Holy cow, folks, ONE YEAR – we made it!!!
When I look back at photos of Lincoln from when he was just a few days old, I am flooded with so many different emotions and can put myself right back in that hospital room feeling more joy than I ever knew existed coupled with sheer panic. I’d just had a baby. NOW WHAT?!
Before I get into what’s on My Mommy Mind this month, I want to share a few pictures from Lincoln’s birthday party a few weeks ago. (You can see a few here, too >>)
As I mentioned, we kept things really low key and my Mom helped out a ton with the food (which I took one picture of!) Ben and I covered the grill, veggies, chips, dips, and pasta salad. She brought the fruit, baked beans, and a few other things. That food part was kind of a blur to be honest. I am such a nervous entertainer but for that day, Lincoln’s birthday, I said to heck with worrying about the menu, how clean the house was, etc. All I wanted to do was focus on him!
I got a bunch of balloons from the grocery store and used those to decorate the house and back deck with. They were cheap and whimsical. Perfect! For the entertainment I had a slideshow of pictures from my iPhone running through Apple TV. It was so fun reliving hundreds, actually make that 1,000+ (I know,) of precious moments from the past year.
Lincoln’s cousins helped him open all his gifts including some Hawkeye gear, obviously.
And a big Anywhere Chair from Pottery Barn Kids. He loves that thing! Actually, he really loves climbing on it then jumping off onto his oversized stuffed dog, Pal. Boys will be boys!
After presents and a delicious BBQ dinner it was time for the main event. The cake smash!
Since I went low key with the decorations and outsourced half the menu to my Mom, I shamed myself into making a homemade cake. It actually took very little effort – maybe 5 more minutes then a box mix. Lincoln is allergic to dairy so I made a dairy-free yellow birthday cake (I’m sorry I don’t remember the recipe source – it was a random Google find!) and poured the batter into two Pyrex prep dishes I already had. After they were baked and cooled I sliced off the tops to even the layers out.
Next I made a coconut oil-based icing (again, another Google find,) then tinted it blue for the birthday boy and iced away.
NAILED IT.
Bahaha! Yeeeeah. Note to self: don’t try and frost a cake with coconut oil based-frosting on an 85 degree day because it will have the consistency of sludge. I was upset for about a minute before remembering that the whole thing was going to be destroyed by a one year old later that day. Cest la vie!
We all gathered on the back deck then I planted Lincoln on a big vinyl square for easy clean up and placed the cake in front of him. He gingerly swiped the icing with his finger before giving it a little taste. It’s obvious what happened next!
Top 5 moments of my life thus far. He put on such a show!
Afterwards we let the kids splash, -er clean off, at the water table then the birthday boy promptly crashed at 6:30pm. First birthday party could not have gone any better. I’m so glad we went for a low key bash which really allowed us to be present for every single moment of Lincoln’s special day. Wouldn’t have changed a thing!
Well maybe that icing…
Now like I said, I truly don’t know where an entire year has gone and I could have never imagined that it’d be filled with so many ups, downs, highs, and lows. At times I never thought I’d see the light at the end of the tunnel. I remember plucking my eyebrows in the sunlight of the family room windows at 11am with a 3 week old strapped to my chest wondering if I’d ever be able to pluck them, you know, in a bathroom again. Alone. And not get cross eyed in the process from lack of sleep.
I recently got together with a friend who has a new baby and as soon as she walked in the door she took me by the shoulders and said, why didn’t anyone tell me it’d be so hard?! It’s truly an experience that’s hard to understand until you go through it yourself. Thankfully, I told her, it gets easier. Here’s how I’d break down year one!
Month 1-4: SURVIVAL
Schedule? What schedule? Can someone tell my newborn he’s supposed to be on a schedule? Also that adults like to sleep at night? Because I think he missed the memo. Nothing can prepare you for the complete 180 your life will take after having a baby. It will be filled with unmeasurable amounts of love but, uh, zero sleep. Your old life is out the window. Your day is not your own. Did I mention zero sleep? I mean, I remember going days and days without driving because it wouldn’t have been safe!
