Growing up as the Weatherman's kid

Before she was even born, Anderson’s upcoming arrival was televised.  Our pregnancy announcement was shared on social media and as a “picture of the day” segment. 

A day after she made her arrival into the world her beautiful little face filled up the screen as her birth announcement was part of the news.

When she turned one month old, Miss A made her first in-person appearance on the air when we made an impromptu visit to see Daddy at the station.

Her first birthday was celebrated with a special wish on air with the WAND cast, and just a few short months later she showed off her black cat costume on Halloween to the viewers.

In Anderson’s nearly two years of life she has made more television appearances while visiting her Dad at work then most people do in their lives.  On one hand that is pretty neat for her to have such unique and fun experiences as she grows up; however having a Dad as a weatherman is not always sunshine and blue sky's. 

Most nights Anderson and I spend a good portion of the evening alone.  I love my one-on-one time with my little lady, but a Chief Meteorologist's schedule is not ideal for family life.  When most people are getting off work to spend the evening with their family the Chief Meteorologist job is just beginning.  Anderson and I share dinner together alone most nights; however she does love to turn on the news to catch a glimpse of her Dad sharing the forecast.  She will smile and squeal "Dada" during the weather segment.

When severe weather hits, Miss A and I are on our own, again.  Growing up in the Midwest I'm used to our unusual weather, but on a few occasions it would have been nice to have some support dealing with scary weather, a toddler and a high-maintenance dog. 

 

Like any parent living in today’s world, we love to share pictures of Miss A.  With JC’s job he has many more “likes” than the average person does – over 16,000.  In general the comments on posted pictures are always very nice and supportive, but in the beginning there were a few nasty ones, which usually involved her unusual name.  Even though those comments were hurtful, we learned to brush off the negativity.

The "local celebrity" status really comes to play when we hit the grocery store.  Many people will recognize JC, comment on the weather and Miss A.  Their well-wishes and comments about our toddler are always nice.  JC works really hard to please his audience, and we rarely encounter rude people. 
 

As Anderson gets older and starts to notice the stares while we eat, the whispers of “that’s the weatherman” as people walk by, or even the pictures that are requested while grocery shopping, I hope she learns to adapt and accept the unique life we have.  I hope she appreciates the hard work her Dad does to be able to be as well-known and liked as he is.  It’s not always an easy life we lead, sometimes living under the microscope in public and surviving on our own during severe weather, but it’s normal for us and we wouldn’t change it.

What spending a week with a toddler in Mexico will teach you.

When reflecting on our first vacation as a family of three out of the country it is easy to dwell on the negative points of the trip because there were a few.  Instead of being a “Negative Nancy” about the trip I’ve tried to think of it as a learning experience.  Many of the things I learned on the trip were interesting, and also pretty positive.  Here we go:

*Children are little celebrities.  No matter what gender, race, or behavior, bringing a toddler to a resort makes them an instant mini celebrity.  In Anderson’s best moments when she was showing off her talking skills and other newly acquired personality traits, she was the star of the resort.  We had people come up to us on our final days and comment on how they loved watching Miss A at the pool throughout the week.  If you need an overall confidence booster, take a toddler to a resort.

*Toddlers are little people, with big personalities.  Some of Anderson’s happiest times on the trip were when she had an audience while she ran through parts of the resort, or splashed in the baby pool.  Before going to Mexico we knew she was an independent little diva, but we didn’t realize just how independent she was.  She insisted on walking on her own wherever we were going, and expected us to follow her schedule at all times.  For those that know her, this isn’t much different than behavior at home, just magnified since there was so much walking and new things to explore.  Our little toddler tested her limits in so many ways on this trip, which resulted in a few time outs being enforced.

*Being at a Mexican resort required laser focus on our girl.  The room consisted of marble floors and hard, wood furniture.  The pool area was a wet, busy area that Anderson loved to run through.  No matter where we went, there was always a very dangerous encounter creating images of a very scary end result if we weren’t paying extreme attention to Miss A.  Our beloved Minnie Mouse doll almost took a dive into the flamingo pond.  Being on high alert was a necessity to make sure our beloved little girl didn’t join in on that fun adventure.

