Nearly two weeks later, and I am finally getting around to posting about Nora’s big “1” birthday party. In short, it was a whirlwind. The preparation? Insane. The party? Chaos. But so much fun.
I had big dreams and plans for this party–after all, it’s the only first birthday she’ll ever have. We went big, inviting way more people than will be invited to her future birthdays. We figured it was an opportunity to celebrate our little one, but also to have everyone over to see our new house.
I just didn’t count on our house being in such disarray.
I suppose we bit off a little more than we could chew when it came to house projects that could be complete in time. In the end, I had to throw a lot of party plans out the window, and had to accept that the house would look very much a work-in-progress.
I had visions of a picture-perfect party. Little areas set up for the kids and activities, lots of yummy (homemade!) food on display, a to-die-for sundae bar set-up that would look like perfection. The reality was that we threw chips and dip in a bowl, I pretty much left it up to the kids to entertain themselves, we ordered pizza, and the sundae bar was made up of store-bought ice cream (the horror!) and toppings that we almost lost altogether, then haphazardly set out at the last minute once we found them.
And did I mention that our home featured half-painted walls, walls that had been spackled (but not sanded) and walls that had been stripped of wallpaper, but not of 100% of the glue?
Yeah. But you know what? People seemed to enjoy themselves. My little girl was surrounded by people that love her, had her smash cake, and opened way more gifts than she really needed. And we had *perfect* weather.
I was up until 2:00 a.m. the night before, baking a cake and cupcakes and making frosting. The morning of the party, I had it in my head that it started at noon. It wasn’t until Michael called me from his parents’ house (where he was picking up tables and chairs), after he had seen their copy of the invitation, and said, “Did you know the party doesn’t start until 1:00?”
No. No, I didn’t know that. BUT HALLELUJAH THANK YOU BABY JESUS. I needed that extra hour like a desert needs rain.
I should note that we could not have pulled off this party without the help of our amazing family, who pitched in at the last minute to help decorate and set up and make sure that outlets were back in the receptacles and covers were screwed in so that little hands could not electrocute themselves. You know, all the little things. ;)
You get the picture. We ran ourselves ragged, had a lot of fun, then collapsed when it was all over. As I put Nora to bed that night (the night before her actual birthday), I just sobbed and sobbed. I still cannot really believe that my girl is already ONE!
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| The smash cake, as well as the cupcakes in ice cream cones for the guests |
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| Not my best decorating job (hello, cake peeking through the frosting), but what can you do? I still loved the way it turned out, especially under such time constraints! |
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| We put her monthly photos on display–only 11 of them, since it wasn’t her birthday yet! |
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| A cute birthday sign that we made (thanks to Tyler and Marie for cutting them all out for me at the last minute) with some free printables. |
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| The birthday girl with her super cute birthday shirt (more on that later) |
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| Love her. |
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| The complete chaos that was our family room. It looked like a daycare in there. |
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| Birthday girl eating some lunch |
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| Our nephews and brother-in-law, running and enjoying themselves in our backyard |
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| Nora’s friends help her prepare to open gifts |
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| She was into it for about 0.2 seconds. Then it was a struggle to get her to sit with me! |
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| A cute little Leapfrog picnic basket (she actually got two of these, ha!) |
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| I love the randomness that is Hunter in this photo. Why does he have a toothbrush and toothpaste? |
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| Such a cute hat for winter. All she cared about was my cell phone. |
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| Unveiling a toy box that my dad built for Nora |
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| She wasn’t too sure what to make of everyone singing to her. At least she didn’t cry. |
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| She went right for the cone! |
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| My little ham. |
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| The aftermath. I think it’s safe to say she enjoyed it, don’t you? |
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| After a post-smash-cake bath, the majority of our guests left, so we went out to enjoy the backyard on such a beautiful late afternoon. |
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| Little birthday girl was on a sugar high (or just overtired), so she was GIDDY! Daddy was making her laugh here. |
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| Family pics |
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| Modeling her super cute birthday crown, made by her daycare provider |
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| Look, it even had ribbons hanging down the back! There were a few more strands, but they accidentally got ripped off before this photo was taken. :( |
Birthday party = SUCCESS. We’ll see what next year has in store!
