Look Whoo's One-First Birthday

Okay so I'm almost a month late, but I guess it's better late than never. The first birthday was a success. It was extremely hot in the house, the one downfall, but all in all it was pretty awesome. My little girl was the star, and she had her special day that I know "we" will both remember  forever. The theme was all about the owls. "Look Whoo's One." I spent a lot of time on pinterest so I made a lot of the things myself. I also recruited the help of my sister to make the cake, cupcakes, and cookies. The house was full of sweets, toddlers, and decorations. I must warn you this post is full of photos. I just had to share them.

The cake and cupcakes were made by my sister.

The yummy food table.The kids and some of the adults....shhhh...loved the candy dipped marshmallows.

The birthday girl

A little birthday snack.

The birthday tutu wreath. I got the idea from pinterest. Actually very easy to make.

A photo wall I made with some extra fabric that was lying around the house. The birthday girl and her godmom, my cake making sister.

She was not into the whole cake smash thing. She refused to do it.

Present time.

I ordered the shirt from Etsy and I made the tutu myself.

It's her party and she can cry if she wants to.

Me and my little princess.

Simple idea, but loads of fun for one year olds...a kiddie pool with balls.

Her party wall with photos from day one to one year. Plus there were some pinwheels and take home gifts I made for the kids.I got the idea online to make little baby food jars filled with candy for the kids. I added owl stickers to the jars, punched a hole at the top and added an owl sucker at the top. They were really cute.

I made the  birthday  banner with stickers and flower cutouts that I bought from Michaels. I tied them together with owl ribbon I bought at Hobby Lobby. Cheap, but cute.

This was a shadowbox I put together for her and then displayed on the party wall. It has the outfit I brought her home in from the hospital, her first  pair of shoes, the songram from when I found out she was a girl, her hospital bracelet, first hospital photo, my preggo belly, and her one year old photo. It also has a congraulatory bubble gum it's a girl cigar in there too.

The birthday girl and her brothers in one of those rare photos where they are all looking in the same direction, and smiling.

Even better the whole team!

That was her wall of first behind us. I got the idea from pinterest again...I swear you can find anything there. It was a wall telling of her milestones each month from birth to a year. That's also my nephew in the photo...he lives in Indianna and couldn't be here, but we wanted to make sure he was there with us somehow.

Happy birthday JoJo!

First birthday down, and I'm already planning party number two. I hope you are all ears, because it's going to be a minne mouse party. I'm so ready, and I'm pretty sure this time we will celebrate outside...it was just too hot in the house. Well you live and you learn.

Dancing in her birthday suit...

It's been a whole year. My little warrior princess is one today. We survived the year together and now we have survived her first birthday, and surprisingly enough with minimal tears. Today was pretty awesome. We had a birthday breakfast, then a bunch of shopping to try to get things for her birthday party next weekend. Then there was some free time, then birthday pizza and cake.

It just amazes me how much she has grown. Maybe not so much physically, but she has really grown. She's so full of personality, and wonder. Even though I've been a mom for going on 11 years now, there is just something totally different about parenting a girl. I love my boys, but having a daughter has opened me up to a  new world. I now have to be so particular of things I do and say because I am her model of the woman she will become one day. I have to be strong for her. I have to teach her to love herself before any one else can love her. I have to show her how to respect her body. I have to show her how to laugh at herself. I have to show her how a man should treat, and what she must demand from him, and give back in return. I have to teach her to embrace the fact that she is biracial, and love the black and the white, because it is who she is, but make sure she knows that doesn't define her. I look at her and see a second chance for me to do things different. I want her to do so much more than I did.

Some morning birthday pictures

Helping mommy make cake...well eating it anyway.

So Happy Birthday Baby Jojo. Mommy loves you. Here's to wishing you many more wonderful, exciting, crazy, and fun years. I hope you grow to be all that you want to be, and more. Either way I'm here for you.

Love you.

Singing happy birthday. She was excited.

I think she was trying to blow out the candle.

Keeping the candle in her memory box.

Cousin Maddox couldn't be here since he's way across the country, but we didn't forget him.

Finally getting ready for bed.

Oh and by the way sorry that tomorrow I have to take you for your one year check up and shots.

Don't Hold it against me.

Where's my baby?

It's crazy. My little girl will be one tomorrow. I just don't know where the year has gone. I can still remember the oh so joyous, and yet oh so miserable days of pregnancy with her. I can remember her kicking me from the inside. The heartburn, the tiredness, the glow, the excitement of the anticipation, and the giant tumor that was growing as my abdomen. Then one day at a routine 38 week checkup, the nurse tells me that I needed to head straight to the hospital, do not pass go, and do not collect my $200. Funny because she looked at me and my then 4 year old son who was along for the appointment with me, and said, " Who will be driving you the hospital?" What??? well since he didn't have a license, it was all me.

Long story short, 7cm when I arrived, no labor pains, no meds of any kind needed, a couple of hours to wait to be fully dilated, and it was go time. My little girl proved then, she wouldn't be just a princess, she was also a warrior. She pushed her self out, and in just one contraction, and a couple of pushes she basically birthed herself. It was pretty awesome, and all in all pretty painless considering I was giving birth.

Well since then she has amazed me every step of the way. She's a pint size powerhouse. She was holing her head up at a couple of weeks, and by a month was able to hold up her body weight on her legs. At 3 months she was sitting up and rolling over. 5 months crawling, 6 months standing up, and 7 months taking her first steps. Now she'll be 1 tomorrow and she's running, signing, and playing in the toilet. What's not to love.

So tomorrow is the big day. My baby is toddling out of babyhood. Where has my baby gone? Where is she going? Who will she become? Well I guess I can hold off on all the big life questions for now. She's only turning 1. I guess I will try to focus instead on potty training, getting her off the bottle, and maybe even getting her to sleep through the night.

This is me

Well this is my first attempt at blogging. I figured everyone else is doing it so why not give it a shot. A little about myself: I'm a single momma, single parent, single....well just single. Doing it alone, but with my kiddos, and my family there for support and help. I have three kids. Aiden (10), Ealan (5), and Toryn A.K.A Jojo(11mos.)

Well actually she will be 1 in two days. In fact that is what prompted me to start this blog. I'm planning her first birthday and was online looking up first birthday party ideas. These are the times I wish I wasn't so single so I could have someone to ping some ideas off of. Just someone to pick up some of the slack would be nice. But until prince charming comes to sweep me off my feet, or in my case most likely the frog that just refused to be turned into a prince comes warts and all hopping into my life...it's super mom to the rescue. I've been at it for 10 years, and all in all I would have to say I'm doing an okay job, at times I'm even quite epic as my son would say.

So that all aside I have every intention of dedicating this blog to the life, the struggle, the joys, the disappointments, successes, and just the every day routines of being a single parent. It's a constant learning experience. Sometimes I'm teaching my kids, and sometimes they are teaching me. I'm doing my best to be the best mom I can be, but sometimes I know I fall of the path. I think that's okay though, because while off the path I'm exploring, and learning. My eyes are open, and I'm bringing back new knowledge to my children. I remember a quote that says" Not all who wander are lost." That's how I feel...I'm just wandering, but hopefully I am exposed to amazing on my journey.