed a floor poof using this tutorial for Ethan to sit on while he reads. My mother-in-law crocheted a Pete the Cat in response to Ethan's new obsession with those books after he discovered them now that his book covers face out!

The lamp was another IKEA purchase. We don't have much overhead lighting in our house that's not recessed. Really just one in the kitchen, two in the master bath, and one in this room. Unfortunately, the one in this room was the ugliest of them all, old-fashioned and brass. So when I discovered this pendant fixture that matched the colors in his room and was so bright and cheery, I had to have it! A bit of electrical work (skills I honed while replacing our outdated outdoor fixtures a couple of weeks prior), and now Ethan has a light that matches the cheeriness of his room! It may not grow with him quite as well as some of the other elements, but I believe I would be able to change out the shade for a less childish one if he eventually requests it.

The other side of the room. Here are the navy curtains (still lacking a formal tie-back...) with a homemade Roman blind underneath. It's the same IKEA dresser that was originally in the room, but instead of holding a typewriter as in its former incarnation, it now holds Ethan's noise machine, a wire basket to eventually be filled with toys, and, during the day, Ethan's Twilight Turtle. To its right is the other nightstand, now converted into a tool bench inspired by this post. This was a gift from Santa, and Ethan absolutely loves it. He insists on sleeping with some of his tools at every nap, and he loves having them right here to pick out. 

Behind the door is Ethan's growth chart, moved over from the nursery. If #2 is a boy, the nursery artwork will stay where it is, and we'll probably find something else to add to this mostly-bare wall. However, if #2 is a girl, his "Someday" prints will be moved in here and hung above the dresser and tool bench.

Above the dresser is a homemade floating shelf I asked C to make for Ethan's various knick-knacks from the nursery. They include a bank one of our pastors gave him at the hospital, the Bible he received at his baptism, his two silver cups, a rock with a Bible verse on it, a sticker from the first midwife appt. he went to with me, a picture from the GA aquarium, and some stone animals given to him by my maid-of-honor/college best friend before he was born.

The final side of the room, showing the entrance and the closet. There is a small bit of wallspace here that was perfect for finally hanging Ethan's certificate of baptism and the birthday party photo-sets I've been making. Each frame holds a picture of the three of us on that day and then a defining moment from his party (cake at his 1st birthday and watching the goats with friends at his 2nd).

 His closet is currently a bit of a mess since there are two seasons' worth of clothes in there. But you can see he has plenty of space, to be sure! His new door organizer is mostly empty at the moment, just holding some socks and a pair of shoes. The upper shelf is currently storing a tub of cloth diapers that will be removed once #2 fits the OS diapers around 2 months. But it also holds a change of sheets, shoes in the next size up, gifts to give for birthday parties, and his baby book and box of memories. On the left is his hamper, and the floor of the right side is his hidden book nook. I stuck a floor lamp that had nowhere else to go in there and stuck the cord out to a nearby outlet. Then I put down his sheepskin and a couple of pillows that had been on the guest bed. Next, a Goodwill basket was revamped with a new cover by my mother-in-law and filled with all his stuffed animals. An IKEA magazine rack houses all his nature magazines that Grandpapa subscribed him to. Ethan loves cuddling up in there with a book from his shelves or a magazine. It's his own secret hideaway!

So there you have it! It only took almost 4 months to complete, but Ethan's big boy room is finally complete! Amazing how different a room can look without even changing the paint! I'm pretty sure it's my new favorite room in the house!

Oops... (redux)

Well, so much for being better about updating! Before I finally post pictures of Ethan's big boy room (which was just completed this weekend, so that's why I was slacking on that post), a quick recap of the past few weeks, as they've been quite eventful!

First of all, I referenced a meeting with my DS in my last post and promised to update afterwards. And then I didn't. Well, the meeting went well, the job possibility I had worked out was approved, and I was all set to go with a job that would allow me to be commissioned this June! I was excited about it, but I still had one outstanding resume at a church that had yet to start reviewing applications. So when I received a call from that church requesting an initial interview, I decided to go ahead and go along with the process just for the heck of it, even though I already had a job lined up at our current church.

The interview seemed to go well, and less than an hour after my interview was over, I received a call from the head of the search committee letting me know I was the only candidate they were pursuing and asking me to come back for a second interview in two days. Well, that was unexpected! Since my parents were coming into town that weekend, I asked to push the Saturday interview to Monday, which gave me more time to figure out what I was going to do. Monday's interview lasted 3 hours between dinner with the pastors, a trial lesson with a group of kids, and more questions from the search committee. I thought it had gone well, but I was no closer to an answer for what I was going to do if I was offered the job, which it seemed like I would be. Sure enough, Tuesday morning, the pastor called to offer me the job. What should have been a joyous event was instead full of stress and heartache. I let the pastor know I was now deciding between two positions, but that I would try to give her an answer as soon as possible. And so it began.