*What did parents do before electronics?  Obviously I realize there are other, much better activities, to have a toddler engage in to keep them occupied.  But in today’s society, many people are used to having at least some TV time.  At our house that means an episode (or two) of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  In Mexico, MMC, wasn’t available for watching.  Thank you Apple and Disney for providing a short relief for two tired parents.

*Parents who play with their children attract other kids whose parents don’t.  At various times we had one to two other little kids wanting to hang out with us while we splashed in the water with our daughter. 

*Spending almost an entire week, uninterrupted, with our daughter really showed me how much we miss out on during normal work weeks.  Those extra hugs, laughs and memories made were so special during that week since it was a luxury to be spending so much time as a family, rather than spending it at work.

*Going away for a Mexico vacation with a toddler would not have crossed my mind if I didn’t have a supportive partner.  We gave each other short breaks to head to the pool bar, read a book or not be on parent danger alert.  Those small breaks were always much needed, and appreciated.

*By far the biggest lesson I learned was to relax, have a sense of humor and make the best of any situation.  Our rooms weren’t as expected, the flight home was completely horrific and the challenges of taking a toddler on a big vacation were much more than we’d ever expected.  But we’ve lived and learned from the entire experience and become much more seasoned and patient parents in the process.

Toddler Fun at the Terre Haute Children's Museum

In one place, kids have the opportunity to try out being a farmer, veterinarian, construction worker and TV weather person.  Of course, our busy little toddler did not miss an opportunity to try out all of these trades, plus more, at the Terre Haute Children’s Museum this spring.

In Central Illinois, and surrounding areas we may not have beautiful beach views, or picturesque mountains, but we do have some pretty great Children’s Museums.  After hearing positive reviews of the Children’s Museum in Terre Haute, Indiana near my parents’ home, I decided it was a “must do” on our short travel adventures list.

When we started our adventure at the Children’s Museum, a doll house and child’s bedroom set up welcomed us.  Miss A wanted nothing to do with that and quickly walked through that area.  She’s not normally a doll kind of girl, and is more interested in exploring hands-on things, which is why the next exhibit we encountered was perfect for her: a dinosaur fossil dig area.  The cut up rubber pieces were perfect to allow for our girl to do some exploring, without getting dirty (thank you Terre Haute Children’s Museum for that!).

After checking out everything on the first floor we moved on to the second floor, which was definitely the favorite.  Some very loud, and wet kids, made us quickly move on from the water table exhibit.  Grocery shopping, a toddler play area, and farming area were all fun to explore.

On the third, and final floor, Anderson played in the home building and construction area.  We bribed her into taking a picture on the TV News desk for her dad who was not able to join us.  She wanted nothing to do with the green wall in the Weather area.  If this is any indication for a future career, Miss A wants nothing to do with weather, or TV News.  I’m completely okay (and relieved) at that.

The final area that was the most fun for our girl was the Animal Hospital.  She didn’t care too much about the stuffed dogs in the cages, but she did want to answer phones and type on the computer.  She sat at the reception desk answering the phone, asking for people and then saying “bye” and hanging up, for the longest time.

Before we knew it, we had almost spent three hours at the Children’s Museum.  For our busy toddler, who normally has an extremely short attention span, this was a huge surprise once we realized how long we’d been discovering the Museum.  One final trip to the now deserted water table, which resulted in a very wet and cranky toddler after we made her leave, wrapped up our trip to the Terre Haute Children’s Museum.

 

Even though our family has spent several days at various zoos and Children’s Museums, it never grows old.  I know it’s not the exhibits that make the trips so special, but the little girl and other family members that I get to share the trip with.  

12 Months of Dates

Before parenthood consumed our life, JC and I enjoyed traveling to new places, eating out at nice restaurants and experiencing new things.  Now, our traveling consists mainly of visits to see extended family, take-out food and new experiences that are child-centered.  I wouldn’t trade our new normal for anything, but with our busy, toddler-focused lives we have a difficult time fitting in time for “us” like many other parents.

Cubs Rooftop Experience in 2012.

Whiskers and Tails event in 2014.

In the past year and half of being parents we've had about ten date nights.  Many of those date nights aren't really even date nights in my opinion because they are work functions for JC where he is emceeing the event or networking with other co-workers and Decatur residents.  Those nights I plaster on a smile and put my small talk skills to work.  Even though they aren't exactly a relaxing night away from parenthood duties, I still feel fortunate to be able to dress up and attend some interesting banquets.