Well, now. The Buffalo Bills are off to a start that is quite different than last season (0-8). I’m not predicting playoffs or anything (their opponents have been the Chiefs and the Raiders, so you have to take it for what it’s worth). Still, it has been much more entertaining so far this season (not that I’ve had time to really watch).
But at least we don’t (yet) have to banish the Bills clothing to the back of the closet. Which is good, since Nora was given her very first Bills jersey for Valentine’s Day, and is just now starting to actually fit into it–perfect timing, given the start of football season. She has donned it the past two Sundays, and hey–if they keep winning like this, it might just become a lucky ritual.
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| Yesterday. Her pigtails are so long now! |
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| Last Sunday, season opener (also her birthday!). Enjoying her car that was a gift from her grammy. Mess of gifts/toys still in the background from her party (I still need to post pics!). |
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| Go Bills! |
Not me. The baby.
Not liquor. CAKE.
We did a cake smash photo session a week or so before Nora’s birthday, and I put together this collage to have on display at her party. I had never done one of these for a little girl before–it was fun to use PINK! :)
Dear Nora,
We did it. We made it through your first year. I say that like it was difficult, but it couldn’t have been easier, honestly. I’m sure I’m biased, but if there was a dictionary definition for “good baby,” I’m fairly certain your photo would appear next to it. We have been so lucky with you, and we know it—in fact, we’re a little nervous about giving you a sibling some day, because we’re afraid he or she will be payback! Or maybe you will give us a run for our money in your teen years. All parents have to pay their dues sometime, right? Yikes.
You have started accepting some new finger foods. We’ve learned that if we want to get you to eat something new, we have to give it to you BEFORE we give you any of your favorites (like cheese, or banana). Apparently you will only eat new things if you think that your favorites are not an option!
Your little mind is starting to figure out a lot of things about the world around you. You try to put keys into the lock on the door. You put the (empty) syringe onto the top of the (closed) medicine bottle, then put it into your mouth like you’re taking a dose. You know that a spoon needs to be dipped into the bowl for food before you put it into your mouth. You try to put the lens cap back onto the camera (I’m not even kidding). It’s amazing, really. I love to sit back and observe, just to see what you’ll do next.
Although you still don’t have a lot of real words, you continue to belt out “Tessa” on a regular basis. You “talk” all of the time, but we just don’t really know what you’re saying. Sometimes, you’ll hold something out to us to take and we swear that you say, “Here!” You wave and say “Hiiii” and “Bye bye,” which has been a super cute developmental milestone this month. Your little voice is so adorable; I can’t wait to hear more of it. You have continued to give kisses—sometimes you even give unprompted ones, which never fails to melt my heart. You kiss others, too. Mary said you leaned over and gave your little friend, Amelia, a smooch one day. You also kiss your lovey or stuffed animals.
You are learning to communicate, even if it is not with words. You hold up books in the air and try to crawl into our laps when you want us to read to you. You reach out for objects and open and close your hand when you want us to give you something. You point with exuberance at things that excite you. I love seeing the world through your eyes.
You weigh 17 lbs., 14 oz. and you’re 28.75 inches long. It’s such a weird dichotomy—you are so small and baby-like, while also looking so big and toddler-ish. Sometimes I look at you and it just blows my mind. One year ago, you were this tiny bundle of squishy baby, who couldn’t focus her sight, and didn’t know her hands were attached to her body. And now you’re asserting more and more independence every day.
We had a big first birthday party for you yesterday. We had so many family and friends here to celebrate with you. We worked so hard to get the house ready, and although it wasn’t perfect, no one else knew that. We had incredible weather, and everyone had fun. You were loved by everyone here, and LOVED your cake—so that’s all that really matters, right?
As I put you to bed last night, I sobbed. I don’t even really know why, but I just sat and rocked you, staring at you and reflecting on how far we have come in just 365 days. I looked down at you nursing and it was so easy to take myself back to that hospital room last September 11, when I held and nursed you for the very first time. I could feel your tiny little body up against my bare belly. And now you are big and stretched out across my entire lap.
Last year at this time, I barely knew you. I studied the features of your face. I familiarized myself with your crazy, funny little monkey toes. I tested out kisses on different parts of your face, neck, hands, and feet to see which places worked best. Now, I know you like I know myself. I have lived and breathed you for an entire year.
It just happened so fast.
Every night, I pray over you. That you will be kept safe and healthy. That you will live a long and joyful life. These things I will continue to wish for you, every day for the rest of my life. For the rest of your life. I thank God for the gift that you are.
