I’m proud to be this little river-creature’s mother and couldn’t pass up the chance to hold a contest for the best caption. Leave a comment with a suggested caption for this picture, and enter to win a $30 Amazon Gift Card. And no, you don’t need to mention it, I’m already sending off the picture to AFP.

{click to enlarge photo for better inspiration}

Comments will close on Wed. May 11 2011. Winner announced the following day.

I bought this adorable growth chart from “KimsSister” on Etsy, and the quality has far surpassed my expectations. It’s super cute and goes great with Owen’s nursery. You can buy one here.

1. It was a year ago today that I gave birth to Owen. In retrospect, I don’t remember it being all that much work. How messed up is that? Both that I don’t remember how great it was, and that I don’t remember the pain involved.
2. Being pregnant for nine months felt longer than having a baby for a year. Time goes too fast in between feedings and naps to even realize a week has passed.
3. After a 27-year great track record, I’m now officially late to everything. Forget trying to schedule things with other friends who have babies.
4. Some things I never saw myself doing: holding a baby on my lap while in an airplane bathroom, wearing a shirt that got peed on because I was too tired to change, scooping poop out of the tub, Googling “Who Plays Baby Bop”?
5. While I don’t seem to have the time or means to work out regularly, my upper body stays toned thanks to a fat toddler. They should try it on “The Biggest Loser,” put a chunky baby on your hip and bend down after the twelve things he’s dropped. Lift him into his car seat without slamming his head into the roof of the car, wrestle him to change his diaper. Boom. 10 lbs. lost.
6. As the at-home parent, it’s my job to tell my husband all the progress Owen is making. I always tell him the things he does and says that make me proud or make me laugh. I tell him what a great talker he is: Bubble is “Ma-ma”. Banana is “Ma-ma”. Car is “Ma-ma”. See what I mean? He’s definitely advanced.
7. Hubby says if Owen is half as smart as I think he is, then he’s a genius.
8. I never knew when I was teaching him to throw a ball that I was actually teaching him how to throw his food on the ground. Teaching him to feed himself turned into teaching him how to find leaves on the ground {or worse} and put it in his mouth. And teaching him how to talk, was teaching him to say “Neh neh neh neh” {his version of no} anytime he was unhappy with what I was doing.
9. I’m here to debunk the myth that parents don’t know when their baby is ugly. Most of the time Owen is cute, adorable, ready to sign a modeling contract. But I know he can be funny-looking. Mostly in the moments where he looks like my in-laws. {KIDDING!}
10. I think it took a full year to adjust to the new-mom life. As I see it, here’s how the roles have evolved;
    Mom: Works from home, cooks, cleans, does the laundry, pays the bills, does the grocery shopping, feeds the baby, gets up with the baby, bathes and dresses the baby.
    Dad: Goes to work and plays with the baby.
11. In a pinch, we’ve had to order food for Owen at a restaurant when I wasn’t prepared {heaven forbid}. Now this is a slippery slope. This means I get what I ordered AND Mac ‘N Cheese? Heaven.
12. I used to think people were crazy for having so many toys. I’m deeply sorry: I get it now. Toys are how I survive the day. Toys are how I make deadlines and do dishes. If I don’t have toys, Owen helps with the dishes by taking every dish I put on the rack and putting it on the floor.
13. At one year old, Owen knows how to turn the iPhone and iPad on. How far away am I from teaching him how to put on a movie and grab some cereal while mommy sleeps in?
14. While I know I absolutely want to have more kids, the thought of playing this year over in ADDITION to having a toddler sounds so bonkers, I can feel wrinkles deepening in my face. Am I really cut out for this?
15. Growing up, I wasn’t allowed to say “fart”. My family replaced the noun with “bean” and the verb with “beaning”. My friends find this endlessly funny. I haven’t decided which word will be acceptable for Owen to say, but when he “beans” I think it is the funniest thing. So freely and unabashedly passing gas, without a second thought. It cracks me up. My favorite, the “snart” is  crazy funny.
16. I have laughed out loud at least a dozen times today. I think this age is so fun. He thinks he’s bigger than he is and is so independent. I can’t believe this is the same boy. What happened to the colic-ridden infant who wanted to be snuggled and fed during the night? He’s gone, and replaced with an energetic, busy, charming boy. Surely my life before Owen was easier {and I mean WAY easier}, but life with Owen is much more fun. Kudos, Owen! We both survived!

Here’s the before:

And here’s the after:

The width of the fabric was the perfect for the height of the gate. I cut 1″ notches along the width of the fabric and ripped strips off, then wove them through the gate with a little knot at the top and bottom. Other ideas I had along the way include spray painting the gate something a little more vibrant using spray paint for plastic, or hanging baby toys on it. I know you’re not supposed to help the gate stand out, but, HELLO?! How can you not see it already?

Fabric used: “Sweet Spot” and “Ring Toss” brand new fabrics from Waverly.

It all started with these adorable invitations

by Gracie Girl Notes. This Pennsylvania shop has fun prints and cute shapes for invitations, announcements and thank you cards. I provided the wording, and Bevin came up with the adorable concept of the little elephants with heart cardstock and kraft paper invitations. They really were cute and professional, and even better – I didn’t have to spend ANY time on them! She sent a proof via email before she shipped them out, so I was confident I was getting the perfect invitation. {Plus anybody that packages with Divine Twine is alright in my book}

Then came the sponsors

Several items were donated from companies that got me through the rough transition into new-mommyhood. You know how moms talk – we know who’s pooping, who didn’t nap, and who’s cutting teeth. It used to drive me crazy when I didn’t have kids and the conversation would continue at-length on any of these subjects. But now I get it – we’re all trying to be the best moms we can and it takes experience from our peers and the help of quality products.