Over the course of the next 24 hours, I received countless calls and emails from members of the search committee, telling me how much they wanted me, telling me that I was an answer to their prayers, and telling me they would do whatever it took to get me. Despite this, by Tuesday afternoon, I had pretty much decided to turn down the offer and continue with the job I'd already planned on taking. Sure, this new offer was vocationally where I needed to be, but it was a 30 minute commute instead of a 5 minute one, and with 2 kids, would that really be manageable? I had to do what was best for my family, right? Still I kept praying for guidance, and eventually came to a place of peace. I decided to tell the senior pastor the following morning what they would have to do to make it work for me and my family and let God take it from there. Well, God is good, and the following Monday I was able to outright accept their offer to come on staff as the minister of children. Tomorrow is my first day! So yes, I'm still sad to be leaving our church home of the past 3 years, and yes, the commute is going to suck at times, but I am so excited about the opportunities at this new church and so grateful for God's all-knowing answer to my prayer for a job!

In addition to it being basically the perfect job for me vocationally, the church approved my receiving 12 weeks paid maternity leave (even though I will have only been there 3 months before the baby is born), only having to come in one morning (in addition to Sundays and Wednesday morning staff meetings) every other week for the next 3 months of baby's life, and then only having to come in one additional morning a week for the following 6 months of baby's life. So for at least the first year, I will have amazing flexibility! I can keep baby with me in my office for as long as it works and then, any time after 8 months, I will have free on-site childcare in the form of their Parents' Morning Out program. Ethan will be going to the PMO program on Wednesday mornings through May and then M/W/F until the baby is born, and he'll also be able to go to the PMO camp each summer when preschool is over, so I won't have to worry about childcare at all, really, between preschool and PMO. You can see why they made it an offer I couldn't refuse!

Anyway, that's been all the vocational turmoil-turned-celebration, so my only other update is just that all is going well with baby #2! My anatomy scan came back totally normal, so everything looks good. Tomorrow, before I head in for my first day of work, I have my 24-week midwife appointment and will be doing the glucose tolerance test, so fingers crossed all looks good there, too!

It's certainly going to be busy around here the next few months, but hopefully I'll find time to check in now and again =)

Little Blue Truck 2nd Birthday Party!

OK, so not exactly later that week... but we had family in town... then I caught a cold that my pregnant body decided was the plague... And since you already waited almost 6 months, what's another week? So, without further ado, pictures from Ethan's 2nd birthday party, which was themed after his favorite book (at the time) The Little Blue Truck. Seriously, we would read that book at least 4 times a day. It's still in the regular rotation, but other longer books have taken its place as the favorite in the past few weeks. Oh yeah, I said without further ado...

 The invitation! I made them all "by hand" (OK, so the Cricut was used to cut out the shapes, but I designed it all, glued it all together, and figured out how to format the text -- which I tried to match to the book in font -- to print correctly), and I came up with the rhyme myself, based on the opening stanza of the book. In short, I'm pretty proud of them!

 The spread and the cake. It was a mid-morning to lunchtime party, so I kept it fairly simple. We had chocolate pudding to mimic the mud, fruit salad to add some nutrition, and buffalo chicken dip with crackers, carrots, and celery. It was simple, and everything went over well with adults and kids alike! I made the cake myself this year, found some toy cars/dump trucks to recreate the book's famous scene, and piled up the chocolate frosting (also homemade) to really get that "stuck in the mud" feeling.

 

 Balloons played a bit part in the decorations thanks to a helium tank from BJs. In fact, every kid got to take one home so it made for a cheap and exciting party favor to boot. I had planned on making a banner like last year, but the wall seemed to be a better canvas for this one. I used my trusty Cricut again to cut out all the different animals mentioned in the book and even was OCD enough to recreate the pushing scene with all the animals in order. The "Happy 2nd Birthday!" was more of an afterthought made possible by a Sharpie and some cardstock.

 

The birthday boy with his favorite book, left out for guests' perusal.

 

 The party itself was pretty laid back. We started out outside with the slide, the wagon, and the goats being the main appeal (though the two boys spent a good amount of time teetering on the edge of the fish pond and making us all nervous as they explored). Then we moved the party inside and let the kids go nuts with toys while the adults chatted. No planned activities (the kids ranged in age from several months to 3), and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves!

 

Blowing out the candles with Mommy!

 

Yeah, Ethan got his hands on the pudding ladle and was all ready to serve himself...

 

Now that's a party!

And of course, the family that was able to make it in town couldn't resist having their picture taken with the guest of honor after all his friends left! It was a big and fun day, and, honestly, didn't take that much prep or work so I was able to enjoy it, too. I'm really happy with how it turned out, especially since I couldn't find any Little Blue Truck parties online to model ours off of so this was all my own creation. Humble, aren't I? =P

Ethan's 3rd birthday party will be about a month after his baby brother/sister is born so who knows how big we'll go with it. Heck, we may aim for a park party or something so that others won't be subjected to what will likely be our disaster area of a house. Or I could just go ahead and start planning now in hopes of having all the work done before the new arrival. Regardless, I'm glad we were able to have such fun parties at home for his first two years!