Being a new parent is a beautiful thing but frankly, despite all the books I read and prep classes we took I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I don’t want to be overly dramatic about being a first time parent, but it’s no joke!
Months 5-7: Releasing Expectations.
In the early months I tortured myself by pouring over baby books and websites. Try this. Try that. He should be doing this. You should be doing that. ARG! Around the fifth month I started taking everything with a grain of salt because there is NO magic formula for raising a child. The second I lowered my expectations life started to smooth itself out. Lincoln started sleeping through the night, got more independent, slipped into a predictable schedule, and I started getting more used to my “new normal.” There was life after baby!
8-12: Let the Fun Begin.
Giggles, wrestling, crawling, eating, babbling, waving, kissing, jumping, tickling – I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! These past four months have been like a reward for all the messy, hard work that comes along with having a newborn. Although I know our jobs have only just begun, it’s a truly awesome feeling knowing that we’ve made it through the first year.
I repeatedly asked my friends with multiple children when they knew they were ready for another one (because the idea was unfathomable for so many months!) and they all said get through the first year. Now that I’m here I can finally see what they were talking about. Having a one year old is completely different than having a newborn. Not saying we’re ready to have more kids any time soon but the thought doesn’t make me want to run screaming in the opposite direction anymore. :)
This has been the hardest but most fulfilling year of my life. While I had no idea what I was getting myself into, being a Mom is better than I could have ever imagined. This silly, sweet, snuggly goofball is a gift that I will never take for granted and I’m so proud to be his Mom. I can’t wait to see what kind of little boy he’ll become.
Thank you for all your notes and support throughout the year. I have read every encouraging comment and taken them all to heart. More to come on the Family Channel including toddler-approved recipes – so stay tuned!
In the meantime, here are some of my favorite helpful posts on the Family Channel from this past year!
10 Things Nobody Told Me About Having a Newborn
5 Must-Have Items for New Moms
The Ultimate Baby Registry List
How To Make Homemade Baby Food
[…] requested it for his birthday next week which will definitely blow the disaster that was his first birthday cake , and box mix cupcakes I made for his 2nd birthday, out of the water. He loves this Dirt Cake SO […]
Love your family posts. I have read your blog for the past few years and always loved it. Some of your recipes have become staples in my kitchen! I had a little guy, my first, about 2 months after you so I love seeing what you guys are up to and what’s in store for us! We are currently planning a birthday party and I, too, am going theme-less. (Babies don’t have interests yet, right? Felt forced to me!) Anyway, I also live in Ohio but have family in Ankeny, IA and Iowa City, IA so I feel like we are going to cross paths one day! Anyway, love the blog and thought it was finally time to comment! :)
Happy B-Day to your handsome little man! Kristin, I can say with total confidence that the next year will not only fly by, but be filled with even more fun, joy, love… and frustration. Independence comes with opinions! (from the mama of a 2-year-old.) = )
Happy Birthday Lincoln! My baby boy turned three weeks old today and this post was EXACTLY what this sleep deprived mama needed to read. THANK YOU!
You made it! Good job! If you are asking about another baby than the time for it it close! I bet it’s easier the second time around. I just have one and she is 10th grade! She just lined up her first baby sitting job and she is getting more independent every minute! It goes by so so fast! Enjoy! Oh and I just wanted to add that I have a hard time with dairy but not hard cheeses. Just a thought ! Xoxo great photos!
What a great birthday party. I always enjoy your posts. Enjoy your little boy. I am the mother of 5 oldest just got married and my baby whom I never thought would get old will start her senior year of high school Thursday. But like you I was always in the present raising my kids. And I can say it now but I nursed the last one until she was…..3 1/2. A little secret we kept.You are such a lovely family.Blessings.
LOVE it! I don’t know why but I got very emotional reading this post. Tears and all! So relatable, every last bit. The 1st birthday is always such a special one. I’ve said it before but I will say it again and again, Lincoln is A-dorable, and thank you for sharing his first year with us! HBD, little man! (ps, majorly looks like Ben in the pic at the water table)
I just loved this recap and the pictures! Can I ask how you made the slideshow? My guy’s first birthday is next weekend and I would love to do the same!
