Carter's 2nd Birthday Party -- Peppa Pig Style

"Disclaimer -- I wrote this post 6 months ago, and I realized I never posted it -- so, here you go, Carter's big 2nd birthday party  :)"

I want to begin this post by saying that I am not creative and I really don't enjoy planning birthday parties...not because I am a party pooper, but just because I don't have a lot of time to spend and again...there is the whole un-creative thing.  But, I must say that with the powers of Pinterest and Etsy combined I was able to pull off Carter's 2nd birthday party while looking fairly creative.  :)  I was very pleased with how it all turned out. 

Don't mind Nana in the background trying to avoid the picture...haha

I knew when I started thinking about what kind of party I wanted to have for Carter's birthday, I wanted it to be Peppa Pig style.  Peppa is a little British piggy cartoon that Carter is absolutely in love with.  Peppa lives with mummy pig, daddy pig, and her little brother George and her favorite thing to do is jump in muddy puddles.  Carter gets totally engrossed when she watches it and thankfully, it is not the most annoying cartoon I've seen.  It's cute and I don't mind her watching.  If you are not familiar with Peppa check out her very cute website here.  I began researching peppa pig party ideas on pinterest a while back and created a board just for her birthday party.  The ideas ranged from food to decorations to really elaborate creations that I knew I would never do, but hey...fun to look at.  

As for the invitation, I found it on etsy.  

Follow the link here if you like.  This was actually just a downloadable file that I could change the date, time and location on and I was able to print it out at home and create them myself.  Thankfully with all the snowy weather we have had lately, I had time to do that.  I printed them out on cardstock and then actually glued them to another slightly larger piece of white cardstock to make them a bit more sturdy and professional looking.  And, then I didn't get to give many out, mainly because of the snowy weather and not being able to see everyone and also because Carter panicked about giving "her" Peppa to anyone.  

I also went to etsy to print out the adorable food tents for the party. 

 I just downloaded the file instantly and printed them out.  I think I spent a total of about $10-$15 bucks for the food tents and the invites from etsy.  Not bad at all.  

I was able to get an idea for the cake from pinterest and had a local cake baker make the cake for her.  She did an excellent job and the cake was delicious.  If you live in the area and ever need a cake made, please contact me and I will share her information.  She is the only one I would ever go to.  She has made all kinds of cakes for me and my mom, including my wedding cake and Carter's 1st birthday cake.  

As for food, here's what I served up: 

• Muddy Water -- aka apple juice
• George's Favorite Sandwiches -- chicken salad served on croissants (not really because they were George's favorites like the food tent said, just because they were easy to make) and my Mother-in-Law made ham bakes
• Chips
• Grandpa Pigs fruit -- big bowl of fruit salad and strawberries with fruit dip that my mom made
• Granny Pigs Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Pigs in a Blanket  (looking back maybe not the best choice of words, but a big hit none-the-less) 
• Cake & Ice Cream

I had big plans to serve muddy puddles (chocolate pudding cups) and Daddy Pig's Wobbly Belly (jell-o cups) but I just ran out of time and it didn't happen.  But, it was fine...realistically they would have probably gone to waste anyway.  

For the decorations I went to wally world (aka Wal-Mart) because that is basically all there is here.  There actually is a party store, but I had spotted some cute plates and napkins in there a few weeks back and I knew that they would work, so I just went with it.  

The table covers and vases were from Wal-Mart and they matched the plates, napkins and cups.  Flowers I got at the grocery store. 

Since Peppa is British, you can't really find many party supplies here in the states...even most of the things I found online were from British or Australian websites.  I did however find some balloons last minute on Amazon and I ordered them the week before the party.  They were perfect...if you like you can find them here and here.  They were great quality and shipped quickly.  I took them to the grocery store to have them blown up.  Just make sure that you have a big vehicle to haul them in, because the super huge Peppa's are really super huge!  Basically, I think if I would have just bought the balloons and done nothing else for her party, Carter would have been thrilled.  She is still playing with the balloons in her play room upstairs.  She loved them.  

Super huge Peppa balloon

We were able to have the party at our church, which worked out great.  Last year we had the party at our house and it worked, but it was a lot of work.  I ended up having to clean house before and after and even though our house is fairly spacious, 25 or so people in the house is a lot.  I will definitely go the route of having it at the church in the future, the space was perfect.  I will say that I am thrilled that baby #2 is going to be born in May so that we can have outdoor birthday parties for her.  Having indoor parties for kids is so much harder to coordinate.  

All in all I think the birthday party was a success and Carter enjoyed it so much she asked to go to bed when we got home.  She was all partied out.  

The Birthday Girl!!

With her two favorites... Daddy & Peppa. 

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The Arrival of Dylan Kate & Life Thereafter

Our second daughter was welcomed into the world a couple of months back on May 14, 2015 at 10:44 pm.  She weighed 7 lbs. and measured 20 inches at the hospital.  Her birth was (thankfully) as non-eventful as one could expect or want a birth to be.  The days that lead up to her birth were not so much.  I unfortunately was the recipient of a very ugly gift -- the stomach virus -- two days before my scheduled induction.  I woke up thinking that I might be in labor because I felt sick to my stomach and later that day after a visit to my doctor and then spending a few hours getting IV fluids and anti-nausea medication in the L & D department of the hospital, I knew for sure it was just a bug. 

