That first birthday is such an accomplishment

for baby, but for mom too.

I was recently talking to my own father and brainstorming ideas for my little one's first birthday, and when I asked him what he thought he said "i don't know...it's his first birthday"

kind of insinuating...like...what's it matter, he won't remember it anyways

but it DOES matter. even if he doesn't remember it.

It's not just a celebration for baby, but for mom too.

A year of milestones,

of sleepless nights,

the smiles and giggles,

the tears and screams,

the scrunchy toes that are not so tiny anymore,

the hard days and easy nights,

and the easy days and hard nights;

It's these moments that have been so challenging, yet so rewarding

(not to mention SO DARN FLEETING) that deserve celebration.

It doesn't have to be a party worthy of Pinterest

(although this one was, and I'll be pinning these photos later)

to be documented.

So when mom reached out to me with a vision for some milestone photographs I knew we had to give it a go. Honestly, we both thought Hawthorne wasn't going to fit in the tub (he's a tall boy!)

But he fit p e r f e c t l y.

Mom also tried growing pink oyster mushrooms but unfortunately they dried out before his party so I made a quick trip to the Hong Kong Market (those of you on the West Bank know what's up) and was able to gather a good variety of mushrooms at the last minute.

I thought it was so adorable that the first thing he did when he got into the tub was pick up a raw mushroom and bite right into it.