Tatum's 1st Birthday

The night before Tatum’s birthday, Brentley and I decided to do his bedtime routine together (we normally take turns). Brentley played the guitar while he sat on my lap. We sang him a couple of songs, then we said our ‘good nights,’ kissed him and laid him down in his crib. After we left his room, I started to cry. I was overwhelmed with different emotions, which made me feel both “Wow! We made it!” and “He’s growing up too fast!” I still remember the morning he was born so vividly and couldn’t believe it had already been a year. He seemed so small and fragile the day we brought him home, and the early days when he was so dependent on us had become a blur. Suddenly he was now a large, active toddler and I was only a few weeks away from returning to work.

Black sesame cake from Manzou Bakery

For his first birthday, which fell on a Thursday this year, we scheduled a house blessing at our new condo (Life update: we’re moving! But more on that later!). We decided to also celebrate with our few guests in the empty space and host a small potluck.

Mango chiffon cake from Mommy Liu’s Cakes & Desserts

The following Saturday, on June 12th, we had originally planned a private brunch at a local restaurant with a few family members and friends, depending on the COVID restrictions on capacity. But as the lockdown continued to get extended into May, the chances of our little party still happening quickly slipped away, and we sadly had to cancel and pivot to a virtual party instead. These weren’t the types of “parties” we expected to host for such a special occasion, but it was our way of making lemonade out of lemons. We really hope that we can give Tatum the big party he deserves for his second birthday next year!

Coconut smash cake from For the Love of Cake

A lot of people had told us to prepare for the worst while I was still pregnant, but in all honesty, Tatum’s been a great baby and we never really had any big challenges with him or bad days. He’s become such a sweet and funny little guy, who loves to smile and give open-mouthed kisses. He can barely sit through 5 minutes of a Disney movie (or any movie), but he’ll happily watch a bunch of music videos on repeat. When Brentley’s playing his guitar, he likes to strum along, and when I’m lying on the floor he’ll hurry over to my side and touch my face. It’s been amazing watching him find his voice, gain so much confidence and independence, and just hit milestone after milestone. We feel so lucky that we get to be his parents.