Birthday Party Fun

This past Saturday we hosted our closest family members at our home to celebrate Henry's first birthday. It was a small event (though in a home the size of ours, it felt much bigger) but it was a cherished time to share with those who love our little man so much.

Henry made out like a bandit - he got so many great new toys, books, outfits, and so many sweet birthday wishes. He didn't seem too shy amid the room full of ooh-ers and aah-ers and flashing cameras that would rival that of a red-carpet premiere. We enjoyed a causal supper of fresh deli sandwiches along with chicken salad, fruit salad, chips, and a variety of chocolate and white cupcakes.

After everyone had eaten, we gathered around Henry to watch him eat his own chocolate cupcake. As you'll recall from last week's post, he had his first taste of chocolate on his actual birthday, so by this time he was a professional, and I'd say his smash-cake skills had been finely honed. His mess was bigger, better, and more chocolate-covered. My little piggy ate every last bite of his cupcake... except for the tablespoons of icing that were smeared around his mouth.

I am so thankful to all our lovely family who came, to those who couldn't be with us, and to God for the miracle we have in Henry that it would bring us all together to celebrate. Follow us for another year of everyday blessings.

"Making Your Home Sing" Monday

Over at Momstheword, Nan encourages us to make our homes sing every Monday. I love this meme and am (formally) participating for the first time this week. I actually found Nan's blog through my gardening blog circle, but I think this fits more appropriately here at Everyday Blessings. While I think every day is an opportunity to bless my family, I hope to make it a habit to share what I'm doing each week. I think this will also encourage me to make a more conscious effort in my every task to "make my home sing."

Since having my son and becoming a SAHM, our family has cut down considerably on eating out. This means more sit-down, traditional family mealtimes, and is exactly what I want my children to grow up knowing as a staple of family life. I will be the first to admit that my domestic talents do not include cooking, but I'm doing it anyway, and I hope in time I will have found a collection of recipes my family and I like that I can prepare without incident.

Part of this responsibility includes planning my meals for the upcoming week and the cooresponding shopping list. I live almost 20 miles from the grocery store, so I don't frequently just "run out" to pick something up. It isn't economical to be unprepared. That isn't to say I don't end up back in town again later in the week, at which time I can pick up additional needed things, but generally, I try to make it a weekly trip.

I sit down with a printed calendar each week and fill in the main course I'll serve for every day. I have kept previous months calendars and sometimes use those for ideas, but I also reference cook books, magazines and occasionally the web for new recipes to try. I generally do this on Monday or sometimes Tuesday mornings. Tuesday is grocery shopping day. I compile my list to cover every day up to the following Tuesday. It's nice to have this predictability in my life, but I am one of those OCD types.

I try to make it a goal to find at least one new recipe to try each week. Some weeks it doesn't happen, and other weeks the new recipe is a flop (or I'm the flop... either way it isn't edible.) I'm also making a real effort to prepare meals that are more nutritious than what we'd typically eaten in our previous lifestyle. With little eyes watching and little minds absorbing everything we say and do, I want to set examples for healthy habits.

I'm relatively new to blog land - does anyone know of any good nutritious, kid-friendly (because my dear husband is as picky as my dear son) foody or meal planning blogs out there? I don't have access to a lot of exotic or rare ingredients (and we likely wouldn't eat them anyway) so simple is better. I'd love to expand my repertoire.

Thanks, Nan, for helping me to remember to bless my family. Go check her out and share about how you are blessing your family today!

Happy Birthday Henry!!!

Happy Birthday to you,
happy birthday to you,
happy birthday, Dear Henry,
happy birthday to you!!!

My baby is ONE today! I've spent much of the past 24 hours remembering the hours and moments leading up to the birth of my son, and I just really can't believe it's been a whole year since that day. It was life-changing, to say the least - but this is the life I would choose if I had to do it again. Being his mama, spending every day with him, learning about him and watching him learn, seeing first smiles, giggles, rolls, steps and discoveries. It's been a gift and a blessing straight from God, and for that I'm thankful.

We're just doing a small celebration here today - his birthday party will be next Saturday. I made him a chocolate cake - his first chocolate experience! - and he'll have a small gift or two to open.


I can't wait to see how this next year continues to bless us, but I can't help but wish it would slow down a little, so I can savor his baby days a little longer.

Milestone: First Steps

Milestone Alert! On Monday, Henry took his first steps. It was right after lunchtime, and I was on the floor with him playing with toys. I helped him stand up and as soon as he was on his feet he took about three or four steps toward me. I don't even think he realized he was doing it.

We've known he was close. The day before, Daddy watched him take one step. He's been walking all over the place with his push-walker and while holding our hands. Over the past week or two he's been increasing the length of time he could stand after letting go of whatever was supporting him. It's been coming, but I still think it surprised us when he actually did it. I called Daddy immediately to tell him, and when he got home he got to watch Henry take a few steps as well. That evening we practiced some more, and again yesterday. Last night he walked several times back and forth between Daddy and me. He seems to enjoy it - or at least the praise and cheering we give him when he does it. I'm such a proud mama!!

It's just one more reminder that my baby isn't really a baby anymore at all. His first birthday is just three days away. *tear*

Photo Update: Tooth

Here, if you make a funny squinty face, you can see the lower left lateral incisor I posted about last week. The new top tooth has been harder to see, let alone photograph, but if I get a good shot of it, I'll add it here too. And, no, that's not war paint - it's squash! :)

Henry Meets Stryker

I'm a member of an online forum for moms and I really love it. Within this forum is a group of moms whose babies were all born at about the same time as Henry. This 'playroom' as we call it has been a fantastic resource when a new mom (that's me) has had umpteen random questions that sure enough other moms are also asking that BTDT (been there, done that) moms can answer.

Here's a small-world phenomenon for you: this forum is full of women from all over the world, and there are several others just like it. The town I live in is quite small and rural. Yet, another of the moms whose little boy - his name is Stryker - was born just three weeks after Henry is from my small town. Two women from the same speck on the map found each other in this massive online forum! She and her husband actually now live in Washington state (military), but recently she was down here visiting her family and we decided to have lunch. Here are a few pictures of our lunch. We didn't plan for them to be dressed alike, but how cute that they were! Of course, too bad Henry couldn't look happy about it or anything. ;)

After our lunch, Stryker and his mama had some errands to run, so we parted ways. I had already planned to go to the park and put Henry in a swing, so here are a few park pictures as well. He loved swinging and going down the slide with Mama. :)

Plural:Teeth

STOP THE PRESSES!

I just got Henry up from his nap, and while on the changing table, in good light, I discovered he has also just cut his LOWER left lateral incisor as well. I have no idea when this one cut... sometime in the past week because I know I checked there last week. I totally missed it since I was watching the top so closely.

So, now the count is up to six!

Another Tooth!

Just got the report from the Tooth Fairy. She has bestowed Henry with his fifth tooth as of yesterday or this morning. It is his top left lateral incisor. I have been watching for it as he's displayed all [his] classic signs: disrupted night time sleep for the past several nights, looser and more frequent stools (oh yeah - someday he'll thank me for sharing that with you all), and grabbing at his ears for several days. I really think it must have cut within the last 24 hours because though I could see the swollen spot in his gums about two days ago, a swipe through his mouth yesterday still did not turn up any hard enamel. Today, though, it's official - the new little pearly white is there in all its glory. Bless his heart... I hope this means we'll all resume sleeping again... except that while admiring his new addition, I think I noticed slight swelling where his top RIGHT lateral incisor will appear. ;)