Stella is One! | The G Family at Hartwood Acres Mansion

"Before having a baby…”

Ah, the volumes of hubris I could fill with just that one prompt. Things like:

“Before having a baby I thought people who were late were being rude!”

“Before having a baby I didn’t understand why parents would let their child scream in a grocery store.”

“Before having a baby I didn’t understand why a person would only take one shower in a week.”

Don’t worry, I have since had a formal reckoning on all of these misconceptions. And since “before having a baby I actually had time to read entire blog posts” also fits here, I’ll get straight to the point: 

Before having a baby, I didn’t really understand the point of first birthday parties.

The kid isn’t even going to remember it! But then of course I realized, as all veteran parents are giving each other knowing looks right now, that the party is only partly for the child. 

The gorgeous G family and I met up at Hartwood Acres Mansion this Fall to celebrate little Stella turning the big 0-1. This beautiful and curious little girl was a trooper in the chilly fall air, and loved toddling around, playing with rocks, and getting snuggles from her sweet mama and daddy.

Her life is a miracle, and making it one whole turn around the sun is absolutely cause for celebration. But you know what? Her amazing parents also need a giant round of applause. THEY DID IT! They made it through nine long months of pregnancy, delivery, the exhausting newborn days, the “check-the-monitor-every-47-seconds-to-see-if-they’re-still-breathing” weeks, the “ask-Dr-Google-if-this-color-is-normal” months, the “baby-proof-everything-in-the-house” phase and more.  (Find the picture below where I congratulated the two of them on surviving!)

So now I know that the first birthday is absolutely a celebration for the baby, but it’s also a celebration for mom and dad. Rachel and Jason, you did it! You’ve still got a lifetime of this parenting gig to go, but man— this is a huge milestone for everyone. 

Congratulations you beautiful humans. Let’s party!