four

Darling Janelle at vintage simply love (she really is darling) inspired me to jump onboard with this fun little spin on a "getting to know you" post!  Hopefully you learn a bit more about the gal behind this blog!

4 nicknames

Rach, Rachie, Rock (short for Rocket, thanks sis), Rachie Muchachie (my mom even has a song for this nickname)

4 jobs I have had

lifeguard/swim club manager, day camp counselor, nanny, teacher

4 movies I have watched more than once

Erin Brockovich, Crazy Stupid Love, The Wedding Planner, Father of the Bride

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4 things in my purse

softlips chapstick, bobby pins, wallet, sunnies

4 books I would recommend

The Husband's Secret, Yes Please, The Girl on the Train, anything by Jodi Picoult

4 cars I have driven

Dodge Neon, Pontiac Grand Am, Hyundai Elantra, Honda Pilot

4 places I have visited

London, Paris, Portugal, Dublin

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4 places I want to visit

Australia, Italy, Greece, Vancouver

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4 favorite foods

watermelon, mac n' cheese, tacos, chocolate

4 favorite drinks

water, Dr. Pepper, "dirty Shirley/Shirley Slammer" (Shirley Temple with vodka), coffee that doesn't taste like coffee

4 TV shows I watch

Parenthood, Southern Charm, Law & Order: SVU, Friends

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4 places to shop

World Market, LOFT, Target, HomeGoods

4 things I'm looking forward to in 2015

family vacations, a big family reunion, decorating our house, watching Max grow and learn

Hope you were able to learn something you didn't know about me!  Have a wonderful day!

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Max Turns One | A Monster Party

My little Baby Max turned ONE on Sunday!

Shirt from A Chapman Creations on Etsy

When you have your first baby, everyone tells you to cherish the moments when they're little because "they go by so fast."  And you smile and nod and think "yeah, ok, sure," as you adjust to punctuated sleep and the complete upheaval of your life as you get into a new groove with your little nugget.  You think those precious moments will last forever...they're always going to be little.

And then all of a sudden it's been a year since you brought your bundle into the world and you realize that the past year was the fastest-passing year of your entire life and you can finally conceptualize how true those 5 words really are.

How the flip do I have a 1-year-old already?!  I've been planning this party for months, but the actual day really seemed to sneak up on me.

We've been suuuuuper busy the last two weeks getting the house set up and ready for Max's birthday party, so I had to dust the cobwebs off this here blog before I could write this post today.  Sorry it's been crickets over here lately.  I hope today's post makes up for it!

I'll let the photos do most of the talking, but here's the low-down: we had a monster-themed party to celebrate Max's one-ness (other themes I considered were Sesame Street, baseball, nautical, and camping).  My sister and I baked and decorated all the cake pops, cupcakes, and Max's smash cake.  I got the ideas for the decor mostly from Pinterest but added my own spin to some of them.  All of the pictures were taken by my darling friend Dottie of Dottie Millwater Photography (when your talented photographer friend comes to your kid's birthday and offers to snap pics with her fancy camera, you put your own camera away and let her work her magic).

The Decor

Max's monthly photos

The centerpieces for the tables were tissue boxes wrapped in paper and decorated like monsters.  

Each table also had a jar of cake pops.  I made the jars for Max's baptism.

I thought my sister was going to throttle me when I told her I wanted to hang all those streamers from the bulkhead.  I'm very grateful that she supported my vision: there needed to be more color coming from the ceiling!  This tip made it super easy!

I made the confetti by cutting up pieces of cardstock.  I did the same for my wedding.  Easy peasy and adds pretty color to the table.

I made the boho flags from small pieces of scrapbook paper.

What's a party without balloons?

The Sweets

We baked for DAYS.  But we had fun.  And these cake-pops were TO. DIE. FOR.
Tutorials here and here.  (These gals have perfected the process...and they have pretty awesome blogs, too).

I love an opportunity to use my cake stand.

My future sister-in-law decorated these.  I love them!

The one in the middle is my favorite.  He reminds me of a minion from Despicable Me.