And you will hold my heart.
I love you with every ounce of my being. Happy Birthday, sweet girl.
Love,
Mommy
My due date was September 19. Or September 18, if you went by the date calculated by my doctor.
Throughout my pregnancy, we didn’t put too much thought into exactly what date our baby would be born. I mean, why would we? It was something we most certainly didn’t have any control over, so speculating or “aiming” for a particular date would have been a pretty big waste of time. Still, in our discussions as normal, excited expectant parents, there were a few casual, fun conversations about it.
I tend to be “into” numbers, so I’ll often comment on how I like the “sound” of certain birth dates. To me, there were dates that I thought would be nice birthdays for our baby. Aside from that, there was one date that I hoped we would avoid–9.11.10. Of course, with a September due date, we always knew there was a possibility of having a baby born on 9/11. But I guess we always thought, “What are the chances?” After all, I was due on 9/19, and the general consensus is that most women go late with their first pregnancies. Plus, there are 29 other days in September; we knew that our baby was more likely to be born on any other day BUT September 11.
There were times that other people mentioned the possibility to me–“Oh! Your baby could be born on September 11!” But there was always a feeling of “Yes, but that will probably never happen.”
But then, as my due date approached, so did September 11. On Friday, September 10, Michael happened to mention to me that he had a feeling we were going to end up with a September 11 baby, which was strange–because I had been having the exact same feelings. Before I left work that day, I prepared to be gone for maternity leave, because I really felt like I would not be coming back.
It turned out that I was right. And, Michael’s and my premonitions were validated, with our little Nora Grace making her appearance at 3:29 a.m. on Saturday, September 11, 2010.
And you know what? It’s fine with me. I remember seeing women on pregnancy message boards commenting about how they were PRAYING that they wouldn’t have their baby on 9/11. That wasn’t me, because I just don’t think that it’s that big of a deal. (I prayed for a healthy baby, and an easy delivery.) Is it the date I would have chosen, had I had a choice? No. But there are probably thousands of babies who were born on that date after it became THE 9/11. And thousands of people who were born on it before that fateful day.
So, it is not ME who I worry about. My only concern about Nora having a 9/11 birthday has been due to reactions of others. I would hate for Nora to go through her life with people wincing–or worse, commenting–whenever she shares her birth date.
There are plenty of dates with horrible things tied to them. It could be my birthday. It could be yours. Life and death, all on the same days–in times of grieving, aren’t we always told that life goes on? New life is only a reminder of that.
But here’s the thing about 9/11: It’s the only tragedy that is named for the date. For instance, the attacks on Pearl Harbor occurred on December 7, but we don’t call the incident “December 7”–we call it “Pearl Harbor.” The bombing of the Murrah Federal Building happened on April 19, but we don’t refer to it as “April 19”–we say “The Oklahoma City bombing.”
The scope of the attacks on September 11 stretched across multiple locations, times, and spaces. And so it came to be dubbed, simply, “September 11.” The date itself is therefore negatively marked for eternity. I will never forget. You will never forget. The sights, the sounds, the shock, the fear–those of us who were alive to witness the events of that day are forever changed by them.
My hope is that Nora’s generation will know about September 11, but because they did not live through it themselves, the mere mention of it will not conjure up the same negative feelings as it does for those who are older. I hope that she is able to “own” her birth date and not hesitate to tell people about it.
The truth is that Nora’s birth on September 11 forever changed (again) that date for me. When I hear it, sure, I think about 9.11.01; who doesn’t? But now, the first thing I think of is my beautiful daughter, and how that date marks the beginning of her life. Some of that negative has been displaced by the best positive that there is.
We should all be so lucky to have a child born on September 11.
I love you, Nora.
And your birthday, too.
About
I'm Heather. I'm 33 and have been married to Michael for seven years. Together, we have two beautiful little girls we love more than anything, and a miniature dachshund who drives us crazy. I'm a full-time working mom who has very little time for my own "stuff" these days, like home improvement, cooking/baking, cake decorating, and photography. Despite the team not making the playoffs since 1999, I'm STILL a Buffalo Bills fan, which I think speaks to my loyalty AND sense of humor. I can't wait to pick up the pace with travel again some day... you know, when we're done being ruled by tiny fists. Welcome to my blog.