As 2015 kicked off we decided as a family to make more time for “us.”  In the past few years we've been on a constant “go” and it was getting so taxing that it was starting to affect our health with all of us being sick off and on from Thanksgiving through early February.  So far, we've stuck to our resolution of slowing down and making more “us” time so far.  Thankfully it’s been a wonderful change in more than one ways.

With our resolutions, and reality of our life in mind, I decided to forgo the sweets for Valentine’s Day and come up with a creative gift.  The “12 Months of Dates” was a genius gift I found while browsing Pinterest.  This idea really is perfect for us as it makes us accountable in some way for making time for each other.  Instead of trying to come up with something to do spur of the moment, and when to do it, the dates are already set for each month.  I tried to make them seasonally appropriate and unique with things that we both enjoy.  In the summer months golf and a drive in movie are on the agenda.  During the Fall and Winter, tailgating and visiting new restaurants will keep us occupied as the cold weather creeps back in.

To be honest, I didn't spend much time making the actual "12 Months of Dates" book.  It is nothing fancy.  That's because I knew the thought and effort of planning the dates was what would resonate with the hubby, not the look of the book.  Plus, my free time rounds up to about one hour every day -- not a lot of time for fun crafts.  With that said, there are some awesome, super creative "12 Months of Dates" books on Pinterest.

In theory, the “12 Months of Dates” will force us to make time for us, doing things that we enjoy; however I’m not sure the planned dates will end up working out for us every month.  Life gets busy and things may change, but the most important thing is that we continue to connect in some way and enjoy each other as a couple.

Exploring the Decatur Children's Museum

The endless cold and piles of snow have kept us cooped in side for far too long in the Midwest.  The indoor activities are becoming very redundant and I cringe anymore when Mickey Mouse saunters onto the television screen with his big goofy grin and wave.  M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E has been stuck in my head too many times to count this winter.  It’s all just getting a little O-L-D.

Aside from pulling the plug on the Disney Junior channel, and ultimately Mickey for my sanity, which would break Miss A’s heart, we needed something to do to get out of the house this past weekend.  After a grumpy toddler meltdown, we bundled up and headed to the local Children’s Museum (with her Minnie Mouse doll in hand, of course).  We had been there once before baby when we were volunteering with Big Brothers, Big Sisters; however that had been many years ago and things are so much more special when experiencing them through the eyes of your own child.

In our grand plan of getting out of the house, we failed to check the Children’s Museum website and ultimately chose a really bad day for our first outing.  The parking lot was packed when we arrived.  Maybe it’s just a birthday party, we said with optimism.  The crowded lot would not destroy our cold day adventure.

Once we entered the building, packed with parents, toddlers and teenagers, we quickly learned it was not a birthday party, but a special event day which drew a huge crowd.  Since we were already there we decided to make the best of the day.  

Anderson clung to JC’s shoulders as she was overwhelmed with the sights, sounds and number of kids running around the space. Once she decided to join in the crazy, loud fun, she found that she loved the “choo choo.”  The hanging train display rolled through a path around the climbing jungle gym.  Another favorite was the new Seed to Shelf area, where she got to throw the fruits and vegetables into their designated bins in the grocery store.  She also liked pushing the grocery cart around and finding food to buy.  The water table was another hit.

Miss A suffered a hit too.  She was gleefully running between the exhibits and got football tackled by a bigger kid, also running between displays.  The kid apologized and felt very badly.  Anderson quickly recovered herself and went back to playing.  She’s a resilient little thing, and was having too much fun to let a tackle by a big kid keep her down.  

We did not get to explore much of the second floor exhibits as that was where the special event was being held.  It was pure madness upstairs with teenagers running around screaming.  When we tried to venture upstairs to check it out, we quickly decided it wasn't worth the headache.

Overall, we really enjoyed the Decatur Children’s Museum and will definitely go back to visit, but not before checking the website for the special events calendar!  Lesson learned there.

Preparing for Memories in Mexico

After months of dreaming about walking through soft sand and relaxing by the pool, we decided to take the plunge and book a trip to Mexico.  Cozumel, Mexico to be exact.  It is a small island just off the coast of the Rivera Maya area in Mexico, which is an area we have enjoyed visiting.  This will be our fourth time to Mexico, but our toddlers first time traveling abroad. 

