Dear Baby Girl - 1 Year Old Edition!

Dear Baby Girl,

On February 11th you turned 1 year old!

I still can't believe it a few weeks later. 

We had a birthday party for you this year - really a celebration that your mom and I had made it! We survived one whole year with you!  And I can honestly say, that while it was probably the hardest year yet, it was far and away the most breath-takingly amazing year of my life. I've never felt more like I'm my truest self-est Me than I have this year. Just like I always knew I would be a good wife, I also knew I was meant to be a Mama - and this year has only solidified that this, this mama-ing is me.

I am lucky though, because I couldn't have asked for a sweeter, easier baby. Of course you have your moments (like the part where you started throwing full on tantrums at 11 months...the Doctor says your advanced....lucky us?!) but in general you are so smiley. You eat everything (like EVERYTHING) and you sleep. And for those gifts your mom and I are so grateful.

Lately you've been really into the following:

-Saying Uh-oh

-Talkin!

-Eating anything you can get your hands on and A LOT of it! I think eating is probably your favorite activity.  Even if you've already eaten, if somebody starts eating...you want some!

-Baby dolls - in all shapes and sizes

-Opening and closing doors and cabinets

-Trying really hard to say "Thank You"

-Signing please

-Pointing

-Cruising around the furinture

-Shaking your head back and forth like a maniac and laughing

-Skype-ing with Grandma and Grandpa

-Eating

-Then Eating some more!

I can't imagine my life without you baby girl! You are the light of my life :)

Love,

Mama

And some scenes from your rockin 1st birthday party (PS...your mom and I have agreed...you're not having another birthday party for a LONNNGGGG time!)

Mommies and the Birthday Girl in the Flower Photo Booth

Aunties in the Photo Booth

Birthday Girl and her Buddy

Birthday Friendsies!

Buggy Bean Bag Toss!

Decorate your own cookie

The Aunties!

Fun in the Ball Pit

Plotting how to get ALLL that cake into your mouth!

 WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH BABY GIRL!!!

10 x 3

Today is my 30th birthday.

3 decades of riding around on this planet. 10,950 days of waking up in this beautiful world.

Birthday Girl and my AMAZING CAKE!

I know many of you are thinking...you're a baby.  And many of you are thinking...OLD LADY. Me?  I'm thinking...lucky me!  I have had the joy and privilege of making it this far!

I have to say... this little life of mine thus far has been quite the grand adventure. I have been extremely privileged to travel and experience and see and do so many things. 

Party Animals!

Turning 30 does make me think though.

It does remind me that time is passing. And that I need to spend as much time as I have left making it count. I still desperately want to leave my mark on this world in my own small ways. I still have dreams and want to make them real. I want to see as much of this gorgeous planet as I possibly can. I want to learn more, be kinder, be more generous, grow grow grow - because what else are we here for?

One of my friends once said something along the lines that our job here on earth is to gently and with kindness love those around us into their best selves. And I couldn't agree more.  And in the process won't we also love ourselves into our best selves?

Today also happens to be, for many Christian religions - The Epiphany.  It marks the end of the 12 days of Christmas and is a celebration of the Magi's visit to the Christ child. The 3 wise men found this child by following a Star across a desert.

I've always liked that my birthday fell on this holy day. I know in historical reality it all likely happened in March and who knows what actually happened.  But the celebration of following the light...that is something I can most definitely get behind.

I think that is what I've realized after 3 X 10. I AM here for a very important reason. And having this baby girl in my life has brought this privilege and work right out into the bright light. We really do have much work to do. And 30 year old Sarah is ready for that kind of work. To make me, my best self - and hopefully love those around me with as much brilliance as I can manage - because when you light people up - their beauty and joy and gifts can't be hidden.  

So I've decided, 30 year old Sarah, she will be following the light - just like the wise men before her!  

Because who knows what's under that star...

XOXOX

Sarah

Be Brave!

 Scenes from Birthday Day!

30 looks pretty good on me if I do say so myself!

So much time and so little to do. Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it. Thank you.

