We survived the first year!! Seriously, though, I told Chris that Graham's party felt like just as much of a celebration of our survival as it did of him turning one. We had so much fun on Saturday splashing around with our friends and family at my moms pool, cooking out, and celebrating Graham's first birthday.

The party theme was simple: balloons! Renting a really heavy helium tank and blowing up all the balloons? Not as simple. But hey, it looked cute. I thought it would be fun to serve Strange Donuts instead of cake or cookies, and found the cute balloon picks on Etsy (which helped dress up the smash cake I bought from Schnucks). All in all, the day was SO much fun and Graham really loved the cake :)

This post is properly titled "makeup must-haves" because, for me, makeup is a must-have. I don't feel like my daily routine is high maintenance, but I wear make-up every day and enjoy the process of putting it on (it's like an art project!), so I consider it a must-have for me.

Every post I've read from makeup artists talk about the 3 makeup items they always have in their bag, and the answers are pretty much always the same: mascara, concealer, and a lip color. 

So, I thought I would share my favorite of each! P.S. I love shopping at Sephora because they give samples of just about anything, and you earn points when you shop. 

Concealer is your best friend when you're a sleep-deprived, pumping mother of an 11-month old. The girl at Sephora recommended Perricone MD No Concealer Concealer SPF 35 to me and I really love it. It's goes on smooth but solid, and truly conceals where you apply it, versus thinning out and smearing. (I let it sit on my skin for about 20 seconds, and then blend with a brush instead of my finger.) 
Price: $35

Oh, mascara. What would we do without you? But really, people would think I don't have eyes if I didn't wear mascara daily. I've tried DOZENS of mascaras. From drugstore brands to luxury brands, Too Faced Better Than Sex (Hey, I didn't name it) is by far my favorite. It thickens and lengthens your lashes, which are both a must for me. I gave birth to a long-lashed boy and you better believe I tell him every day how unfair it is that he stole the lashes I was meant to be born with. Men...
Price: $23

I wear dark eye makeup 90% of the time. It's always been my go-to "look", which meant I needed a reliable nude lip color that I could use daily. I love BUXOM Full-On Lip Stick in Sydney because it's the perfect nude shade and gives your lips that slight tingle for a lip-plumping effect. I don't usually like a shiny or glossy lip, so I love the fact that this one goes on matte while still hydrating your lips. Bonus: It doubles as a liner, too!
Price: $20

If you have a product that you swear by, leave it in the comments section! I would love to check it out :)

Chicago has always been one of my favorite cities. When we found out Chris was going to be attending the Podcast Movement 2016 conference, we threw around the idea of Graham and I tagging along, but I immediately said, "Nah, it would just be easier for us to stay here while you go."

Fast forward to about 2 weeks before Chris' trip, and I randomly decided, "Hey, I got this. We can travel to Chicago with a baby. No problem!" Making decisions on a whim when it involves leaving the state (or immediate vicinity of your home) with a baby is totally normal, right?

We had a blast and it was so fun making new memories with Graham, BUT, we learned a thing or two about traveling with a baby by the end that I thought should be shared (and that I wish I had thought through beforehand...oops).

1. If possible, drive versus fly. Graham, so far, has been a great plane baby. He's been on a total of 6 flights so far, and he slept through 5 of them! However, we realized that when you take into account the amount of time you have to leave to get to the airport, get through security, fly, catch an Uber, and get to your hotel, you really only end up saving an hour or so.

​Plus, we could have packed SO many things that we ended up needing, that we weren't able to take on the plane with us: a pack and play, food for Graham, drinks for mom and dad, a white noise machine (see #3). Babies have SO. MUCH. STUFF. Side note: If you DO have to fly, it's pretty cute when your baby earns his or her wings, so that's a bonus :)

2. When booking your room, consider upgrading to a suite. We had one, relatively small room, which allowed for plenty of family togetherness, but not so much sleep. The crib (which our hotel provided if requested) was positioned at the foot of our bed, because that was really the only space it could fit. That being said, once Graham was in bed for the night, we might as well have been, too.

We had to turn every light and TV off, tip toe around the room to get to the bathroom, and watch our movie on a computer using two sets of earbuds as to not wake the baby. A suite would have allowed us to put Graham to bed, then hang out in the next room--worry free.

3. Pack your white noise machine! What we didn't realize until after we had unpacked our bags, was that our room was located right next to the elevators. Awesome! This created a lovely soundtrack to our stay, so we got creative, opened the YouTube machine, and found a life-saving, 11-hour video titled "FAN white noise". You're welcome.

4. Rent a reclining stroller. Most major cities have services that allow you to rent baby essentials, and they'll even drop off and pickup to and from your hotel. This was THE best decision we made. Renting a good stroller with the option to recline was perfect for long days walking around downtown, which inevitably leads to a tired baby (recline and snooze away, little G!). We used Babierge, which I highly recommend.

Despite the sporadic rain, we had an amazing time in Chicago. You must eat at Wildberry for breakfast (and order the cinnamon roll pancakes!) no matter how long the wait is (I have no shame admitting we ate breakfast there 3 mornings in a row). I also highly recommend RPM Italian, which happens to be my favorite memory of the trip...

We took a chance at a nice dinner with Graham in tow, but soon after we arrived and ordered our glasses of Malbec and appetizers, little G decided it was time for a meltdown. We ended up ordering our entrees to go, and shuffling out the door and into an Uber as fast as we could. Once Graham was asleep in his crib, Chris and I snuck around the corner into our tiny foyer, sat on the floor, and ate our nice dinner off of an ottoman. It was perfectly imperfect and we loved it.

See you next time, Chicago :)