*a special package*

{just like the last three months, b and i put together a care package for Oliver. this one was different though...this one was extra special because it was for his 1st birthday which is this friday, August 12th. our little guy turns 1! sniff...sniff. in the package, we were careful not to over do it since we've been sending so many items to him each month. we just can't help but buy for our little guy. we really do not want to overwhelm Oliver's foster family with so many baby items since 

we've been told that they live in a small apartment.}

{here is what we included in Oliver's birthday package...as of last month, Oliver started to walk all by himself! since we don't know his shoe size, we didn't want to get him a pair of shoes that didn't fit...even though i really wanted to send him a pair of these...i did find an alternative....they are kind of funny looking but they are made to look like shoes...only they are socks with thick rubber soles. ha! i kept them in their package so that Oliver's foster mom would see the pictures on the packaging, this way she knew they were for when Oliver walks around. we also included some yummy organic treats and a toy phone, what child doesn't like to play with a phone?}

{b and i were shopping at Toys R Us one weekend when he pulled this set and brought it to me. i was so happy when he showed me what he had found. i had seen it back in April when b and i were in Indiana visiting our family and friends. at the time, the store did not have the size we needed so i had to pass on buying the outfit. i'm so glad b found it because it is just the perfect addition to Oliver's birthday package. you know why? Oliver was born in the year of the tiger! cute right? the top onesie has a little tiger on it and so do the pants (not pictured). hopefully when he comes home...he will be wild about mommy. fingers & toes crossed!}

{we added some stackable cups for bath time since Oliver loves baths, a cute panda outfit that says "i love dad because (flip the tee over) dad has my back", a plaid button down i had got at Target a while back, a recordable book (more on that in a minute) and two other special shirts. you may recognize the Captain America tee from a previous post, this tee is from Oliver's Aunt Jenny. she sent it to us back in June. i noticed it when i was going through his closet. it is a 12m tee so i added it to the box since it's around the size he should be wearing. i also added a little appliqued tee that i made for him. it's a special "one" birthday lap tee.}

(side note: i didn't realize how hard it would be to make my child one of my own creations. i think i pulled dozens of fabrics to choose from and debated for days on what to do for his birthday tee....i like what i created for Oliver...but i can't wait to do better shirts for him!}     

{and now for the last part of the package...the one thing that HAD to be in Oliver's birthday package was a recordable book. we had a lot of laughs when we recorded this story for him. you don't realize how silly you sound reading a book until you actually record it! b and i took our picture and added a little message at the bottom of it. i taped our picture to the front page of the book. so when Oliver opens the book, our voices will start and our picture will be right there for him to see. we hope this package reaches Oliver in time for his first birthday. we also hope to get an updated well baby check up either this week or next. maybe it will include a new picture of our ONE year old son with all of his gifts.}