Desmond's 1st Birthday Party

Warning this entry is extremely picture heavy!
On that note, all photos are by Scott Barbick. Editing by me (so don't blame Scott for that!).

Desmond's first birthday was Saturday January 15, 2011. What a day. It was an overwhelming, joyful celebration for our little one. It took a lot of work by me, Tony, and many other hands, but I think we pulled it off. Everyone had a great time (at least I hope so!), including the birthday boy... as long as he had a veggie stick in his mouth.



Truth be told, Desmond is not into crowds. And perhaps for future birthdays we'll keep it a little more low key. But we needed this. For him, for us, and for our whole family. We never had a christening or dedication or anything like that. So this was really a celebration of our first year as a family. We made it. Phew.




I made this banner with my own two handsies. I hope he likes it, cuz it will be the center piece for many birthdays to come.

When we realized how many people would be attending, we took a hard look at our home. I half debated renting a hall. But instead, we took our open concept living space, removed a lot of the furniture, and replaced it with hall-like tables and chairs.




It worked out very well. We'll definitely be using that idea for future parties.


To the surprise of everyone (and yet no one), Auntie Jaclyn flew in all the way from California for the ocassion. And the tears flowed like wine. Auntie wouldn't miss her "lovie's" day. Des will appreciate that one day. For now, we appreciate it for him, in spades. Love you Jac!


4 generations of Salamone men.


So many presents. Billy and Katie helped out.




Katie enjoyed the gift portion of the party very much. Also, the lollipop eating portion. And the portion where she entertained everyone with her hilarious charm. So.. the whole party.


Sorry, Tony... your quick wit is no match for Katie's hilariousness.









Desmond was not a huge fan of the cake. At that point, he was pretty done with his party. But we even tried the cake the day after, in a calm environment. He still was not having it. I don't think he liked getting his hands all squishy, and the idea of putting the squishy stuff into his mouth didn't seem to cross his mind... despite EVERYTHING else in his wake getting in there one way or another.

I have such gorgeous nieces.

What a day. What a year. Happy birthday, Desi boy.

One

So this happened.

What a day. What a year.

Full recap and photos to come. Today I am sitting on my couch and not moving for many hours.

Best piece of advice I can give to anyone having a milestone birthday for thier child: Hire a photographer or ask a friend to take photos. Other than the ones posted above, there is maybe 1 or 2 other pictures on our camera. Knowing there was someone else there capturing the moments made enjoying and hosting the party so much easier.

On that note, I have a sofa that needs tending to.

Happy birthday, baby boy.

Wish List

Both Christmas and Desmond's birthday are coming up and we're already getting a lot of "What should we get the baby?" requests from family and friends. Instead of responding, "Umm, ya know, like toys 'n things?" I figured I should come up with some concrete ideas. So I created a wish list on Amazon.com for him.

The problem is that instead of adding things each day, I keep taking things OFF the list.

I hate having too much stuff around. Also, Des doesn't need too much stuff. Living simply is one of the concepts I hope to instill in him. It will help him to become more imaginative with what we have. As it is, he's perfectly content to play with an empty box. Or a few tupperware lids. Or a broom.


Seriously, he played with the broom for like 45 minutes that day.

So his wish list has been pared down to books, puzzles, a few movies, and a couple of outdoor play items. Oh, and this of course:

Start 'em early!

But honestly, I think if we wrapped the toys he already owns and loves in spankin' new cardboard boxes, he'd be psyched.

Neely might enjoy it also.

Run Down

1. Happy belated 31st birthday to my wonderful husband, Tony. We went out for an amazing dinner at the Capital Grille. I can say with little hesitation, it was the most amazing meal of our lives. We made inappropiate noises at the table as our steaks melted in our mouths. I'm sorry gentle people of the Capital Grille. We don't get out much. Then I gave him his gift of Swedish Fish, Sour Patch Kids, and underwear. All romance up in here. Here's to celebrating every birthday together forever and ever, my love.