The Favors

Found these plush monsters on Amazon

The kids also got some Play-Doh and bubbles

The Man of the Day

Max was awesome on his big day!  He took a great nap that lasted through the start of the party and was such a happy guy playing with his cousins and friends.  I thought he might cry when we sang to him but he held it together!

Practicing walking.  He's still not interested in doing it on his own but he'll walk as long as someone or something helps him.

We taught him how to "blow" last week and we practiced with a scented candle at breakfast!

He wouldn't eat the cake unless we put strawberries in it.

He was happy with our singing.

With his parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncle

Such a wonderful day with family and friends!  Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate and to all who wished Max a happy birthday on Sunday!  Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

22 hours in Naptown

I did it: I survived my first overnight away from Max.

Victor was in meetings in Annapolis all day Friday, learning new "golden nuggets," as he calls them, to help him hone his skills as a lawyer.  He goes every year, and I typically join him Friday evening for dinner, drinks, and fun in my favorite waterfront city.

The view from the cocktail party

We could have taken Max, but it would have been a repeat of our beach trip a few weeks ago, meaning we would've been back in the hotel by 8 PM.  Being baby-free gave us a bit more freedom.  We went to the cocktail party with Victor's colleagues at the Marriott (on the same waterfront terrace that was almost our wedding location), strolled to dinner at 8:30 PM, and swung by the after-party at 11 PM at the Westin.  On Saturday, Victor went to more meetings while I leisurely showered and got ready, watched Keeping Up with the Kardashians, browsed Pier 1, dropped some dollars at LOFT, then did some Mother's Day shopping at my favorite boutique, Lou Lou, before meeting Victor for lunch and some ice cream.

Sitting in traffic.  For once I don't mind.

There were beautiful flower arrangements all over the city.  This was one of my favorites.

Ego Alley in Annapolis

Max did wonderfully with Victor's parents and loved being spoiled rotten by his avos.  We couldn't have asked for a better first overnight.  It's very comforting to know that Max was happy and loved while we were away.

His first pillow/blanket fort.  Avos house is the coolest!

While I enjoyed being baby-free, I couldn't wait to get back to my little goose.  But when I got to Victor's parents' house, he was napping, so I waited in the backyard amongst the lilacs.

They smelled divine

Hope you all had an equally wonderful weekend!

Preparing for my first overnight away from my baby

In a few days, Victor and I will spend our first night EVER away from Max (actually, Victor's been away from him overnight before, but I haven't).  On one hand, I can't believe he's almost a year old and this is the first time we'll be away from him overnight.  On the other hand, I feel like it's too soon and I'm half tempted to call the whole thing off.

Max will be staying with Victor's parents while we have some baby-free time an hour away from home.  I am perfectly confident in their ability to care for Max and keep him safe and sound until we return.  They live less than a mile away from us, so they can easily come by to get anything we might forget to pack for Max, if needed.  Our pediatrician's office is 5 minutes away, as is the nearest hospital, so they're super close to any emergency medical care, as well.

Yes, I'm 99% sure that everything will go off without a hitch.  But that's not going to stop me from leaving detailed instructions on how to care for my baby.  And I'd leave the same instructions for my mom or sister if they were the ones watching him.

I know Victor's parents and my mom all successfully raised 4 children among the 3 of them.  I know my sister has nannied for several children, ages newborn to 10 years old, and has even worked as a night nurse for a newborn baby (she's also a cardiovascular ICU nurse, but that's neither here nor there).  I have no doubt that they are more than qualified to keep my son happy, warm, fed, clean, dry, and safe in my absence.  I know they will play with him and love on him and make him laugh and comfort him when he cries.

But I'm still leaving a Max Instruction Manual.  And I hope that it will be read and acknowledged and maybe even followed somewhat closely.

I read this post on Scary Mommy a month or two ago by a woman who left a 6-page list of instructions for her in-laws when she left her daughter with them for 10 days.  It was funny, especially her years-later commentary on some of the instructions she left.  Admittedly, some of her instructions were a bit ridiculous (requiring them to "sniff when the bear sniffs" while reading Big Hungry Bear), but she meant well.

