Why is Sprout's first Birthday so important!

So as I work very hard on Sprout's first birthday, I am sure many people are thinking "Why are you putting so much effort and thought in to this? She won't remember it." (Cody's eyes glaze over as I go on and on about it.) I know he cares but in his family they didn't celebrate birthday's like my Mom and Dad did with me!

Here is my answer...

I am putting so much effort in to her first party not because I want to out do other moms or mom-shame anyone. I am doing this for me/us. It has been A REALLY LONG YEAR!!!! I want to celebrate that through all of my/our hard times of dealing with PPD (which I denied I had for a very long time and I am sure Cody was so upset with me that I would not listen that I had it. I didn't want to have it, so I just pretended everything was just perfect. All while I would cry for hours at night or get mad at the most small of things.) I had a low supply of milk, I had issues breastfeeding ( Sprout would not latch with out a latch shield and at 3 am and you are trying to put that sucker for the 100th try and she just flicks her wrist and pops it off. I broke down a few times!), Sprout was having weight gaining issues and would not gain weight, We had to go to an hearing specialist because she failed her hearing test in the hospital, Going in to the Dr.s office so much they all know Sprout by name and her birthday! Dealing with going back into the hospital when Sprout was a little over a week old because my c-section incision got infected, having multiple bed-side surgeries, then being sent home on a wound vacuum to help close up my incision (Which lasted for over 3 months) I had to go to the hospital once a week and a nurse came to me 2-3 times week. I had to get used to being a stay at home mom (and for those of you who think it is easy let me assure you it is not!!!). Not to mention being sleep deprived and if you know me, you know I need my sleep or a war path will be paved! (Don't worry I have gotten used to not having as much sleep as before!) We had to deal with multiple ear infections and just 4 days before her 1st birthday we are going to the ears, throat, and nose Dr. to talk about putting tubes in her ears.

As you can see we have been through SO much in our first year as parents. It has been the most worry filled,
hardest, most stressful and frustrating thing I have ever done but also the most rewarding experience, most fun, and the most emotional experience of my life. I have been so tired I thought I was going to go to bed and not hear her on multiple occasions. With all of this I would not have changed anything about this past year. So as you can see it is not just a birthday party. It is a party that we have survived and thrived as first time parents and really not having a CLUE what it meant to be a parent no matter how much child care experience you have!

 So as I sit here and try and make all of her decorations by hand and worry about if I should make her personal cake the shape of a circle or a heart (V-day Theme birthday), if I want to serve cupcakes or an actual cake, if I want to make said cake or cupcakes or buy them. picking out the right invitation and finally, figuring out what food to make. It is to have a great party to not only celebrate the most AMAZING, AWESOME, CURIOUS, HAPPY, SMILEY, STRONG WILLED little girl that I was blessed to be called Mom by and Cody gets to hear DADA all day long, but to also celebrate us as parents making it to her BIRTH day.