Finn's First Birthday

We got the keys to our house, had our furniture delivered and mostly unpacked just in time to celebrate Finn's first birthday!! I wasn't sure how much of a party we would have since we didn't know that many people, but first birthdays deserve a celebration (mainly for Mom and Dad!), so we figured we'd invite everyone we know, get some cupcakes and sing happy birthday to our favorite one year old. 

Mike and I had the Submarine Birthday Ball on Finn's actual birthday, so we actually had his party the day after (Sunday).  I felt kind of bad that we didn't do much on his birthday and left him with a babysitter, but he doesn't know any different and he won't remember, so I don't feel THAT bad.   We settled on a brunch birthday party since Finn loves waffles and we love mimosas ;)

We like to dress up for first birthdays :)

The guests arrived around eleven and we were happy that so many people came! We had a couple of friends from Connecticut who are stationed here with us, as well as a few of Mike's friends from Hawaii who are now stationed here, so we had a decent crowd!  I made waffles and bacon (in the oven...guys, this is a game changer!) as well as some fruit to eat, along with coffee and mimosas to drink.  We let people mingle for about an hour before we sang songs and ate cupcakes. 

We let Finn eat his cupcake first, which was as funny as expected.  Finn is pretty hesitant when it comes to textures and foods, but I figured icing wouldn't be an issue.  It took him a little while to figure it out, but once he realized how sweet and delicious it was, he dug right in!  Go Finn!

This one cracks me up.  He looks like he's thinking "What's the big deal? So what if I got a little icing everywhere?" 

One of the hardest parts about the military life is that we aren't near our family and friends to celebrate holidays and birthdays.  I was extremely worried that we wouldn't have anyone to celebrate Finn's birthday with since we just moved to Washington, but our friends were wonderful and really made Finn feel celebrated (even if he had no idea what was going on). We love our little guy and are so grateful for such a wonderful first year of Finn!

Finn is ONE!

Oh Finny, how are you one?  

To me, you are still the little newborn we brought home from the hospital.

To me, you are still the one month old who we took for walks around our Berlin neighborhood. 

To me, you are still the two month old who we traveled with for the first time. 

To me, you are still the three month old who charmed everyone with a bow tie at his first wedding. 

To me, you are still the four month old who we traveled back to the United States with. 

To me, you are still the five month old who taught us that it's okay to let you cry yourself to sleep. 

To me, you are still the six month old who would sit in his Bumbo and help me cook dinner. 

To me, you are still the seven month old who I dropped off at daycare for the first time. 

To me, you are still the eight month old who enjoyed mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving. 

To me, you are still the nine month old who we left for the first time overnight. 

To me, you are still the ten month old who was busy exploring everything. 

To me, you are still the eleven month old who we drove across country with. 

To me, you are everything. You are the happiest of my memories and some of my toughest. I look at you and think of the hours you spent lying on your dad's chest or nursing with me.  I think of the first smiles and laughs that made me cry.  I think of each of the milestones you reached and how excited and proud we were.  I think of that smile that makes my heart melt each and every time.  I think of the sleepless nights (which there were a lot of) and how much I loved you despite my extreme exhaustion. I think of all of the times you were sick and how worried and helpless I felt.  I think of how clueless I felt in those first days and still feel sometimes.  

To me, Finn, you are joy.  Not every moment has been filled with joy, but when I think back on this year, I think of all of the joy you have given us.

I hope that you continue to live a life full of joy and know how much joy you give to us.  Happy birthday, sweet boy. We love you. 

Love, 

Mom

A Tribute to Three Faves

In my family, we like to group our birthdays.  We have three in March and two in December.  Two of my friends followed that trend and have birthdays this week.  I really appreciate it because it makes it so much easier to remember.  Thanks guys!

Sara's birthday is October 12th, which unfortunately (or fortunately?) fell on Yom Kippur this year, so the day was spent fasting.  The upside of that is that Sara got to spend the evening eating lots and going to bed early.  What more could a girl want? HA!  Anyways, happy birthday to my fellow name twin and one of the funniest and most outgoing girls I know.  This girl's got enough spunk to take over all of Washington, D.C. one day, which I know will happen, so watch out.  I miss our wine drinking on the Seine and our French dinners in D.C., but I'm lucky enough to swap emails with her and get the occasional video chat in, which I'll settle for right now (only ten months until we head home, but who's counting?).   