I had experienced the stomach virus while pregnant with Carter...that time around I had a little less than two months left in my pregnancy.  I can tell you that this time around, it was just as unpleasant as the first time.  After I left the hospital feeling much better, but still pretty much like trash, I knew if that whole experience didn't put me into labor, then nothing would!

So, my last couple of days just having one child were not spent the way I had envisioned.  I had wanted to soak up as much time with Carter as I could and really focus all of my attention on her.  Instead she spent the night away in the hopes that she would not get the virus too.  But, we are not in control and I just had to trust that all would be ok.  Thankfully, no one else in my family got sick. 

On the morning of Thursday May 14, 2015 the Lineman and I made our way back to the labor & delivery floor of the hospital (we hoped to get a discount for frequent visits!) ready to meet our second daughter.  I was induced using cytotec and then I got to walk.  This was the same method as we used with Carter.  I was able to walk outside this time though because it was warm...not having a baby in the middle of February has its perks.  So, we walked and walked and not much was happening.  At lunch my midwife broke my water and after some time, I was able to get up and move around -- walking around my room, trying the birthing ball out and timing contractions.  I was sure that things were really progressing and when I started to have tears in my eyes from the pains of the contractions, I requested my epidural -- around 3:30 pm.  My two brother's wives and the Lineman were there with me for the birth.  They are the closest things I have to sisters of my own.  My brothers are 10 and 12 years older than me and I can remember their girlfriends and now wives being around my family for as far back as I can remember.  I had my mom in with me for Carter's birth and she had requested not to be there the second go-round.  I think it stressed her out too much, which is totally understandable.

After the epidural, things were much more bearable and I was able to rest comfortably.  Things just didn't seem to be progressing that much, so they started an IV drip of Pitocin, to increase my contractions...this rocked on and on.  Finally late in the evening I started to feel some pressure and I knew I was getting close.  They called the doc in and when she arrived and checked me, she said we were ready and I could push when I felt the contraction coming.  I was so scared, afraid that I wouldn't remember how to do it!!  But, luckily I did and just a couple of contractions later Miss Dylan Kate was part of our world...I pushed for less than 10 minutes.  I was thrilled obviously, and so thankful not to have had a horrific experience.  I had a great experience the first go-round with Carter, but this time was even easier.  Now...I wouldn't go as far to say it was enjoyable, definitely not, but comparatively I feel like I got off the hook pretty easy with the whole labor and delivery thing.

I was able to nurse almost immediately after delivery, and thank goodness Wendy's is open late, I had a baked potato and a Coke.  I felt it was much deserved since I had had nothing but liquids since our arrival at 7:00 AM.  Our stay at the hospital was great.  I felt much better than the first time around and was able to get up and move around more sooner.  Dylan was a great baby (and continues to be, praise the Lord).  The only hiccup we had was reflux and we are still dealing with that issue.  The reflux signs were not exactly there at the time we were in the hospital, but due to her quick delivery, her lungs were clogged and she coughed and sputtered a lot.  There were a couple of times that she got choked and I was so thankful that we were still in the hospital and could quickly call for one of the nurses to come and help us out.  Other than her occasional sputter and choking, she was a dream. 

We finally got to come home on Saturday morning and I was so excited to see Carter and bring Dylan into our home.  It was every bit as sweet as you would expect with all of us ooh-ing and ah-ing over our new prize.  The most excited one in the household was definitely Lola.  She would not let the baby out of her sight and wanted to be as close as possible to her...sniffing and even trying to lick her head. It was very sweet.  She continues to be very protective over her.  I don't remember her being that way with Carter so, I'm not sure what is going on...maybe she knows more now what to expect. 

After that, the first couple of weeks were a bit rough and it took a bit of time to settle into a routine, but thankfully,  we are coming around to the idea of being a family of four!  It is hard to imagine life before Dylan and especially before Carter.  Sometimes I do long for peace and quiet and the ability to do a simple task without being interrupted by crying or whining; but, when the girls are not with us at home, it seems like something is missing.  It is way to quiet and I still don't get anything much accomplished because I end up sitting down or becoming distracted in some way other than the kids.

More than anything since Dylan's birth, I have been feeling an overwhelming sense of thankfulness and gratefulness -- for the safe delivery of a healthy baby, a quick recovery, an older sister who is not jealous of the baby, family and friends to help out, and a wonderful baby who is such a blessing.  Life can take amazing turns.  Just one year ago a second baby was not even in my thoughts.  It is just a reminder of how God knows just what is right for us and we have to trust in Him to lead us, even when things don't happen on our schedule.  Initially when I found out I was pregnant again, I was so upset and cried.  I thought that there was no way I could manage a second child and I was afraid of what life would be like, but it is getting better each day.  There  is a saying -- "Let go and Let God."  This is something I am trying to learn to live by.  In having children and a family that depends on me, I can feel myself growing more in Christ and trusting Him more each day...it is a powerful thing...I wouldn't trade this life for a day anywhere else.