Manning's 1st Birthday Party

Today is Manning's 1st birthday! I plan on doing a year re-cap post, but my emotions can't handle that today on his actual birthday! Hormonal pregnant lady! :)

This weekend we had a 1st birthday party for Manning in our hometown. With our budget it was hard work, but I think we had a nice party for him and I know he had a pretty good time. 

I know he looks really thrilled to be at his party! hahahaha

I guess he just likes me better. ;) 

Nathan's aunt made the cake. Manning has loved Mickey Mouse Clubhouse since he was only a few months old, so the theme seemed appropriate. I have to say, not only do her cakes look great but they taste AMAZING. 

I had a hard time finding someplace to have the party that could hold as many guests as we anticipated, but we ended up renting a classroom from the local Vo-Tech school. It worked out great because it had a sink and a refrigerator. I didn't want to spend a lot on decorations but this is what I came up with on a budget! Plastic tablecloths, streamers, confetti, curling ribbon and balloons! 

This was the best picture I got of Manning and his smash cake. He looks SO big to me in this picture. Nathan is tall, and Manning looks tall too! :(

Manning wasn't sure what to do at first and needed some prompting from me...

BUT he figured it out! 

He loved it! :)

He wasn't too happy when it was gone though! 

Some of our cutest party guests! I love our friends' kids!!!

Four generations- my mom, Manning, me & my grandpa

Our family and friends were so generous to Manning. We also collected several gifts for Toys for Tots. This is something I hope to do with Manning every year on his birthday since it's right before Christmas. For Deacon and future children, we will find a way to give back on their birthdays as well! 

Bye y'all! :)

Euthanasia

*Manning's cardiology appointment had the best ending possible. After doing an echocardiogram they determined that Manning's two valve issues have corrected with growth and the cardiologist said barring anything unexpected he never wants to see us again. No prob, Doc. Sayanora sucker!*

On the way home from Manning's appointment Nathan and I were talking about speech class in high school. I have no idea why we got on the subject, but I told Nathan a story. My friend's mom was the high school speech teacher. For all I know, she might even be reading this. She has a reputation in our hometown as a very well-respected teacher that doesn't really take crap from anyone. She was also the Drama teacher, which was probably my favorite thing about high school, added to the fact that she's my friend's mom and I am a people-pleaser, I never wanted to disappoint her. Nathan was telling me that he did a speech about gladiators and incorporated clips from Gladiator starring Russell Crowe, which is his favorite movie.

I started laughing and telling him I remember a lot of my speeches, but one topic in particular stands out in my mind. Euthanasia. I remember sitting at the tables in the classroom and Mrs. Breeden throwing out potential speech topics while explaining the kind of speech she was asking us to do. The details are sort of fuzzy, but I remember her saying "Euthanasia" and I was puzzled because I could not figure out how the topic related to the other suggestions. I can't remember if she handed us a paper saying the potential topics we could choose from, or maybe the person sitting next to me in class took a note, but I was so relieved, and saved from what was potentially a very embarassing situation. You see, while she was talking, I was brainstorming all of the different things I could include in my speech about "Youth in Asia" and trying to figure out how to make it a controversial topic like the teacher was requesting.

Nathan says I'm the smartest dumb person he knows, but I contend that I'm the dumbest smart person he knows. Time will tell.

Christmas Wish List

Due to upcoming financial stressors i.e. unpaid maternity leave, this year Nathan and I will not be buying any Christmas gifts...well okay, we are buying a FEW for Manning, and participating in a few family drawings, but that's it. To be honest I was a little afraid to tell our families because the LAST thing I want to be is selfish. And truly, truly the best part of Christmas to me is giving. Both of our families, of course, were perfectly understanding and insisted that they would be buying us Christmas gifts regardless. So, of course, they wanted to know what I'd like to have.

The thing I want the very, very most is a sewing machine. The old machine I inherited from Nathan's grandma has been more costly so far to restore than a new machine would've been from the beginning, and it still doesn't function properly. I love sewing and I would really, really like to be able to make cute things for our boys. So, this is a practical request as well as a want!


My second request is also really practical. I know when Deacon is born I'm going to have my hands full, so a great baby carrier was a given. I have a moby wrap, but it is sort of hard to wrap when your hands are full of baby, so this is my request- a Baby K'Tan.


I've had my eye on a pair of Toms shoes {silver glitter, size 11} since my sister's wedding in May, but they were out of stock when I went to order them, so I never did. I still think about these shoes all the time, and I think they would be a great addition to my mom-wardrobe. Cute & practical. I also LOVE the Toms philosophy of giving a free pair of shoes for every pair purchased.

My final request is already being used by me almost daily. I knew I'd need a new winter coat this year because of my expanding waistline, and Nathan's mom was so nice to buy it for me so I could start using it when temperatures dropped a few weeks ago.

Apparently I have good taste, because the yellow one I got is no longer available online. I've gotten compliments every single time I've worn it so far.

 

What are you asking for this year?

Broken Heart

Something I'm not sure I ever blogged about is that Manning was born with a broken heart. There were several issues when he was born, and we were set up to meet with a Pediatric Cardiologist immediately upon leaving the hospital. It was one of the most scary and stressful experiences of my life. Manning had very, very low sinus rhythms when he was asleep as well as a few valve issues- Patent Ductus Arteriosis is the only one I remember the name of. Anyway, reading stories of other heart babies like Cohen and Stellan has helped me to keep this in perspective and not worry much during this first year of Manning's life. Now that it's time to go back to the Cardiologist, I'm starting to worry. The fear and stress I felt is all flooding back. If you could pray for Manning and a healthy diagnosis I would so appreciate it.

Thank you for your prayers. I'll update Wednesday afternoon or evening after our appointment.



Halloween 2010

Halloween was Manning's last first holiday this year (I hope that makes sense)! I can't believe my baby is almost one! We had a great Halloween. We started out by going to see Nathan's grandma Lucille for a little bit in the afternoon.

This is the first year that I can remember that Halloween was not freezing cold, but Nathan and I were discussing what we did last Halloween and neither of us can remember to save our lives, so I guess my memory shouldn't be used to write History books. 

Even my good dSLR couldn't catch how fast Manning was moving, but I just love how he is cracking up with his Great Grams. He loves her and just lights up every time he gets to see her. It is so awesome. 

I told you he seriously loves her! Just thinks she is the funniest thing EVER. 

After we left Nathan's grandma's we hit some different family members house's ending at my parents' house. As we were driving to my parents' we started to realize that our families had not added up to much candy. We had about ten people on our list to see, but several were not home since we started so early. As we drove, Nathan and I passed his mom's church and saw that their Trunk or Treat was starting in about twenty minutes. We may or may not have gone to get more candy. I was glad we went though because so many people had decorated their vehicles so cute, and Manning had a blast. Most people had bowls of candy and if they held the bowl out to him he reached in and took just one piece! What a polite little fella. :) He did start to get a little fussy and we were sort of stuck halfway through the cycle so I quickly bribed him with a pack of Smarties. He had a dum dum earlier that day also, so he was WIRED! Manning had never had candy before Halloween! EVER.

We had a really hard time deciding what Manning should be for Halloween, but I came across this dragon costume at Old Navy on sale for only $10 and I knew his daddy and I could both agree on it. He looked so cute and we had a BLAST with him! 

 He had a blast and that's all that matters... although I REALLY hope to make homemade costumes in the future! :)

Bye bye! :):):)