My Obsession with Dates

Okay, so I have a little obsession with dates.  Not the fruit.  But the day of the week, year etc.  In High School I notoriously could remember practically everything that happened on the date that it happened.  It was a little obsessive.

It’s decreased over-time (though I really think it’s my memory that decreased, not my obsession), so I couldn’t tell you exactly what I was doing on Sept 19th last year.  Although, since it was a Monday, I’m going to guess that I was at work. 

So, clearly, since I have ZERO control over when this little man shows up, I obsess over dates.  When might his birthday occur?  Wouldn’t it be great if he was born on xyz date?  and so on…

I’m actually surprised at how many dates in September we’ve felt some sort of connection to.  First it was:

Sept 9th – the date Jason & I were supposed to get married.  That is, until our reception hall decided to double-book us and we had to set a new date.  Our dating anniversary was also the 9th, so it had significance.

Then…
Sept 11th – why not have something happy on this tragic day?  It wasn’t so much a wish for this date as it was that it would be wonderful to have something to celebrate on a day that brings so much saddness.

Sept 15th – Brody was due Jan 15th and born on Jan 20th.  So wouldn’t it be funny if Aedan was born on the 15th when was due the 20th??

Sept 17th – same day of the month as Jason’s birthday

Sept 20th – same day of the month as Brody’s birthday (keep it simple kiddos!)  Not to mention he’d be born on his due date, he’d naturally be my favorite child for learning to be punctual early on. 

Sept 21st – 21 is Jason’s favorite # (and I think his baseball # in high school)

Sept 27th – 27 is my favorite #, I was born on the 27th and I was a second child.  However…I will cry if he’s 7 days late…so I really don’t want him to be born on the 27th. 

Obviously, I can’t control anything at this point.  So, since I’m sitting around waiting, I daydream about the day my little man will be born and a date that we will celebrate for the rest of our lives.  (Now I have TWO birthday parties to plan each year – woohoo!)

Par-tay!

Last weekend we celebrated Brody’s first birthday with family and friends! First birthday parties are an interesting phenomenon. It’s the very first one, so it has to be great! However, you know that the guest of honor will never remember the party and barely knows what’s going on.

That of course didn’t stop us from wanting to do something special for his birthday. We invited our closest in-town family members and the couple of friends that Brody has close to his age. We tried to keep it small to stop from overwhelming him, but we’re also lucky enough to have amazing friends and family & ended up with a pretty full house. At first Brody was shy, but it didn’t take him long to warm up to the attention.

The party was themed around his favorite toy, a yellow and green train that signs the alphabet. He loves riding it and playing with the alphabet blocks. So I thought a train theme would be perfect for a one year old party. We found a cake decorator who did an awesome job on the cake.

Other than that, we had basic 1st birthday decorations and themed the colors around his train. We had a custom shirt made with a train on it and his name.

We had to try to plan it around his bedtime, but due to family conflicts, we had to make some sacrifices there. (That’s the part you never think about until you have a 1 year old…no one wants a melt-down mid-party because the birthday boy didn’t get a nap!) Luckily we got him down for an early nap that day and he was able to get a couple hours in before the guests started to arrive.Everyone was so generous and Brody got a bunch of wonderful gifts. A month after Christmas, I was a little worried he would just get more of the same toys (which are awesome – but I’m not opening a daycare here!) However, everything he got was more unique than what he already had. Big crayons to practice his art at home, puzzles, blocks, lots of books & some super cute clothes. And…his very own rocking chair!

Brody had a great time, even if he didn’t really understand that it was his birthday. He loves cupcakes and loved having his friends there. He was even giving hugs by the time his friends left.

It’s a little sad watching your baby grow up, but I love the little man he’s become. And I can’t wait for the many adventures of his second year…

There’s a birthday coming soon

Brody’s first birthday is less than a week away! Party planning has been going on for a few weeks now, but overall we’re hoping to keep it simple and fun.

Based on the invite, you may have guessed that his party is going to have a train-theme. We picked this theme based on one of his favorite toys right now, “The Alphabet Train.” However, when I picked this theme I didn’t realize how hard it would be to find decorations that aren’t Thomas the Train. So we’re focusing around the toy and the color theme that goes with it.

The invites have been sent, menu has been planned, the decorations purchased and the cake ordered. And before my eyes this week, my baby will turn one year. And I am sure there will be tears.