I made a new album on my iPhone with just pictures of Lincoln, then go to that album and click on the first picture, click on the little box with an arrow icon in the bottom left-hand corner, and then click “slideshow”. Next, broadcast to Apple TV and you’re set! Happy birthday to your little boy!!
Happy birthday to Lincoln! He is such a beautiful boy! I’ve so enjoyed watching him grow this past year. Thank you for sharing. We are six months behind you with our first, Corey. I love your food posts, but I have especially enjoyed your family posts, particularly those in which you share your frustrations. Makes me feel less alone in the struggle! We are starting to see for ourselves that things do indeed get better, and we are excited about the next six months.
Corey is also sensitive to dairy – diaper rash, eczema – so I’ve been avoiding it now for months, but we are hoping to gradually reintroduce it and my fingers are crossed the sensitivity won’t last too long. I’d love to hear more about how you’re handling Lincoln’s allergy and food alternatives. Just trying to feed myself, I have learned that dairy is in so many things!
Anyway, thank you, Kristin, and congratulations on making it through the last year! :-)
I was so bummed to have to omit dairy – it’s a great source of fat for beefing up our little ones and, like you said, it’s in EVERYTHING. We are on a family vacation right now and it’s been difficult to order kids meals – everything has cheese in it! That said, there’s tons of alternatives to dairy at home. I feed him a lot of hummus, avocado, extra virgin olive oil, peanut butter and coconut milk yogurt. Hopefully he will outgrow it in the future – dairy is a common allergy to outgrow and he’s a 2 out of 5 on the allergy scale which give me hope. Best of luck to your little boy, too!
Adorable pictures! Thanks for sharing. Btw I LOVE your pineapple tank. Where is it from?
Thanks! Old navy. :)
So. So. Sweet!!! Lincoln is adorable!! I really loved this post. It’s exactly what I needed to hear. Our little girl is 10 weeks old so I’m definitely feeling all the feelings. Thank you for sharing your advice. I’m glad you had such a wonderful day being present with your little guy. Happy Birthday Lincoln and Congratulations to your sweet family! Blessings to you for many more amazing years together!
Hey lady! I’m a first time mommy of a 7 month old and I love that you started this Family Channel to add to my daily reads. Will definitely be sending this post to some of my friends that are in the thick of that first couple months of madness that seems like it will never end. Happy birthday to Lincoln and happy Mommy birthday to you – you’re doing a great job.
What brand high chair do you have for Lincoln? I’ve been wanting one with no fabric and it looks like that is what he’s rockin’. Do you recommend yours?
We used a Chicco high chair (garage sale find!) It worked great for us but we recently switched over to a Fisher Price booster seat and like it much better. The Chicco was enormous and this booster seat fits right on top of our regular kitchen chair!
Thanks so much. I’ve seen that chair alot and wondered if it was a good one. Glad to hear you recommend. And it’s portable for other people’s houses, and cost efficient – major plus.:)
Happy Birthday, Lincoln!! I’ve followed your page for about a couple of years now and I’ve love everything about it. I was especially excited to see that you were pregnant right around the same time as I was with my first. It was also nice to read your Mommy Mind posts right around the time I needed them. My daughter’s first birthday is next month and I’m planning to have the same low-key birthday as you. I just want to focus on her for the day. I also just wanted to say that your summary of the first year sums up the exact same feelings I’ve had over my daughter’s first year. Thanks for the posts and I can’t wait to see what else you have in store :)
Your description of Year 1 is right on…exactly as I experienced it too and I imagine so many others. Great job surviving that first year. In my opinion, it just keeps getting better! Happy Birthday, Lincoln.
Love this and love your blog too! It has been nice to see how you integrated your postings on family with recipes in the last year. I look forward to reading each week (and trying new recipes) – thanks!
Happy Birthday Lincoln!!! Love you!!!