So far, when we've shared our vacation plans many people are surprised to learn that no, we are not leaving Anderson behind.  

A couple Saturday’s ago we stood in line behind two families slowly going through the process of getting their own passports.  On that particular morning, we may have been slightly regretting the decision to take on a trip to another country.

Miss A was wonderful, being a lot more patient than I was (but those who know me well know that being patient is something I struggle with on a daily basis).  When it was finally Anderson’s turn to get her passport she was not happy with getting her picture taken.  She screamed, and did not want to cooperate.  Finally we got a picture decent enough to pass off as her semi-happy look for the passport requirement.

Despite the passport drama, and likely many more meltdowns during our beach vacation, I couldn't be more excited to grab the sunscreen, swimmies and head across the border with our toddler. 

Anderson on her first beach vacation this summer.

 Traveling is something JC and I love doing.  It is probably my favorite hobby, and where some of my most cherished memories and experiences have been created.  With that in mind, I want to create wonderful travel memories with my favorite little girl.

An article I read recently sums it up pretty well: “The older the children get, the more you realize how precious time is.  Take as many family vacations as possible.  They make lasting memories of real quality time spent together.”

NYE with a toddler

New Year’s Eve has never been a big event in my life, even though there are definitely some memorable celebrations.  Now that I’m a parent, the celebrations have changed even more to include sippy cups, high chairs and Disney movies. 

Since Anderson is just starting to take part and enjoy fun activities, we tried to include a few new activities as part of our New Year’s Eve celebration.  Here’s our night with our toddler:

First we made pizza.  She just wanted to eat the mozzarella cheese.  I was okay with that, less mess involved.

Then, she got to play with her new bath crayons.  She just wanted to eat the crayons.  The new bath crayon activity ended quickly.

After that, we decided to spoil our sweetie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  She just wanted one more scoop.  Mom said "no." 

Then, we picked out a Disney movie on Netflix.  She watched for maybe 10 minutes before deciding to tear into her toys and bounce on the couch.  Who knows how the movie ended….. 

And finally, bedtime!  A successful toddler New Year’s Eve night was complete with our one year old tucked in bed by nine (an hour past her bedtime).

A Christmas Season of Change

This Christmas was definitely a season of change for our family.  It was very exciting time, full of new traditions.

With JC’s work schedule we were stuck at home on Christmas Eve.  He spent most of the afternoon and evening at work; however he was able to come home for a short break for dinner.  Anderson and I spent some quality time together during our hours alone.  We popped some popcorn, watched Home Alone and played with her toys. 

When JC got home we were able to do a very quick version of a new Christmas Eve tradition.  We ate soup, let Anderson open her first gift (jammies, a new Christmas ornament and new “Twas the Night Before Christmas” book), and took a quick drive through the neighborhood to look at Christmas lights. 

The Christmas light viewing was probably my favorite part of the night.  Anderson normally is not a fan of riding in the car, but she seemed to enjoy it on Christmas Eve.  We listened to Christmas tunes and claps of her hands along with squeals of delight when she saw Santa aglow in a yard. 

Later that night, we laid out cookies, milk and carrots for Santa and the reindeer.  She grabbed a handful of cookies to put on Santa’s plate, but we quickly scaled that down to three.  

Once she was fast asleep, and JC was home from work again, the two of us went to work wrapping and assembling toys in Santa’s workshop.  He was busy putting together an 80 step play kitchen, while I wrapped all of Anderson’s gifts.  We enjoyed spending a couple hours together preparing an awesome Christmas for our girl, while watching the “Christmas Story” marathon.  We don’t get a lot of alone time, or sometimes time together in general, so this was a fun tradition I know we will continue on Christmas Eve night, just like my parents did for me years ago.

On Christmas morning we woke up and Anderson explored what Santa had left her.  She was a little overwhelmed with the whole process.  She wanted to play with whatever toy was opened, and definitely did not care about any clothes in the mix.  But we still had tons of fun opening gifts and sharing this experience with her.  Even our dog, Wrigley, was in heaven with his gifts from Santa.  He didn’t try to destroy any of Anderson’s toys for at least a couple hours.

We hosted Christmas lunch/dinner for some of our family.  Thankfully nothing was burnt, or tasted too terrible to eat.  But I definitely have a new found appreciation for all of the people who do the holiday cooking on Christmas.  It’s a big job to unwrap gifts, try to clean up so people can have a place to sit, and get a nice meal together in a few hours.

