Diego’s birthday party was a lot of fun. I wanted to keep it simple, and inexpensive. I ordered a birthday kit in a circus theme from Party City for $50. It included the invitations, decorations, and thank you cards. It also came with plates, plastic cutlery and napkins. 

Our local Whole Foods did an amazing job with the cake. I wanted something without any preservatives and artificial dyes. It was incredibly moist and delicious. I would definitely recommend them for any cake needs. I had initially wanted a tiered specialty cake but in the end I decided to spend less on the cake. Of course a sheet cake from Sam’s Club or my grocery story would have been considerably cheaper but I will happily spend more money to get exactly what I want. 

Because it was a party for a one-year-old it only lasted two hours (officially, although our family stayed to visit for longer :)) I kept the menu simple. I served humus with pita chips, ham and cheese pinwheels, spinach and cream cheese pinwheels, and grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. They were easy to make and disappeared quickly. We also ordered two pizzas. 

Below are some of the pictures that my sister-in-law and her husband took. They are professional photographers in real life and always capture some of the best moments whenever we see them. They specialize in portraiture and have come out with two look books. You should check them out here.

Ok, so I’ve been a little lazy here and I don’t really have a reason. I’ve been busy with other things, and sitting down to write a blog post just didn’t happen. It’s hard running around Diego now that he walks. He tries to help himself to everything, I can’t even drink water without him trying to steal my glass. 

Diego’s first tooth is finally visible. It has been a slow and painful process. He’s fine during the day but of course sleeping at night has taken a massive hit, and has been running me ragged. It’s been no fun being sleep deprived for over a year. He’s had his good weeks but overall it’s been more of a miss than a hit. If all of his teeth are going to be this hard on us then we are in for a long turn of miserable nights. 

I still have hope that this will be the night he sleeps for ten hours or more without waking up. I can’t believe I am still this positive, but I guess a part of me know that giving up hope is dangerous for my mental health. 

I am going to be sharing pictures of Diego’s first birthday party in an upcoming post. I am lucky that my sister-in-law and her husband took a ton of pictures that they very kindly shared with me. I think I only took a total of five pictures, which was a total failure on my part. 

Here are a few pictures of the last couple of weeks. 

It’s still a little unbelievable that a year has passed since Diego was born. He is not a baby anymore, he’s a toddler. He is now walking. It’s so much fun to see him wobble around and gain confidence with each step. Sometimes I can’t help but think I should be as fearless as he is. To launch myself into things dangers be damned. Of course it would help if I was unaware of the dangers that lurk, a burden that falls squarely on the parents’ shoulders. 

Today he had his wellness checkup with his pediatrician. He had four vaccines and a blood test. It’s always a little hard to see your child in pain but it’s necessary in my opinion. I tend to side with science and facts when it comes to medical decisions so for me, no matter how inconvenient something is at the time the payoff is good health in the long run. 

Our next challenges include weaning Diego off of formula and taking away his bottle. The latter is what I am really worried about because thus far he has seemed uninterested in sippy cups and feeding himself in general. He is fully capable of holding his own bottle or cup but refuses to do so. In the case of the cups he uses them as projectiles. After a sip or two, he tosses them aside. A friend and I are embarking on this bottle embargo together and have promised to send each other a daily pic of our kids using their sippy cups. I hope this makes it fun enough where I will be consistent. 

I think that’s one of the key steps to having success with this. My next step is to do some research and see how other parents have managed this. I know some toddlers take to the cups immediately but there are always the few that prefer the bottle. 

I will keep you all posted. Wish us luck!