Amelia's Birthday Party: Tea Party Recap!

Amelia's birthday party last Sunday was a smash hit! I was so excited that so many people came and felt overwhelmed with the amount of love in the room. So many people traveled from afar {mississippi, lexington, college station, san marcos} I couldn't believe so many people made such an effort to make it and Amelia was filled with so much joy. 

 

As I mentioned a few months ago, we went with a tea party theme. Almost no one actually drank the tea but HEY, that doesn't make it a failure does it? I think her outfit turned out pretty cute even though it didn't stay on too long. And look at that, I actually followed through with making that stinking tutu. 

I will admit, without my mom there is NO WAY this would have been so great. She showed up that morning with a helium tank and balloons, stayed until midnight the night before rolling out sausage balls and was at my every beck and call when I was under the weather. Where would we be without our mamas?

DECOR:

Here are some of the decorations {very little haha}. I filled teapots and baby food jars with the cheapest flowers you can find: babies breath and carnations but I happen to think they are the prettiest :) I made the tissue pom poms from this tutorial. They were SUPER easy but time consuming. 

FOOD:

Other than the "Tea Bar" we had a punch bowl, homemade ice tea and water. We had tea sandwhiches {cucumber/cream cheese...amazing & chicken salad}, cupcakes {which I worked so hard at and no one ate...I am just going to think they were too pretty and people were scurred hahah}, fruit salad, grapes, sausage balls, date pin wheel cookies and the smash hit: CAKE BALLS. 

*I am forever indebted to Ashley for coming over the day before and helping me with everything and making the cake balls too. Maybe if we bother her enough, she will do a tutorial on her scrumptious creation! Make sure to visit her blog to see some amazing recipes, she is a queen in kitchen lately!

MEMORIES:

And here are some snap shots from the memorable day....the camera got passed around and multiple people took photos {Elizabeth is a secret photographer in the making, I decided!}. Amelia took a snooze  right before we opened gifts so I had two other little helpers, shout out to Issi and Kylie!

**Thank you Uncle Tanner for making cotton candy for all the tots, it was a huge hit! I think I have the sweetest brother in law ever. I am so lucky**

Not sure why but I am madly in love with this photo :)

I would be scared too if daddy was eating my face!

Seriously, how cute is this vest? I want one in my size. 

Thank you to everyone that came! God has blessed us with the most amazing friends and family. I will say the worst part of throwing a party is not being able to talk one on one with everyone you haven't seen in ages. I look forward to seeing everyone again- not playing party host :)

Amelia had an amazing day and was POOPED and in bed by 7pm. She got so many wonderful gifts {even though I told everyone this stinker was fine without!} and has had so much fun exploring her new toys. Thanks again everyone for coming and making her first birthday bash a success because I would have had a mental break down if it was anything but ;)

Question blogreaders: Would y'all be interested in a tutorial on the chocolate accents to the cupcakes or is that totally lame and boring? Super easy and makes the perfect accessory to your sweet treat! Let a mama know :)

Hope you are all having a wonderful week!

So it Begins...

It's official {and has been for four days now}. I have a toddler. The stink turned one year old last Thursday...sigh.

Her hectic birthday week has come and gone and life is almost back to normal. Sorry for the lack of blogging, everyone that knows me knows by now that I ate a bag of bad spinach that did quite the number on my stomach leaving me M.I.A from the bloggerverse {and life in general} since late Thursday night.

Her birthday party was amazing and was everything I could have ever hoped for. Look out for the recap tomorrow!

Here are some pictures from her actual birthday {January 26th, 2011}: A day at the park with mama and then ending the day with the tradition birthday cake. I really wanted to do a "smash cake" photo shoot but without totally repeating myself, I didn't feel up to it.

This child did not dig into the cake like an ordinary baby....she delicately took the icing off the top with her index finger. Everyone KNOWS that I only eat the icing off of cake and am notorious for leaving my finger prints in peoples (sometimes even random) cakes. JUST LIKE HER MAMA!!!

On Wednesday night Travis and I went to an amazing gallery opening. The project is called 31k Portraits for Peace. Travis was a participant and his face is plastered on 5th and Congress by the Mexican Art Museum downtown, you have to check it out! Check out more about this amazing movement here.

So proud of the person my husband has become. :)

Preggy Belly.

Why do people act like woman are pregnant for nine months? We are pregnant for TEN MONTHS. Even if the first few weeks are considered the "gestation" period IT STILL COUNTS. And by the end of your pregnancy, you feel like you are definitely ten months along. And just like pregnancy, this is going to be a long post, prepare yourself.

I didn't get the opportunity to miss my period in May 2010. In fact, I took a test about 5 days before I was suppose to "start" (we're all ladies here, right?). I just had that pesky gut feeling (pun intended) that I was pregnant. When I took a test, there was almost no time lapse...it was an immediate "positive" response. I couldn't believe it. I hadn't even told the husband about my suspicions and he had no idea that I even went out of my way to buy some tests. I immediately took the other "bonus" test that was in the box and when it came back just as positive as the first, I remember just starring in the mirror with my mouth wide open. 