I don't think my "instructions" are too batty.  It's mostly a breakdown of his daily routine (plus some info on Tylenol dosage amounts and the pediatrician's phone number).  Having taught elementary school for 7 years, I know that children (babies included) thrive on routines.  I also know that when routines are not followed, some level of chaos (even just a slight amount) will inevitably ensue.  When I was absent from work, my substitute plans were incredibly detailed (I was often thanked by my subs for being so thorough and prepared).  I would spend hours writing out every m.i.n.u.t.e of my kindergarten day so that the only thing that would potentially throw my kinders off would be the different person in the front of the classroom; everything else would be the same and familiar.

Of course I'm going to do the same thing with my own flesh and blood.  DUH!  I am with Max all day, every day.  No one can care for my baby better than me (and I fully believe every involved mother has the right to say that about her own child(ren)).  So while I know that Max's caretakers for my 24-hour absence are very highly qualified, they're not me.

Hence, the instructions.

Now, my in-laws read my blog, as do my mom and sister.  I know they're going to see this.  I actually want them to see this.  I can't tell you how many times they've all said to me and Victor, "I know what I'm doing.  I've raised/cared for children before."  I'm sorry if you've been offended by our requests, demands, and reminders; we didn't mean to hurt your feelings.  But guys, this is my kid.  My first baby.  I'm allowed to be neurotic.  I'm allowed to worry.  I'm allowed to leave instructions with you for his first overnight away from me (and possibly the next several overnights).

Just look at this nugget.  Of course I don't want to leave him!

For the past 11.5 months, I've been the one who feeds him, bathes him, changes his diapers, rocks him, comforts him, reads to him, sings to him, puts him down for naps and bed, wakes up with him at all hours of the night, takes him to the doctor (or worries about whether I should call the doctor about his cough or that low-grade fever or that rash).  I'm a perfectionist, I'm independent, and I'm a firm believer in the saying "If you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself."  Just humor me and read the instructions, respect my reasons for writing the instructions (because I want my baby to feel comfortable and have some familiarity and consistency in my absence, NOT because I don't have faith in you), and maybe just follow the instructions, even if you follow them loosely.

So, for those who are lucky enough to be entrusted to care for the child of a first-time parent, just cut us a little slack.  Let us be neurotic and a little overbearing and leave you with a list of things to do and say and feed to our baby.  I'm sure you did the same thing when you were in our shoes; lots has happened since then, so you might not remember those early days of parenthood.  We will likely loosen up with more practice...and more babies.

Shoot, the first time I left Kenny with someone else, I left PAGES of instructions for how to care for my fur-child and a box full of doggy supplies.  Now I drop him off with his leash, the travel crate, and a bag of dog food and hit the road without a second thought.  I'm sure I'll get to that point with my kids someday, too.  Just give me time.

photo above by Dottie Millwater Photography

Wedding Wednesday | Pre-Wedding Favors

As mentioned before in this post, Victor and I had a destination wedding.

Since all of our guests went to an extra expense to attend our wedding, we wanted to be sure to send them a little something before they jetted down to Punta Cana to celebrate with us.  I was already planning to send everyone a letter prior to the wedding detailing the various wedding-related events, locations, and times, but I wanted to add a little something special to their packages.

I found some cute silver luggage tags at Michaels in the wedding aisle and was inspired to send all of our guests a little something fun to add to their suitcases for their trip.  Being the crafty gal that I am, I couldn't just leave them plain.  So I painted on them!

I did an assortment of suns, palm trees, and beach umbrellas.  Then, about a month before the wedding, I mailed all of our guests a package with a luggage tag for each person in their household that was attending, along with a letter featuring travel tips, packing suggestions, and a breakdown of the wedding events for our wedding weekend.

I just loved seeing everyone's luggage tags as they wheeled their bags through the resort!  Favors, in my opinion, can be tricky.  My requirements for favors for events which I host are: they must either be edible (and delicious) or they must be useful.  So glad our guests got some good use out of their pre-wedding favors!  I still use mine!

Pre-wedding favors are by no means necessary for any wedding, but it felt nice to acknowledge the expense our guests went to in order to celebrate our big day with us.  It was a small gesture, but I think (and hope) it spoke volumes.