The first year

Today marks one year since Little Man has entered our life. I remember the day like it was yesterday.

It all started with a phone call.

"Mrs. Murphy, are you ready?"
Uhhhh. yes!!!!!
"We have a 4month old baby boy, here is what we know...."
WE WANT HIM!
"Do you need to ask your husband?"
No. We want him. I don't need to ask. (Don't judge me people, it was my baby I felt it. Hubby understood haha)
"Ok, I will call the social worker and let them know there is a family if he still needs one."

Then we waited and waited. For two hours. Then the call. He would be here is a few hours. So we shopped.

He arrived. Not at all how you expect a child to come. A knock on the door. A child placed in my arms while a woman ran to her car, grabbed a small bag and a stroller. She had us look him over, sign a few papers and left. We didn't even know how to pronounce his name (we weren't even positive until our first visit 3 months later). This precious boy was basically dropped on our doorstep, it was so surreal.

You know that feeling when your baby is first placed on your chest? That overwhelming feeling of love? That is how we felt when handed Little Man. I loved him just like my others. Insane love and attachment instantly. It scared me. He is still someone else's child. He can still leave. But oh the love he will receive while he is here...and forever.

This year has been a beautiful mess.

We have had tears and laughter, sometimes both at the same time.
We've had weekly visits and then none at all. And then the same thing all over again.

There have been court dates and postponements. Oh the postponements.
There have been scary decisions made by a judge whose name we didn't even know. With a lawyer we didn't even know had changed. We have dealt with a broken system.

We have seen his first teeth come in. Watched him learn to roll, crawl, walk run and jump.
We have heard his first words. He calls me mama.

A few family vacations. Lots of fun days. Disneyland. Beaches. Zoos. Adventures.

His first birthday has come and gone. We have celebrated his milestones. His months, year and HIM.

We've watched him fail to attach. We have felt the heartbreak of loving a baby who was too scared of us leaving to really truly love us back. We celebrated a bit, the first time that he cried when we left. He loves us. We've watched him fall asleep numerous nights, knowing he was scared we would leave. We still have these nights. He is attached and sometimes scared.

We've been amazed at how early he learned so much. When he was placed in our home, he could roll to one side. Within weeks he was rolling and crawling. He started taking steps at 10.5 months. He started fully walking on his birthday. We are fairly certain he was walking behind our backs before then. He is a silly little joker.

He has always had the sweetest smile. It seems to get bigger and brighter by the day or maybe even minute. His full belly laugh will melt you but only if you can see his face, because he laughs so hard and intensely he often sounds like he is scream-crying, as we call it.

This boy radiates joy even through his struggles.

This year has been crazy. This year has been joyous. This year has been hard. This year has been fun. This year has been emotional. This year has been amazing.

Little man has grown. He has attached. He loves. He struggles. He clings. He fights. He brings laughter and smiles everywhere he goes. He is amazing.

We have grown. We have attached. We love. We struggle. We cling to. We fight. We laugh and smile. We are amazed at what God has done.

Huggies Slip-Ons {Our New Way of Diapering}

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Huggies, but all my opinions are my own. #HuggiesSlipOn #pmedia http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

In the past few weeks diaper changes have become so rough. Little man HATES to lay still. So when a friend told me about the Slip-Ons she was having her son wear, I was thrilled. A diaper change while still standing, Little Man and I had reached an agreement.

All I was looking for was an easier way to change the boys diaper but the perks just kept on coming. Little man has more energy than he knows what to do with. From the time he wakes up until he falls asleep, he is running, jumping and wiggling his little self around. Since using Huggies Slip-Ons Diapers, our little mover is less likely to leak.

They fit perfectly around his bottom. Although baby booty cheeks hanging out the side of a diaper can be super cute, it is not exactly good for preventing leaks. The awesome fit and stretch sides have made a huge difference in the amount of wet pants we take the boy out of.

In a lot of ways Huggies Slip-Ons remind me of a Pull-Up; easier changes and more flexible for a little mover. The difference is, a pull-up lets your kids know when they are wet and are not super absorbent. The absorbency on the Slip-Ons is amazing. Little man is able to sleep through the night without being changed. With a brand new baby in the house, this is a huge deal. I'm already lacking sleep. Not having to wake a sleeping baby to change his booty is enough to bring tears of joy to a mama's eyes.

When we first purchased our Slip-Ons,  I must admit I was worried about diaper changes while out and about. After opening the package, I was so excited to see that there are tabs, making it easy to remove and put on a new diaper. Granted it's not as easy as just slipping them on our runner but no more challenging than your usual diaper. Do you see what I mean about how "the perks kept on coming"? These Slip-Ons have been such an improvement in diapers for our Little Man.

And just wait, I have some perks for you as well.

First of all, a coupon, so you can try out these diapers on your little ones. The diapers are already a great price, they were $9.49 for the smaller pack and the bigger box (64 pack) was only $24.99. Click here for a $2 off coupon at Target and you are getting quite the deal!

Don't leave yet, I have another perk for you. It's a good one. How about a free $25 to Target? You can use it to buy a pack of Slip-Ons or anything else on your Target wish list! I know I am not the only one with a mile long list dedicated to Target, so go ahead and enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

80's Dance Party

A couple weeks ago we celebrated our little man's first birthday with an 80's dance party. I must say it was pretty rad.

The decor was of course centered around 80's pop culture. Cassettes, neon colors and flashy prints were everywhere. The cassette idea was found over at Practically Living. We simply bought old cassettes from a thrift store and hung them with fishing line. Pac Man covered our walls. And to set the mood for dancing we covered our lights with colored cello paper.

We themed our dessert table around 80's toys. Slinky's that acted as a mini backdrop. Rubix cubes and 80's themed chocolates covered the table. And can you just pause to take a look at that cake and candy. It was all done by my amazing friend Tasha over at Tasha-Ann's Sweet Treats.

All of the food was authentic Dominican Cuisine. I will be sharing recipes soon because seriously, you won't be able to live without it! YUM!!!!

Everything about the party was upbeat and fun. The biggest hit? Our 80's photo booth. I found the fabric at Ikea and made a backdrop. We threw together a few props and set up some lighting and a camera with remote for people to take their pictures. It was a blast.

Almost everyone came dressed in 80's attire and it was pretty awesome.

Our little man had an amazing time. I wish I could show you the pictures of him. Pure joy.