theusualbliss.com

Thanks to pregnancy, toddler, newborn, and…well, LIFE, I was never able to share our trip to California back in August. John is on the board for our dear friends’ amazing skin care product company, and instead of just flying out himself for the meeting, we decided to make a family trip out of it

If there’s anything I’ve learned about having kids, it’s that they have made me do things a little extra. For example, in the past, St. Patrick’s Day meant a reason to wear green (don’t get pinched! ) and maybe drinking a green beer at a bar (barf). After Oden’s nap, the real fun started. I have wonderful memories of my own childhood, believing in that magic, and I know that smile of Oden’s is worth the small effort I made that day!

My plans for this year’s celebration were pretty similar to last year: decorations and gifts, a special tee shirt, a birthday breakfast. While everyone was disappointed (Oden continues to tell everyone that “Uma and Papa couldn’t come” with a very serious face when we mention his birthday), I told Oden that we would get to celebrate his birthday again when they could visit! A couple of days before his actual big day, our sweet nanny picked up some cupcakes for Oden and he had a little birthday celebration with a couple of the kids he plays with during the week. The night before his birthday, I like to decorate so that when Oden comes downstairs in the morning, there’s no mistaking that this is HIS day.

I would bet that most women expecting their second child have a similar worry: that their firstborn somehow won’t feel as loved along the way. Oden has been our world since he made his entrance in March of 2016