A few things I was able to share

We bought at least 6 different brands of bottles for my underweight one-month old. Some bottles came out too fast, others too slow and frustrating. Some had him swallowing too much air, making an achy belly and big spit-ups. With a baby with colic, anything that could lessen the symptoms was a lifesaver. Switching to a more sensitive formula combined with these Tommee Tippee bottles made such a difference. He was less gassy, happy with the flow, and less starving! 9 months later he still loves them, and they are easy to hold in his big paws. By four months, he was holding them on his own.

And with colic comes LOTS of tears. I’m a firm believer in Dr. Karp’s “Happiest Baby on the Block” method that can get any crying baby soothed as long as there is no medical problem. I’m having flashbacks as I type this. It seemed like a century, but with the three months of colic came nights in the laundry room with the dryer on, running water to soothe cries and many many swaddles. These Aden + Anais swaddle blankets were the only ones sufficiently big and stretchy to pull tight enough for him to be sufficiently womb-like. They are definitely on my ‘must-have’ list for new moms {I even took mine to the hospital from day one}. They just made such a huge difference in our baby when he was little. Now that he’s older, they stay around covering a sleeping baby in the stroller, or as a blanket to crawl on.

When people tell me their babies wouldn’t take a pacifier, it almost doesn’t register. I can’t even IMAGINE. I got Owen sleeping 10 hours consistently at 3 months old using his favorite thing in the world: his Nuk pacifier. He is still happily using his pacifier at night, or when he’s embarrassing me with his volume level at a restaurant. He will only spit it out for two things: his bottle or his toothbrush. My only regret is that I didn’t know about these sports ones. Owen came home from the hospital wearing my baseball outfit from my birth, and this baseball binky would have topped it off!

You might remember Nicole Hoxie Photography doing my newborn’s pictures. They turned out better than I could have imagined, and I’m so lucky to have such great pictures. It’s so fleeting, they only stay that tiny for such a short time! Nicole is so crazy talented, you’ll notice that if you visit her home. Quilts, clothes for her kids, decor – all handmade! This is a diaper clutch that she designed and created – a perfect fit for a few diapers and wipes, and other essentials. Just in case you don’t feel like lugging your entire diaper bag, or you can leave it with the sitter while you’re away. She has created so many beautiful diaper clutches and you can buy them here.

Also pictured is a Baby Carrier Cover by Kukuku. No longer in stores, but a lifesaver for a chilly baby while he’s in your front carrier {works great with Baby Bjorn, Ergo, and other similar baby carriers}. My baby never liked to sleep, but I’ve managed to lure him to sleep with the fuzzy fleece lining of this cover and a little back rub.

In light of the rough first months, a one-of-a-kind frame like this one found it’s way to my doorstop {You can see my post about it here}. This frame was created by Face to Face Framing using reclaimed barn wood. They have an impressive Etsy shop with really amazing woodwork and home decor. Brigitte sent me one of these frames with a photo of my little one and it has got to be one of my most prized possessions. You can’t bottle that new baby smell or hang on to that feeling when your baby cozies up to your neck for the first time, but my frame with my baby’s little toes is as close as it gets. {Also pictured is my ‘Love Print‘}

Also from Face to Face Framing is this fun burlap pillow. I’m so jealous that they create these fun pillows – I would LOVE to do this {read: I would love to procrastinate on my daily house-wifing and work-from-homing duties to get involved in yet another project}. So cute!

And lastly, who knew it would be so hard to get back on the wagon? I went without a hairbrush and mascara for probably a good month after baby. So much feeding, diaper changing and soothing, all I ever wanted to do in my spare time was SLEEP. But the pieces had to be put back together, and if I was going to wear a pony tail, I was at least going to throw on a pair of earrings! :) These cute hoops are from a local brand, Twisted Silver. I’m seeing their cool jewelry more and more and my friends and family grow their Twisted Silver collection!

The baby food was provided by three great companies that I LOVE. How did anyone raise children without this stuff? He may have his sleeping faults, but Owen is an exceptional eater. I always have a few of these food pouches in my diaper bag in case our errands run long or he’s just a hungry dude. His legs start squirming at the very sight of these, and he loves that he can suck it out of the top all by himself! Plum Organics, Revolution Foods {who has the CUTEST website} and Ella’s Kitchen all have a version of these baby food pouches and they are a lifesaver. It’s organic {don’t roll your eyes}, it’s sneaky {crammed with veggies, but you’d never know it!} and fun for the baby’s to eat {Look ma, no spoon!}.

And lastly, just a few party details

Raffle tickets made using Just Something I Made‘s Vintage Frame graphics {Fun to use for quick projects like this}, and napkin flowers from Design Editor’s Tutorial here.

Brought a rug {Pottery Barn – circa 2009} and some toys for little crawlers.

Penants made from a less-than-favorable book and some scrapbook paper {Sorry for the backlighting here, you can see great penants from the Crafting Chicks here}

Food for kids and mommies {Weight Watchers Chicken Salad recipe here – I added slivered almonds and Fuji apples}

A little something extra for the mommies {when they’re hands aren’t full}

And the guests of honor!

Owen all dressed up for the event {hang on little buttons!}