The rest of Christmas weekend was spent celebrating the holiday with the rest of our families.  I’m thankful that we were able to spend time with everyone.  I know this will be a memorable holiday as it included many new, fun traditions.

Balancing Work and a Sick Baby

I’m pretty lucky when it comes to the job department.  My agency I work for is very understanding when it comes to employees dealing with family obligations and emergencies.  This is extremely important to me as being the wife of a weatherman doesn’t allow for flexibility with schedules very often.  When the weather is crazy, or no one else is around to work, sometimes there’s no way to get out of work, even for a family situation.

Even though my company is very family centered, the work I do is very time sensitive.  Certain times of the year it is also hard for me to take time off.  Things had worked out without any problems until this fall.

Anderson had just started going to daycare.  About a month into our daycare experience she came home with a temperature.  Then later that night I noticed little red marks on certain parts of her body.  After doing some research online we figured out she had hand, foot and mouth disease, which was later confirmed when we also learned another kid at daycare had gone home the day before with the same illness. 

 

On a normal work day I would have been able to stay home and take care of our baby; however a very important state meeting was taking place.  JC and I had been asked to speak at this meeting on media and prevention.  It was even a paid gig (for JC).  There was no way to get out of the work commitment without making a very bad impression with colleagues.  Plus I had been preparing for the presentation for a month now.  Did I want to squander a career opportunity?

Thankfully, we were able to find a compromise called Mimi, who came to watch Anderson for a few hours during our speaking engagement. 

Before this Fall I had never had to make a choice between family and work.  Of course as a mother I wanted to be with my daughter.  I will always put her before anything or anyone else.  But as a professional, who’s worked hard to advance in my career field, I didn’t want to give up on the opportunity to present at a state-wide conference.    

Working mothers and parents in general, truly have such a balancing act to conquer between work and family.  Our hearts tell us to do one thing for our families, but our minds know what we have to do to provide for our family, and fulfill our career ambitions. 

Finding the balance between focusing on my career and being a Mommy is something I’m not sure I will ever find.  I just try to cherish moments at home with my daughter, and enjoy the high points in my career, like being honored to present at a state-wide conference with my husband.

Mommy Misadventures: Taking cover for severe weather at the public library with a one year old ...

I’ve always loved to read a book.  I’m also one of those “old school” people that still loves to go to the library to pick up those books.  So on a day off, I decided to take our one year old, who also likes to look at books and explore new places, to the library. 

We had been cooped up all day due to rainy weather.  When my weatherman husband left for work that day he said he needed to go in to “watch” the storms.  I knew there was a threat of tornados, or other severe weather, but I assumed it wasn't going to be too bad.

After a short nap, play and snack time, we packed up for a quick trip to the library.  We visited the children’s area first.  The nice librarian let Anderson pick out a book to keep for her first birthday and took our picture.  I grabbed a book and we slowly walked our way to the checkout area.  Anderson was starting to walk and wanted to walk everywhere because of her newfound skills.  This was great, as I love to see her learn and develop; however it also means our trips take about twice as long.

And those extra minutes quickly ticked away, while the weather outside was getting worse.  When we got to the checkout counter a weather report was read over the intercom.  It informed us that a tornado watch had been issued and we all needed to take cover.  Looking outside I could tell it was bad out.  The rain was pouring down and it was pitch black at 4:00 pm.

You would think being the spouse of a meteorologist I would know what was going on.  But what I’ve quickly learned is that I’m usually one of the last people to know what’s going on, especially now that JC is the Chief Meteorologist.  When the bad weather is rolling through JC is on air telling everyone else to take cover, while I’m trying to handle a baby, 80 pound dog and figure out what’s going on with the weather on my own.  It may seem easy to just click on the TV, but those of us who are Moms know that there are about a million distractions that can keep us from knowing what exactly is being said on the screen.

Normally I do get a quick text from him telling us to go "take cover", but I hadn’t heard from him all day, and I wasn’t aware things had gotten so bad out. 

