You know those days that change your life forever? Well, that's exactly what happened two years ago today. On July 31, 2012, Charlie Carter came into this world a little after noon, weighing 8 pounds, 9 ounces. I sat in my bed last night with my sweet new baby girl asleep in her rocker right next to me, thinking about how two years ago I fell asleep in a hospital bed getting ready for his arrival the next day. The nurse called it our last "date night" for a while. Ha. My blood pressure was high. It was hot outside. I was rocking a wicked headache. I remember being so excited and so scared at the same time. I had no idea what to expect from the whole childbirth process, and even though I thought I was prepared to be a mom, it was clear to me the first time they put him in my arms after our long ten-month journey together and we finally met — I had no idea what I was in for. I couldn't help but start to cry thinking about the whole thing last night: my first experience with motherhood. All those memories are so wonderful — so scary, but so wonderful. The first night we had Charlie at home we put him in the Pack 'n Play next to our bed, and I cried, telling Jimmy, "What happens if we can't take care of him? What if we don't know what to do?!" But then I see you smile and laugh and tell us how the train says "choo choo" over and over again. You insist on milk — wait, you change your mind: you'll take water, and then you change your mind again. You point out every body part on yourself and others. You’re curious about differences between boys and girls—that’s something I’ll explain later, sweet boy. Your hugs are the best, but your kisses are even better, and you're especially gentle and loving with your little sister. It all makes me realize that even if your dad and I don’t always do everything "right" or know what we’re doing, as long as we love you—which we do so much—we are, in fact, doing this parenting thing the right way. We love you so much, sweet boy. The love I felt the first time I held you just grows stronger each day. You are funny, fun-loving, sweet, social, and hilarious. Your curly hair is adorable and your toothy smile is even cuter. You’re not the best eater and you love to snack. You never sit still and always want to be doing something. You’re the best dancer—really, your dance moves are amazing. So here we are: your birthday is coming to a close. Next year at this time you’ll be three, and I can’t even bear to think about that, but I know it will be here before we know it. I pray that you continue to live this next year to the fullest. Keep smiling and laughing, hugging and kissing. Keep saying your prayers at night and brushing your teeth. Keep loving me, your dad, and your sister. And don't kick the dogs! While so much has changed in the last year, I'm sure there will be more changes next year—moving to a big-boy bed and no diapers (hopefully!)—so brace yourself, young man, because we're in this together. Thank you, Charlie, for making me a mom. I love being a "boy mom" so much, and especially being your mom. When I hear you call for "mommy" and want to snuggle and kiss me, there is no better feeling in this world. This is real life: trying to get a picture with a toddler. Then he screamed his head off the whole way home. Watch out, terrible twos!

So that called for a celebration—and celebrate we did this weekend! As his party got closer, it was way more fun than last year because he actually understood what was going on and talked all about his party. Needless to say, as planning began, I knew I didn't want it at our house. While we do have a much bigger house than last year, factor in that we have a three-week-old (if she had come on her actual due date, she would be two weeks old), I didn't want to deal with the cleaning beforehand, the extensive setup, and the cleanup. We had taken Charlie there a few times this past year, and he loved it. It's a huge indoor playground—a win for burning off two-year-old energy—and it's in a contained area, so you don't have to worry about them running off like at a park (wait—your child doesn't do that?). Factor in that my kid was born in mid-July, which usually means hot temperatures — but it's indoors, so no one had to sweat. Add that the whole event was an hour and a half — even better, because I could fit feeding my little baby girl in, too! I booked it and never looked back. I could have taken advantage of all the services they offered — food, drinks, etc. — but that's not how I roll. I'm more of a semi-homemade type of person, and it worked great. Seriously, I keep thinking back to the smile on his cute face as he sprinted between slides and can't help but smile. It was so much fun for everyone. Our package allowed 12 kids to play (with one other party group) for an hour, followed by 30 minutes in the party room. The catch was that you only had 10 minutes to set up because another party was in the room before you.