Andrew Turns One: The Recap

When your baby reaches their first birthday, celebrations are definitely in order. It is a milestone not only for the kiddo, but for the parents as well - especially when there is an older brother in the mix. Andrew recently turned one and we all put our best party shoes on to celebrate.

The celebration began the morning of March 25th with birthday presents, balloons and breakfast with big brother, James.

Our birthday friend made an appearance for Andrew donning a new t-shirt for the occasion. This guy joined our family back when James turned 1 and has become part of the Mangiaracina kiddo birthday tradition each year.

After a fun day at school where he donned the birthday hat, it was back home for birthday dinner and presents with Grandma and Grandpa Q. His favorite part of the night - the ice cream cake of course! The kid is now hooked. 

All in all, it was a great first birthday for our little guy. He got some great gifts and his first sugar rush making it stellar in his book. And the best part - it was not over. 

Fast forward 1 week and here we are at Andrew's 1st birthday party. Welcome to Andrew's 1st Froggie Party!

I would be lying if I told you that I tried to keep myself in check with this party. It's a sickness, what can I say. I can't help myself!!! Your second baby only turns 1 once! 

The frog them was in full force and was a BIG hit with the birthday boy.

We hosted the event at the neighborhood rec center room because our itty bitty townhouse is still too itty bitty to handle a party of this magnitude. After a very quick set-up thanks to my super-star party team (you know who you are!), we were ready to roll. Andrew was greeted by family and friends who were all there to celebrate his big day. Lunch was served, cookies were decorated and wine was consumed! I'd say that equals party success.

And in keeping with first birthday tradition, Andrew was treated to his own birthday smash cake. We moved the party outside to partake in this fun and messy milestone!

Does this kid love his sweets or what?!

And how freakin cute are these boys?!!!??!! They kill me!! :)

All in all it was a great party and a great first birthday. And I know that Andrew won't remember it, but hopefully these photos will show him how much he is loved. Happy Birthday, kiddo!!

Andrew's First Year

It has been one heck of a busy weekend and we promise a full recap of the birthday festivities soon. In full Mangiaracina tradition, I put together a highlights video of Andrew's first year. As with James, it was an emotional project - lots of happy tears shed! 

Warning: It is long (14:20 to be exact!).  But it is totally worth it if you want to see some cute.  Enjoy!

Birthday Week Day 5: And Then There Were Four

The alarm from the phone broke the silence of the house at 5:25AM on the morning of March 25, 2015. I popped out of bed and navigated to the bathroom for one last shower before our lives once again changed forever.  I remember looking at my big, pregnant belly thinking that in just a few hours, the little guy inside that has been kicking me all these months will finally be in my arms.

When I emerged from the bathroom, Ed gave me a sleepy smile and grabbed my hand for a squeeze. I knew that it was his way of saying he loved me and was ready to be a Daddy x2.

I waited until the very last minute to wake up James. He didn't quite understand why I chose to dress him in the blue and grey shirt with the words "Big Brother", but he was very happy to spend a few quiet moments with Mommy before heading to school. We took one last photo to mark the occasion where I was a Mom of one and he was an only child.

After dropping James at daycare, we headed to Fair Oaks Hospital where we were greeted by the best group of nurses in the business. Within minutes, I was hooked up to all kinds of tubes and wires and was making my way to the operating room. As I was prepped for surgery, all I could do was think about how lucky I was to be lying there awaiting the arrival of my second little boy.  Ed joined me in the room as things got underway. And then, at 10:07 AM I heard the screams.  Andrew was here.

That was approximately one year ago today. 

One year ago today we became a family of four. 

From the moment he arrived, Andrew has been such a sweet, loving, cuddly boy. He fills our hearts with joy and our days with smiles. We never thought we could love anything as much as we love James. We were wrong.  Dead wrong. Our hearts just got that much bigger when Andrew came into our lives.

So here we sit on Andrew's 1st birthday. Reflecting on all that we have. And realizing that we are the luckiest damn people on earth.

Happy 1st Birthday, Andrew.  

We love you to the moon and back!

Birthday Week Day 4: Monthly Photo Outtakes

The monthly photo has become a fun tradition in the Mangiaracina household and will be missed now that our little nugget is turning one.  We started this with James and continued it with Andrew - but in a new way. 

With James, we kept his outfit constant and changed the backgrounds.

With Andrew, we decided to change it up and put him in a new outfit each time and keep a neutral background. We also added a bunny to add a little perspective. The little stuffed friend really helped to show how big (or small) Andrew was that month.

Our little Andrew was a great subject to photograph, but we did have to take 50+ photos each time to get "the one". And as he got older, the big challenge was getting him to sit still. Big brother James helped out a lot - and made it worse at times as all good big brothers do! Here are a few of our favorite outtakes from each month.

Month One

Month Two

Month Three

Month Four

Month Five

Month Six

Month Seven

Month Eight

Month Nine

Month Ten

Month Eleven

The faces this kids makes KIILLS ME!!  Some fun facts about the monthly photo project:

• In most cases, the photos were taken first thing in the morning on the 25th of the month. There was more flexibility when he was little and I wasn't working. Once he was in daycare, I had to grab the camera first thing in the morning so that I could post the picture that day.

• There was major Mommy stress when it came to picking out his outfit each month. With James' monthly project, all I needed was a clean, white onesie. With Andrew, I needed to make sure I had something adorable on hand. All of the clothes in the images are new to Andrew and not hand me downs with the exception of one month. Any guesses??

• There were a total of 3 backgrounds used throughout the months: a grey fur blanket, the beige rug in his room and the neutral rocker, also in his room.

• Since month 9 landed on Christmas Day, we swapped out the cute little bunny for a Rudolph doll and added a Santa hat.

• Month 10 was taken during Snowzilla when we got a whopping 33" of snow here in VA. We added the winter hat in honor of all the snow.

• All of the monthly photos for both James and Andrew live in frames that hang on a gallery wall in our basement. I just LOVE being able to see how big they both got over their first years. 

We have one more picture to go so stay tuned - the big day is almost here!!