There so much I haven’t written about in the last 2 weeks.  And I keep thinking, I need to blog about that but I can’t blog about it until I blog about this.  But I think that if I keep up this cycle the blog will die because I’ll NEVER catch up.  So here’s a quicksie poo recap of what’s been going on since June 28^th…

1)   We spontaneously decided to go to San Francisco Pride for the parade.  It was right after the DOMA and Prop 8 rulings and it was lovely and perfect and so touching.

2)   I had my last first day with my nerd kid job.  It has been bitter sweet.

3)   I’m technically working 2 jobs part time right now.  This really means that I’m working about 800 hours instead of 40hours.  I guess I shouldn’t be complaining when others don’t have jobs at all

4)   We celebrated 4^th of July…in hell.  It was SO hot it was pretty miserable.  But we hung out with sweet friends, ate delicious take out and watched some beautiful fireworks.  Go ‘Murica!

5)   We got married…again!  We had a cutesie little legal marriage in the park with some close friends and some delicious cake (pictures to come)  It was fun and sweet and we said our vows again and enjoyed each other’s company.

6)   We celebrated my baby brother’s 24^th birthday.  I’m old.

7)   I think about having babies and getting pregnant all the time.  Like every minute that I’m not thinking about work.

8)   When there’s a free second I think about affording a house.  With the market turning I feel terrified that SP and I will never be able to buy a house before we are priced out of the market.  (I have a lot of anxiety lately can you tell?)

9)   WE GOT A REAL LIFE MARRIAGE LICENSE!  I never thought I would feel all that different after getting legally married.  And I don’t feel THAT different because I already loved and was married to SP, but having that legal license really feels good.  Feels safe and wonderful.  It’s about damn time we get going in the other states.  Love is Love.

SF Pride!  And yes that is Mark Zuckerberg!

 4th of July with friendsies!

Marriage License and the day we got married...again! 

Birthday Dim Sum and my "baby" brother

So that’s pretty much what’s going on around these parts.  I have lots and lots of thoughts in my head these days and way too many feelings for my own good.  And can we say a quick congrats to the UK for passing Marriage Equality into law.  You go UK!  I always did like that old bitty Queen!

Hope all is well out there in blogland especially all those TTC-ers out there - baby dust to all!

Besos!

Sarah

It's My Birthday and I'll....

...Be an old lady if I want to....

Well I'm closing out another year and ringing in another new one...again...  But this one is my personal new year (that and everybody else born on this date (well...the 6th technically) of course, but in my world it's mine)  It is the first year where I think I'm starting to feel older.  I mean not like OLD OLD - SP reminds me regularly that old isn't until you hit at least 90yrs old.  But I just feel like my age I guess.  I'm an adult.  Like a real one.  And that's sort of weird soemtimes.  I'm married for goodness sake.  And I am hurtling towards 30 at a somewhat terrifying rate.  I mean not that I'm afraid of 30 (I'm not, I'm sort of looking forward to it to be honest) but the passing of time is going really really quickly.  I'm long out of undergrad now.  and long long (depending on who you talk to) out of highschool.  But mostly its the life benchmarks that keep me feeling older - like the being so insanely stable.  And the wanting to stay in on new years instead of out and crazy.  And the desire to talk about the future and buying houses and having kids - and not in that one day maybe wistful sort of way, but in the this is really gonna happen, planning sort of way.  It's pretty nuts.  And it's my life.  

And the crazy part is.  I.LOVE.IT.

Being an old stable lady really is for me.

So stop rambling and get on with what I actually did for my birthday you say?  You got it!

Well on Friday SP made an adorable dinner in.  And by made I mean picked up from our favorite Italian restaurant and we ate it by candle light and it was fabulous.  On Saturday we spontaneously decided to head to San Francisco to see the "painted ladies," walk the Fisherman's wharf, visit the Musee Mechanique, and eat ice cream at Ghiradelli Square.  My bestie even met us there!  It was the perfect day.  And on Sunday I spent my entire day in my stretchy pants.  We even ate lunch in bed while watching trashy rom com's.  Oh SP, she indulges me so.  Best birthday yet and they're only getting better!