Every single emotion flowed through my body in .236 seconds. Looking back I wish I would have kept it to myself for a bit and thought of a cool way to tell Travis but instead I woke him up from his slumber (it was 7:00 am) and in a panic, shouted "Get up and go get me some pregnancy tests because I just took two and they are positive. GET UP, I AM PREGNANT!!!" Travis repeated the word "shit" over and over all the way out the door and probably the whole way to Walgreens. We had always talked about having kids and knew that one day we would want to be parents but we had JUST bought our house and we had only been married 6 months...and we wanted to wait at least 2 years (heck, we were 21 and 22!). Not only was it a shock but Travis was shooting a wedding that day that had a 32 person wedding party. That was the worst Saturday for him on record. 

Once the "wtf" wore off, we were so thrilled and for the next nine months thats all we talked about. We did a "photo shoot" every month from 5-9 months. I was one of those superstitious gals that just didn't want to get too excited until I was well through the first trimester and everything was looking good. Below are our monthly photo shoots and personal tid bits (some are pretty "risqué")  :)

One of my pet peeves is when I am judged ignorantly for my "birth plan." Yes, I get it..you want the all natural, quiet, granola eating birth but do not judge me because I had a c-section. My body (and doctors) didn't give me a choice. Before you start on your rants about giving birth and breast feeding, know that EVERYONE is different and your method isn't necessarily the best method. *and I only mention breast feeding because I think society puts so much pressure on it. I tried it (and will try again) and it was the most difficult thing I ever did. No one can prepare you for the pain of engorged size FF boobies and an infected nipple* When I told an acquaintance that I had a c-section (without even knowing my story) she said "Oh, I'm sorry." And I still haven't come up with a good enough come-back.

FIRST TRIMESTER:

*There aren't any photos because like I stated before, I was basically scarred to take any. Not only that but I was soooooo sick I couldn't even open the pantry let alone pose for the camera. I lost 8 lbs. between my 8 and 12 week check ups. 

SECOND TRIMESTER:

In August we went to Portugal when I was almost 5 months along. I was hardly showing when we arrived but "popped" right at 19 weeks. On the flight there (mind you I was in a sweat shirt and yoga pants, carrying a pillow) this old man came up to me at the airport and asked me "are you with child?" and when I responded I was he told me "You don't know this yet, but it's a little girl. She looks just like you, she is so beautiful." I sat and cried in the airport and felt like I had just met another angel. When we came home two weeks later, we indeed found out we would be decorating the nursery pink. In Portugal we decided to do a maternity shoot since we wouldn't get the chance to take them in such a beautiful place again. I ate 2 burgers and poked my belly out as far as I could to look "more pregnant" hahah.

4 Months:

5 Months:

Six Months:

By six months I was REALLY feeling pregnant, mostly because by this time you know the sex and are feeling kicks everywhere. I also remember distinctively that I had only gained 6lbs by this point and my doctor was worried (have no fear, I gained 30 lbs in my last trimester alone.). I remember feeling HUGE and everyone basically laughing at me saying "jusssssssssst wait."

Seven Months:

These were taken the night before my baby shower, thank goodness because I didn't get a single photo from the day with a visible bump! By this time, I was taking doctors orders and stuffing my face.

Eight Months:

This is the stage people are talking about when you literally grow bigger and bigger every day. You wake up every morning a half pound heavier than the night before, it's UNREAL. No complaints from me yet, though. I was still in the "I love pregnancy" stage at this point. Some of the photos below were extremely controversial. I personally think pregnancy is an absolutely natural and beautiful experience. I think when semi-nudes are taken with a big belly it is seen as art...apparently my employer didn't agree with me and neither did my in-laws when I shared these on facebook (no not all of them hahah). Everyone told me I should take them down because they showed too much...Good thing I have a mind of my own. 

Nine Months:

"Just when you think you can't possibly get any bigger, you do." It's true. You wake up defying all laws of physics the last few weeks of pregnancy. Luckily the first 9.5 months were a breeze but by the last few weeks, I was having a hard time walking due to back and pelvis pain. You know, I'm not going to lie...I thought I looked damn good at 9 months pregnant. These were taken the night before I went into the hospital to give birth. Looking back I can see how swollen my face was and how big I actually was. I was SO proud that I made it through the whole pregnancy without any stretch marks...but no one has the courage to tell a 10 month miserable pregnant chick that stretch marks don't appear until AFTER you give birth and deflate. The ones I did have faded after a few months but as luck would have it the only real stretch mark I have goes right in between my one and only tattoo. 

And on January 26, 2011 this little miracle was born. 

Amelia Grae Tank

I remember her being absolutely perfect and so overwhelmed with God's creation. Babies perfect little eye brows, and nails and how they can come out of the womb-where they have been swimming in goo for 9 months- and then breathe air...they are just little miracles. 

The best thing I ever did throughout my pregnancy was keep a journal. Open ended letters to my unborn baby about what was happening in my tummy and in the world. To this day, I write to my sweet daughter every few weeks so I can always know when she "did this and that". 

"A person's a person, no matter how small."-Dr.Suess