Anderson and I gathered up our books and walked to the "severe weather" corner of the library with the rest of the patrons at the city public library.  While we waited Miss A was showing off, holding up her book for everyone to see, before she got bored and wanted to walk around.  Thankfully, we were allowed to make our escape about 15 minutes after taking cover.  This was likely just before she got tired of the new adventure and threw a fit.  We raced to the car through the rain.  I quickly placed her in her car seat and jumped in the back seat to buckle her in.  By the time we got home I was drenched, but Anderson was fairly dry -- and we were both very happy to be home.

Growing up in the Midwest the storms are fairly common, so when severe weather comes it isn’t something that panics me.  It is somewhat normal because I’ve always had to deal with it.  

Now being a Mother, and the only one responsible for our safety at home during severe weather and winter weather, I will be much more diligent about knowing what’s going on after this incident.  Anderson and I were fine at the library.  The tornadoes were not close to us there, or at our house, but this was a big lesson for me.  I have to make sure I stay better informed for our safety.  As parents we all wear different hats to keep our family unit together.  For me, this means I have to be informed and keep everything together while Dad is out informing the rest of Central Illinois.

Mommy Misadventures: The day I had on mismatched shoes..

I’m definitely not a morning person and never have been.  Before baby I loved being able to sleep in on the weekends.  Of course now that is ancient history.  No matter what day of the week it is I’m usually up by seven. 

Due to my distaste of getting up early in the mornings, I tend to be rushing around each day trying to get myself out the door looking halfway put together for work. 

For Anderson’s one year Doctor checkup it was a typical morning rush to get dressed and out of the house.  We had scheduled an early morning appointment so both JC and I could accompany Miss A for her milestone visit.  Doctor visits are never quick, so it takes some real effort to keep a one year old occupied for 30 minutes or more, wearing only her diaper, in a cramped room. 

Since her milestone birthday Miss A had been working to meet her next big achievement, walking.  To pass time in the room, we walked back and forth across the room, over and over.

During one of our trips across the floor, I looked down and realized I had on shoes that did not match! 

“Seriously, I have on two pairs of shoes!”  I told JC.  His response, of course, was laughter.

In that situation, that was the best thing to do.  I know for a fact I’m not the only mother that has accidentally walked out of the house with two different, but very similar, shoes on.  In some way it could even be considered a rite of passage for working mommy’s.

During the appointment I kept my shoes tucked underneath the chair when possible, and quickly drove home to find the right match for my shoe before heading to work. 

The moral of the story is: laughter is the best medicine.  Sometimes life has its way of throwing a curve ball at you, but it’s best to just laugh it off (when it's not too serious), take care of what you need to and move on.  Life is too short to dwell on the small stuff.  In this instance, a mismatched pair of shoes is not really that serious.

Also, I need to get up earlier and give myself more time to get ready in the morning (or buy new shoes that don’t look similar).

Anniversary Getaway Misadventure

When a person becomes a parent every aspect of their life changes drastically.  Literally everything.  Relationships, sleep patterns (or lack of), eating patterns and interests are all things that have changed for me.

Before meeting Anderson I had the idea that I would still be able to have time to do “adult” things, like going to Broadway plays, concerts, eating at nice restaurants, or quick weekend getaways. 

Over a year into parenthood I can say we’ve checked two things off that list: visiting a nice restaurant a couple times over the year and (with the help of family) going away for a weekend trip.

Even away from your child, the duties of a parent don’t stop.  Case in point, a recent weekend getaway to Augusta, Missouri in celebration of JC and I’s five year wedding anniversary.

Five years of marriage is a big milestone.  To honor this milestone, we wanted to do something fun with each other.  With both of our busy work schedules and the daily demands of being a parent, we rarely get a time away from Miss A.  I wouldn’t want it any other way either.  I love spending every second of my free time with her.

JC had been planning our weekend anniversary trip to Augusta for a couple months.  He had checked out the fun stops along the wine trails and found a nice bed and breakfast to stay in. 

When we dropped off Anderson she wasn’t feeling great, but was still her happy self.  She was in capable hands, plus we were only going to be away for a couple nights.  Everything would be fine.

But it wasn’t.  Anderson ended up getting very sick with a terrible ear infection, and we made the decision to go home.  It wasn’t a difficult choice either.  When I heard her calling “mama” over the phone my heart broke and our car headed home.

Of course it is unfortunate that our weekend got cut short by a day, but as a parent I could not be away from my daughter while she was sick.  No matter how excited I was for the much needed “alone” time, nothing would have stopped me from getting home to take care of her. 

