When people tell me they got a dog to practice for having a baby, it is REALLY hard to not laugh in their face. A dog is pretty much NOTHING like having a baby minus the fact that they are a part of your family and you should feed both of them. In all honesty though, having a dog with a baby is kind of amazing.
 
First, I never have to clean up after Kennedy eats. Monkey (yes, that is my dog’s name) will go as far as to ignore my husband’s call for her to go on a walk so that she can be front and center during Kennedy’s dinner. There are times that K gets mad that Monkey grabbed food from her hand (after she dangled it in her face) but, for the most part, they have an unspoken agreement where they are both happy and I’m happy to not be worrying about the mess K makes.
 
Second, Monkey is the first to let me know when K’s diaper is dirty. As gross as it is, as soon as I see the dog sniffing K and being all up in her business I know that Kennedy has a dirty diaps. Now if only I could train Monkey to change Kennedy’s diaper….
 
Third, Monkey is a step above any toy I could get Kennedy (although I will say I think the cat might be a step above Monkey). Kennedy can be in the worst mood but as soon as you call over Monkey and tell her to sit, K is all smiles and giggles. Put the cat and dog together and you might as well have won the lottery.
 
So, although having a dog is nothing like having a baby, having a dog and a baby is pure gold. 

I swear my daughter has been teething since she was four months old. She had all the symptoms but alas her first tooth didn’t appear until a few weeks before her first birthday. It’s been a rocky road since then with her drooling, constantly putting her fist in her mouth and waking up in the middle of the night (or from naps) screaming. One of my girl friends that has a little girl about 10 months older than Kennedy, had told me that teething was the worst phase. As a Mother of a three month old at the time, I didn’t believe it could be any worse than those sleepless nights (or more sleepless than they currently are) and maybe it isn’t, but damn if I won’t tell you it’s tough. It’s tough because there is not much you can do. I won’t pretend I’m one of those Mom’s that won’t give my kid Tylenol or ibuprofen but you don’t want to over do it and I try REALLY hard to not give her anything during the day. I had heard mixed reviews about teething tablets and already had all the teething toys (ice keys, banana toothbrush, SOPHIE, vibrating strawberry) and had tried the other methods (frozen washcloth, cold foods, etc) to say I was at a loss when Kennedy had a rougher than usual few nights is putting it lightly.

Than, the other day I was over a client’s house, who also happens to be a dear friend and a Mother to a two and a half year old and one month old and she introduced me to Camilia. She told me her doctor had recommended it and that it had seemed to work with her older daughter and being the SAINT that she is, she gave me a few of the packets. Basically it’s a little liquid packet of homeopathic medicine that you give your baby and I swear within minutes it calmed Kennedy down. Test case 1 I was actually at my friends and I gave it to her, she was being insanely cranky and kept putting her fist in her mouth and by the time I left she had calmed down to the point that I put her in the carseat with a cracker (sorry babe, sometimes it’s what I need to do to not off myself while driving with her) and she fell asleep within minutes still holding the cracker. Test case 2 she went to bed at 7pm and woke up around 10pm clearly in pain. I had already given her ibuprofen so that was off the table (insert four letter word of your choice) but alas I remembered about the Camilia so, I gave it to her and she slept until SIX AM!! I know, some of you Mom’s might think that’s not that great, and it isn’t compared to your twelve hour sleep babies but this Momma? This Momma thinks that is amazing/life changing/I want to invest in stock for Camilia. So, if you’re anything like me, do yourself a favor and Amazon Prime that sh*t (click on the link). You’re welcome :)

I don’t know how it happened but I now officially have a toddler. She is curious and funny, lighthearted and at times, a total handful. I feel like I blinked and there she was giggling and cruising all around the house #timepleaseslowdown. To celebrate 365 days of this beautiful little girl, we threw a first birthday party aka baby mayhem (in the best possible way). DIY is my thing so I did a few crafts and tried to keep it relatively stress free. It was a huge success! I call my theme champagne since I made sure there was enough of it to go around for the parents and I kept with that color theme.
 
One of my favorite things that you see at a lot of birthdays is the first year chalkboard. I used a chalkboard I had made for my wedding and chalkboard paint markers. I followed a tutorial I found online after my girlfriend and I ghettoly (is that a word?) measured Kennedy on the floor with measuring tape and weighed her by holding her on a scale. It was relatively easy and, I think, it came out cute.

I originally made a photo book of Kenendy's first year but I decided to wait to order it since I wanted her one year pictures to be in! So, instead, I made a sign out of all of Kennedy’s monthly pictures with the adorable quote “You are better than you believe, stronger than you think and loved more than you will ever know”. It came out pretty cute and I used it next to the drinks which had striped pink straws in them (not shown a bazillion champagne glasses). I also made a “ONE” banner for her high chair out of fabric leftover from her nursery and white paint. Super easy, adorable and more durable than a paper sign!

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Outside of that, I order a bunch of decorations off of oriental trading… champagne pom poms, pink hanging lanterns, hanging fans, and gold silverware. I layered them over the food table, the children's play area and the stairs (the more the better in these instances). I found adorable napkins and thank you notes at Marshall’s, and ordered durable white plates from Amazon.

I went easy on the food and made mini sandwiches (with the help of my Mom and Mother-in-law) with ham, turkey, meatballs and brisket along with some guacamole, baked brie and cheese and crackers. Both the kids and adults enjoyed the food without needing much silverware. My Mother-in-law made a beautiful and delicious cake and in lieu of a smash cake, I made a cupcake for Kennedy which she was barely interested in #isthatsuccess?.

Kennedy was equally excited and terrified by the attention but I know that when she looks back at pictures she is going to love seeing so many special people that were there to share in her big day. Cheers to making it through this first year and for loving this little girl more than there are stars in the sky!