2. Desmond turned 9 months old on the 15th. I... I can't wrap my brain around it. Where did my baby go?

Oh there you are, sweepea. Even when you're 6 feet tall, you'll still be my baby. Here's hoping you're not still sucking your thumb by then.

3. You may have noticed things look different around here. I'm messing around a little with the layout and design. I have no idea what I'm doing. Any feedback, good or bad, is much appreciated. I already got a big thumbs down from the hubs. Okay, it was really a minor critique about one aspect, but my Negative Nancy mind spun it into Major Suckage. But really. I'm totally open to all thoughts.

4. Part 1 of Coming Through will be posted tomorrow. Eekers.

Birthday and A Day in the Life

This past weekend was my 30th birthday party. The milestone of the big 3-0 was barely a blip on my radar. Years past have hit me much harder. I think with each passing year, age means less and less to me. The 20's were great, but I'm ready to bring on the 30's!

The party was such a fun time with friends and family... Tony, my sisters, and my mom went above and beyond (yet again!) with everything and it was great to let loose for the first time in... 10, 11 months? Wow, it's been a while. Let's just say that this weekend I learned the art of 'pump and dump.'








(This is a Tiffany necklace engraved with the letter "D" given to me by my mom and sisters. I nearly cried when I saw it.)

Desmond was a perfect gentleman, if sleeping through most of the party makes someone a gentleman. This was also a chance for him to meet a lot of new people, including all of my Braintree friends. Des is the first baby for my group of friends, so all my girls and guys were pretty fascinated by the "hot new accessory of 2010." I really hope they can see more of him, once I become less of a hermit.


Braintrees!



I was asked by a curious friend what a typical day is for us. Although as soon as it seems we have some semblance of a 'schedule' down, things change LIKETHAT. But I do try to keep some sort of a routine throughout the day. So here it is. These are VERY rough estimates, obviously:

6-7am: Wake up, feed baby
7am-8am: Daddy watches Des while Mommy takes a shower and gets dressed. Yes, I do try to bathe and put on "normal" clothes every day, as opposed to sweats, even though I rarely leave the house. It makes me feel human.
8am-9am: Daddy leaves for work, Mommy and Des make our way downstairs for the day
9am-10am: Feed baby, try to make some coffee and breakfast for myself. Usually Des is good enough to sit in his bouncy chair and just hang out while I eat and check the internets. But sometimes he's fussy and I have to hold him the whole time.
10am-12pm: Des will usually nap for a good hour or so, during which time I will try to put minimal make-up on (see above re: feeling human), wash dishes, do laundry, clean house, etc. Today I updated my blog!
12pm-1pm: Feed baby, try to feed self
1pm-2pm: TBD...
2pm-3pm: Des and I will both usually take an afternoon nap in our bed upstairs. This is one of my favorite parts of the day! Cuddles and coos and rest. Nothing better.
3pm-4pm: Feed baby, hang out and wait for Daddy to get home.
4pm-5pm: Daddy gets home! Commence hand-off. Tony misses the baby so much during the day, I barely see the kid for the next couple hours.
5pm-6pm: Mommy and Daddy try to get some food.
6pm-7pm: Feed baby, start thinking about heading upstairs for the night. I know, we are party animals.
7pm-9pm: Head upstairs, give baby a bath and get him into fresh PJs, hang out as a family before bedtime.

Throughout the day I am usually listening to Sirius sattelite radio... Howard Stern in the morning (sorry Mom!), Acoustic or Classical late-morning and early afternoon, Country late afternoon. Des and I like to dance to country. :-) I'll watch TV sometimes too, but daytime TV is pretty awful. Unless there's a Real Housewives marathon. Still awful, but so addicting.

In between naps and feedings and diaper changes Des and I do a lot of walking around the house, "playing" on his activity mat, and making noises back and forth to eachother. But his interactions are still pretty minimal at this point.

