Birthday Party #1

Ok, back to catching up on here! While we were in Georgia we had Liam's first 1st Birthday Party, albeit 10 days early. : )

Several months ago I decided I wanted to do a vintage airplane theme for his birthday (since the kid has been on more planes in one year than many people I know!). I enlisted the help of one of my best friends, Jenny, who designs cards and invitations and whatnot. She is super creative, and was able to take examples of things I'd seen (hello, Pinterest!) and turn them into the perfect invitation, decorations, etc. for Liam's party.

After going back and forth on locations for the birthday party, I finally had the brilliant idea late one night to have it at the 57th Fighter Group Restaurant in Atlanta. Keith and I used to go there for their amazing Sunday brunch back when we were dating, and the place is SO cool. It's actually at Peachtree-Dekalb Airport and the restaurant overlooks the airfield and runways. There are also old planes parked around and the inside is decorated with WWII-esque memorabilia, pictures, and style. It was the perfect location for an airplane party!

sleepover with friends!

After a great few days with Jane and her family and then a nice, relaxing weekend in Alabama, we were finally back in Georgia! But before I get to Liam's birthday party, one of the things we knew we had to do was also spend some time with our friends Courtney, Pete, and their son Casey. Unfortunately for us (and fortunately for them!) they were headed out of town that weekend for Courtney's birthday, so this would be our only opportunity to see them -- hence, a sleepover!

Liam and Casey are only five months apart and they had a GREAT time playing together! They "painted" with paint rollers, read books, ate, and pushed things all around the house! It was so much fun. :)

Sweet Home Alabama . . .

After being at Jane's for a few nights we headed to Alabama to visit Keith's mom. I'm so glad we did because the following week she got strep throat and wasn't able to come to Georgia for Liam's birthday party -- had we not gone to visit her she wouldn't have been able to see Liam at all this trip! She of course was thrilled the second we got there and couldn't wait to get her hands on him. And I'm so thankful for Skype because Liam immediately recognized her and was comfortable around her right away. We Skype with Grandma on a daily basis and he gets so excited to see her, so it was awesome for them to be together in person!

Liam playing in Grandma's furniture!

. . . fun with friends

Ten days before we left for Georgia we found out Liam had hand, foot, and mouth disease. Very lucky for him (and us), he had an extremely mild case, and was totally fine by the time we flew. However, since my sister-in-law is pregnant we had to be extra careful to ensure she didn't catch it, so we didn't stay at my parents house that first week in Georgia. Instead we spent a few nights at one of my best friend's house, and then drove to Alabama for the weekend to spend time with my mother-in-law. 

When we got to Jane's that night we let Liam play for a few minutes before putting him to bed, crossing our fingers that he would sleep all night. Then Jane and I cracked open a bottle (or two?) of Prosecco and got to catch up while eating chocolate covered pomegranates (ummmm, seriously one of the best things I've put in my mouth!). 

Like an old sweet song . . .

Now that Liam's birthday week is over, I think I finally have some time to blog about our recent trip to Georgia!

We left for Georgia on July 24th, a Tuesday afternoon. The problem with taking an international flight west is that they are always day flights, and day flights do not bode well for an active baby/toddler. Everyone told us that traveling with a baby between one and two years old is really hard, so I was a little prepared, but it was still a shock . . . after all, a ten-hour flight is hard for anyone, let alone a mobile baby who just wants to be anywhere but in your lap!

I always try to feed Liam something on the way up and on the way down to help his ears pop, which inevitably means takeoff will be around feeding time. And of course, most flights are delayed (as was this one), so trying to not feed a hungry baby is no fun. By the time he finally did eat (after an hour on the plane, much later than anticipated), he passed out for the first two hours in the air. That was a welcome relief for Keith and I, but we quickly learned that he was just resting for what would become the flight from h-e-double-hockey-sticks.