 The Beautiful Painted Ladies

 My gorgeous baby on the gorgeous pier

Delicious Cafe Lunch at the Bean Bag Cafe (YUM)

Musee Mechanique 

Chocolate Paradise

And how my REAL birthday started out.  Coffee and my FURBABY

And that's a WRAP!  26 over and OUT.

30 years ago today...

...God put you on this earth for me.

So really it was 30 years from last Friday but whatever.  And I'm also not going to presume why God puts any of us on this planet.  But I like to think one of the reasons SP & I are here on this planet was to find each other and build our lives and our family together.  So there's that.

On Friday my lovely wife turned the dirty 30.  Why is it dirty you ask?  It's really not.  In fact SP says it's the clean 30's...as in clean slate.  20's are for the birds (and me for a few more years)

Celebrating for SP is a major undertaking.  She doesn't like surprises (control freak - we're made for each other) she doesn't like big celebrations, she likes to pick out her own things - so presents are, to say the least, challenging.  So when posed with the, what will we do for SP's 30th birthday? question, a really big birthday that happens to fall a few months fresh off a wedding and a whirl wind trip to Europe, I was a little bit stumped.  Buying things for SP (physical objects) is mostly like ripping my hair out one strand at a time.  Up to now I'd say the best physical present I've ever purchased for her is an electronic toothbrush - no joke, sistah likes her teeth clean!  So since I already bought her a toothbrush and we can't fit any more "stuff" into our apartment, and I'm not buying a house without her - I knew stuff wasn't the answer.

I had joked a few months ago about going to LA to see "The Book of Mormon the musical" for SP's birthday (she's pretty much a music, musical, theater freak) and then promptly put no more thought into.  Thinking we couldn't possibly do another trip.  Could we? 

COULD WE?

And then I bit the bullet and bought the tickets and pretended like I was going to do a surprise trip (fail) and whisk SP away.

***ASIDE*** SP if you are reading this now, please don't expect any future surprises.  Ever.  The End *** Aside over***

I gave up on the surprise idea about a week ahead of time.  But I did try to take care of some of the details (you know like the having a place to stay and getting there and such)

All in all I would say not-so surprising, surprise birthday weekend  was pretty fabulous.  At least it was for me, I hope it was for SP as well.

We drove down, saw some of the Hollywood sights (oh you know like that one famous theater and some handprints and some stars and stuff) We met up with one best friendsie face whom I have been aching for and saw the Griffith observatory (which is MAGNIFICENT - even if LA is covered in a perpetual blanket of smog) we stuffed ourselves full of Thai food, and whole foods salad bar, and cookies and leftover Halloween candy.  We saw an amazing show (disclaimer - if you are going to see it, it's pretty offensive to Mormons and pretty explicit in language in general - that being said the music and production were out of this world)  And we spent 6 hours in the car talking and laughing and singing (backstreet boys revival)

 

 

We also went to Knott's Berry Farm - where we learned we are TOO OLD for Roller Coasters.  It was super fun though!

Practiced Tourists at WORK

The only nature in the LA area

Mounted Police - Not a sight I associate with LA...hmmm...

Illegal pictures inside the theater ;)

I think 30 is going to be a good year for SP.  I think SP at 30 is going to be good for me too. Now I have an older wiser woman to look up to ;)  JK SP (sort of)  30 is coming to us at a good time.  A time when we are building and building and building.  We have so many exciting things in our future.  And so many scary things.  But I can't wait for them, because they are with you. 

My sweet SP, you are the raddest.  Every single morning I wake up and kiss you good morning I thank God and my sweet stars that you are mine, that you are you, and that we found each other.  My life is full because of you.  I am more ME because of you.  You are the most selfless and loving person I've ever met - and to be on the receiving end of that love and sacrifice is a gift I will never be able to fully repay.  Thank you for your laughter, your smile, your unending hope and encouragement and work.  Thank you for choosing me.  And your welcome for not throwing you a huge over the top 30th birthday - that is my REAL gift to you.  Happy Birthday my love!  Here's to 70 more!