Des usually wakes up 2-3 times during the night for feedings... lately just 2, which has been nice. Tony gives him a bottle for one of those feedings so I can get a good stretch of rest. Because he is not sleeping through the night yet, he's still in his bassinet at the end of our bed. We talk about transitioning him to the crib in his room, but I am putting up a fight. I didn't think I would be so reluctant, but I seriously want to cry when I think about it! Which is ridiculous. His crib is literally 20 feet away in the next room.

How I am going to leave him at daycare for 8 hours a day in a few weeks is beyond comprehension.

It's amazing how quickly the days and weeks have flown. It may seem like a boring schedule to some, but this has been the most joyful and fulfilling time of my life.

Happy 7 weeks of age, my little one!

He's here!

Desmond Jack Cawley Salamone
Born 1/15/10 at 12:08am
8 lbs 10 oz, 21 inches long







The labor and delivery was surprisingly quick. I'll post a more detailed account in the next entry. Recovery has been difficult. And this past week with our baby has been the most challenging, rewarding, surreal, incredible of our lives. Tony and I look at eachother sometimes and can't believe we get to keep this little guy. And we can't believe how goshdarn CUTE he is!

Exhibit A:


Exhibit B:


He is such a good baby. He sleeps a lot, he pees and poops a lot, he cries when he needs something. He is perfection. We're still trying to get our act together as parents, but every day gets a little better.

I am enjoying every second of this time. People say it goes by so fast. And while a part of me can't wait for Des to smile and giggle and walk and all that, I'm loving him as he is now. A tiny mush of pure love and joy. And poop. Oh, so much poop.

We love you so much, Desi boy. You are our sunshine. :-)

Long awaited update

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

It seems that every year we have more and more for which to be thankful. This year is above and beyond the norm. Not to get all corny, but we've been through a lot recently and it's made us realize how lucky we are. As Tony put it so simply lastnight, "I like my life."

So in honor of the holiday, and in a lame attempt to summarize what's been going on with us over the past month and a half, here is what we are especially thankful for:

1. Tony turning 30 and all of the friends and family who helped us celebrate:


It was our first real party in the new house, and I was so preoccupied with being the hostess that I got very few pictures. But I assure you, it looked beautiful. Tony had a slide show of 'before' pictures looping on the TV and it helped to show everyone the amount of work that has gone into our home over the past 10 months. So many compliments for us and the boys at Choice Woodworking, Inc. And the party was a great time also. We fit about 50 people into our open and airy space. We couldn't have asked for a better way to ring in Tony's 30th year. And I am eternally grateful for everyone who helped me out before/during/after the party, as I wasn't exactly in top form in my delicate state.

2. The growing Butterball basting in my bellah:




I am almost 34 weeks at this point and it's absolutely surreal. I can't say it's been an easy road, but we're headed into the home stretch now and I'm feeling pretty good. We're not nervous yet, just excited and anxious. We want to meet our little man! As they say on St. John, baby soon come. :-)

3. Having such a big amazing family with lots of kids, and reaping the benefits!
This will be grandchild #9 for my mom and Tony's family has a couple little ones as well, so we've been lucky enough to be given many hand-me-downs... Furniture, decor, clothes (for me AND the baby), etc. We're not ones to need everything to be new and fresh. In fact, I kinda like the idea of using items that have been lived in and passed down with our families. We're still working on getting the nursery together. Once we do we'll post plenty of photos for the ol' blogosphere.

4. And lastly, we are thankful for the 15 years and hundreds of memories with our beloved Barkley, who went up to doggy heaven just last week.

He was a good dog, our best friend and first 'baby.' We miss him terribly... the house doesn't feel the same without him in it. But it was almost like he wanted to give us time to get ready for our human baby. So thanks, buddy. For all the happy times and for making us learn to work as a team when things got tough toward the end. Hopefully we're a little more prepared for this time in our lives because we were lucky enough to take care of you.

So have a great holiday everyone. Remember to tell those around you how much you love them, even your pets. And thanks to all for reading! We'll try to be better with the updates.