A Birth Story and A Simple Animal Themed Birthday Party

My spunky, fierce, high pitched screaming, lovable little mush turned two on the 19th of this month and I thought I would fill in some blanks here on the blog and share his birth story along with some pics from his second birthday party!

We were living with my parents when I found out I was pregnant.  I took my positive pregnancy test, put it in a wrapped box and gave it to my husband as a gift.  I remember standing in my parents kitchen and watching his face light up.  Days, maybe a month after that moment, life would change.

I remember telling friends that I felt great -- no morning sickness or anything.  Later, I would have many trips to the doctor to confirm that I was having a miscarriage.  All I remember is feeling lots of physical pain and then nothing.  Like I was hollow, empty... I was only about 5-6 weeks along so I told myself that it could have been much worse and thanked God that it wasn't.  I don't know why these things happen.  I only pray it doesn't kill our hearts, but makes us stronger.   

Months and months later I remember singing to a very different tune.  I was too sick to get out of bed, to eat, or to go out.  Yep! I peed on that holy grail of a stick and it was positive! After keeping quiet for as long as I could, I spilled the beans to my family and friends and began my pregnancy journey; 

a journey filled with many challenges.  I saw many specialists, needed a root canal for some serious tooth pain, and ended it with an iron transfusion as the cherry on top! lol  I do remember one special moment though. 

I remember praying about many things -- what to name our little boy was one thing on that list.  What came down was the sweetest response -- Luke 1:13.  Don't be afraid, you will have a son and you are to name him John.  From that moment on I could only call our boy John even though it wasn't even close to my first, second, or third choice!  

John was a big boy from the get go.  All it took was for the doctor at one of our last appointments to say "he's 8 lbs, 3 oz" and I was like, 'when are you inducing me?!' I could barley walk toward the end.  He was head down for as long as I could remember and he was ready.  

Febuary 19th, 2015: After 7 epidural attempts, and 6 hours of labor, our big beautiful baby boy came into the world at 9 lbs even.  And no, I did not have a c-section! And yes, I had a grade 4 tear and an episiotomy!  Ouch is an understatement!  He was the best at nursing from out of the womb though-- no problems there at all.  Reflux, largynomalasia, and not pooping is what drove us crazy. Medication, a Rock 'n Play, and time is what brought back our sanity -- a little of it anyway.  I'm still looking for the rest.  I have a feeling I'll be looking for quite some time! lol

So John is obsessed with animals -- all animals! So choosing a theme for his second birthday was a no brainer.  His first birthday was at the Long Island Aquarium and was so fun, but this year I kept it simple with just having immediate family at the house.

DECORATIONS

The minimal decorations consisted of animals that we already owned, their cute party hats, and balloons! Those tiny party hats were a trip to put together! lol Here's what you need if you want to take a crack at them.

1. Paper pad. I got mine from Michaels Craft Store but these are so cute too!
2. Scissors
3. Tiny 5mm assorted colored pom poms
4. Glue gun

ACTIVITIES 

As for activities we had cute tattoos from Wee Gallery, a piñata, and painting stations for each kiddies to paint at! Here are the supplies we used

1. Paper Roll which we hung on the walls (like wall paper)
2. Canvas Panels that we put up against the "paper wall" at each kids station
3. Paint Brushes
4. Natural Paint that we didn't end up using because I didn't allot enough time so we went with Crayola Washable Paint
5. Smocks

PAPER GOODS

The bear plates, napkins, and utensils were all from Etsy 

CAKE

We used a recipe from Good Housekeeping for the best chocolate cake and Betty Crocker for a simple vanilla buttercream icing. We bought tiny animals for toppers and the cupcakes from our local bakery.  We are not professionals but we did the best we could for waiting 'til the last minute! Oops! lol 

Come say hi in the comments section and share a little of your story as well! 

xo Alissa