Despite having an abbreviated trip, and going home to a sick baby, the hubby and I were thankful for the short amount of time we did have together.  It had been ages since we were able to spend more than a couple hours alone doing something that we wanted to do together.

Over the past year I try to make a little time to enjoy “hobbies,” like reading, DIYing, or going on a short Netflix binge.  Those hobbies are much easier to do at home during nap time, or before crashing from exhaustion at the end of the day. 

My biggest and best “hobby” ever arrived on September 2^nd when my little girl was born.  Who has time for adult hobbies when it is so much fun to laugh, make animal noises and have tea parties with an adorable one year old? 

A First Birthday Sail-abration

I never knew a year could go by so quickly.  It seems like yesterday when we first met our sweet little girl.  Now, over a year later, she is her own person with a big personality.

To celebrate Anderson’s life we wanted to make her first birthday something to remember that also reflected things she loves.  Since we discovered we have a little fish on our hands through swim lessons and days on the beach, we decided to plan a nautical themed birthday party.

For months leading up to the big party I was scouring Pinterest, Etsy and making notes for creating this nautical themed party.  Thanks to these very helpful sites, I think I actually spent more time browsing “first birthday” party ideas than I did for some of my wedding planning.

But it paid off, with a really cute theme and lots of fun decorations to celebrate the life of our special girl.  With my love for planning, I tend to want to be in control of all party details.  But, with working a full time job and being busy with life obligations, I knew that I needed help on some projects.  We enlisted some crafy family members to help with a few of the decorations.  Needless to say, we have some very talented DIY ladies in our family.  The pictures below don't do justice to the cute decorations and details of Anderson's Sail-abration.  It's just not possible to be a Mommy, party planner, host and photographer all in one day.  The pictures are quick snapshots between dressing the birthday girl, cleaning and organizing.

"Anderson" name banner and "I am 1" high chair banner, courtesy of Mimi and the MJHS teachers.

Welcome sign, courtesy of Aunt Dani.

My attempt at a DIY personalized "A" wreath.

On a recent family vacation we visited Captain Anderson's Marina for dinner. Of course, we had to buy some momento to bring home for her nautical themed party -- and it definitely wasn't going to be the fish and sharks caught on the deep sea diving boats at the marina. Her birthday invitation and "Captain Anderson's Marina" bumper sticker had a place of viewing for Miss A's big day.

Food and cake table, with fabric polka dot and chevron banner, courtesy of Grandma.

Since this would be Anderson's first taste of birthday cake, we wanted to make her cake pretty special.  We used a local lady who makes cakes.  I sent a few pictures over of a couple cakes that I liked -- and she came up with this.  The cake weighed about 20 pounds, and tasted amazing too!

"Smash" cake.

Anderson's "smash" cake was adorable too.  I wasn't feeling adventurous, so stuck with vanilla cake for her; however it wouldn't have mattered what flavor it was, she was not interested in it at all.  She picked at the pink dots, tasted a little of the cake with our help, then tried to push it off her tray to show us she was O-V-E-R the cake. 

During my "first birthday" research I found the adorable birthday stats posters, which I knew I had to have for her party.  I thought this was a great way for family and friends, who aren't able to spend a lot of time with us to find out little fun facts about our special girl.  We also printed out pictures of her "monthly" birthdays to show just how much Miss A has grown and changed over the past year. 

Finally, the star of the show was studded out in her own personalized "First Birthday" outfit.  Besides ripping the bow off of her head in about 10 seconds, the outfit stayed on, and fairly clean for the entirety of the party.  This was one of the only pictures we got of her in her entire birthday outfit.

Through my Pinterest research I found many Time Capsule ideas for first birthday parties.  I love heartfelt mementos like Time Capsules, scrapbooks and yearbooks, so I knew this was another item I wanted to include in her party.  I hope that she will enjoy reading all the nice notes people wrote her when she turns 18 in 2032.  I also hope I don’t lose the Time Capsule in the next 17 years!

Even though the celebration was a very happy occasion for all of Anderson’s family and close friends to get together to honor her day, as a Mom it was also a little sad.  I want to keep Miss A little forever.  I know that’s not possible and am looking forward to making so many more memories with her and planning many more fun birthdays in the future.