The second birthday of the week goes to Poorna, one of my fellow Kempsville High School Yearbook survivors and my favorite Boston resident.  She's snarky and spunky enough to keep up with Mike, but fun and witty, which makes her another one of my favorite people.  We had so much fun on her visit to Turkey, even if a snow storm prevented her from leaving.  I can't wait to have her be my dentist when we're all in New England together next year and am so happy that the decision to join the yearbook staff in 10th grade gave me one of my longest lasting friendships. 

Not our best picture, but the guy in the background still makes me laugh.

And last but not least, I couldn't go this week without giving a tribute to my favorite Red Sox player and the man who embodies everything good about Boston.  While it may not be his birthday week, David Ortiz "Big Papi" has done more for Boston and the Red Sox than I can describe.  He has been the unofficial and official leader of the team, the heart and soul of the Red Sox organization, and a great representation of everything the people of Boston and New England stand for.  He was there to lead the team to their first World Series in too many years as well as bring the city together after one of the scariest tragedies.  I'll never forget after the bombings, he got on the microphone and said "This is our f****** city!"  It summed up the spirit of Boston in one sentence.  So, here's to you, Big Papi.  Thanks for all you did for the me, the Red Sox and Boston.  It didn't go unnoticed. 

Now if only l had a picture with him....

So, here's to you three! Happy birthday and thank you for being wonderful people who I'm lucky to have in my life, even if it's only on a TV screen or hundreds of rows up in the stands of Fenway!  

Happy Birthday Anna and Emma!

Birthdays are always fun and double birthdays mean double the fun!! Today is two of my favorite girls' birthdays and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to celebrate them on the blog!

 I can't believe it's been a whole year since our not-so-little Baby Emma was born!  While she had a rocky start to the world, she has done nothing but smile and laugh since she came home.  She has won both Mike and my hearts and we are constantly bothering Emma's parents for a video chat date with Baby Emma.  Spending a few days with her in June was a highlight of my trip home and I don't think I heard her cry once while I was with her.  When we have seen her upset, it's almost as cute as her smile and laugh. She is so close to walking and doesn't manage to stay on video chat with us for long due to her enthusiasm for crawling.  Our video chats with the Ficks now consist of talking to Anna and Mike while we watch Emma come on and off the screen as she crawls around.  Long gone are the days where she was on the blanket for the entire chat. It has been SUCH a joy to watch Emma grow into such a little lady this past year and we are so excited to continue this journey with her as her Godparents.

It's funny to look back at this picture and see this little baby because she looks nothing like the Emma we know and love! So little!

Fulfilling our Godparent duties from afar via Skype.

Be still my beating heart....

Maybe more deserving of a celebration on a baby's first birthday are the parents. I'm constantly impressed with Anna and Mike's parenting skills and how naturally it comes to both of them in different styles.  Emma's love for them is apparent every time we video chat with them and I'm sure it will only grow in the next year.  They are some of the role models Mike and I will try to emulate one day with our own family.

I still remember talking to Anna around this time last year and getting excited that Emma could be making her appearance that day! What a great birthday present! If there is anyone who is meant to be a mom, it's Anna.   She approaches motherhood with such ease, it's fun to watch.  More importantly, though, Anna is an incredible person.  While 99.9% of our conversations revolve around Emma, that other 0.1% of conversations are often my favorite.  She is so grounded and level-headed.  She is the type-A to my type-B. She is there to be excited with me over things like boyfriends that turn into husbands and there to listen to things like moving to Turkey freakouts. I've never had a sister, but I imagine this is what it's like.

Little baby Sarah and Anna on JMU move in day.  I'll never stop loving this picture!

Happy birthday to two of my favorite girls! I love you both so much and am so thankful for the roles you play in my life (and in Mike/Uncle Hoagie's).  Have a wonderful day celebrating and we'll do the same!!