Birthdays are amazing.  They are this little treat in the year where you get to have whatever your heart desires.  Within reason.  If you have a family like mine, they allow you to be spoiled and take a whole week out of the year to celebrate.  When you have siblings, you know how important this can feel.  It is your special day.  A day to celebrate the miracle that is you.  (Isn’t it such a miracle?!  Yes, it has become cliched, but I can’t help but look at my kids in amazement so often.)  Thank goodness my sisters didn’t infringe on my month.  Then we would be having some real issues with sharing.  Being given a special week when you are one of three girls feels like the only birthday gift you need.  Almost.  I really have my sights set on a Kitchen Aid mixer this year.  Does 32 equal a mixer?  Yes, I believe it does.

Our oldest baby just turned 2.  Sigh.  He is pretty delightful.  Two years went fast.  Sort of.  We managed to have another baby during the time.  Since she has been born, time has really sped up.  The white hairs have been growing a little faster.  If a white hair equals a baby laugh then just cover my head.  (Do you see all that snow?!?  Holy moly, it was a lot!  We love 4 days of the week being snow days.  Without kids they were reasons to sleep in longer.  With kids they are reasons to snuggle under the covers and have long days at home building Lego villages.  We are so lucky to be on teacher schedules.)

Last year I wasn’t making onesies yet.  I bought an iron-on 1 and attached it to a white shirt.  This year I went a little more crafty.  He loves Elmo.  What 2 year old doesn’t?  When he was first born, I was very against all the commercialness of Elmo.  And every other character that is pushed onto kids from birth.  (Unless they are paired with a book.  In which case, I am in full support of more reading and tempting kids into books with cute characters.)

But then I downloaded the PBS Kids App (Do you know about this?  It’s free.  Just get it.) and let the obsession take over.  Kids are just drawn to Elmo.  I personally find him a little annoying.  Neil loves him.  I prefer Daniel Tiger.  (A little cartoon spinoff of the character from Mr. Rogers’s Neighborhood.  The end of the cartoon even gives a little nod to Mr. Rogers himself.  I couldn’t get through the last 5 minutes without crying when I first watched it.  Man I love Mr. Rogers.)

Tommy actually likes Abby more than Elmo, but she is just a little too pink for Neil and me.  He has an Abby doll that talks.  He loves her.  So anyway, I made him an Elmo shirt.  When it was finished, I was pretty proud of myself for making it.  When paired with the number two it brings the shirt to an entirely different level than last year’s shirt.  I’ve been encouraged to use my embroidery machine to make the appliqués look a little more professional, but there is something really simple and handmade about the zigzag stitch around the shape that I love.

I also made him this pillow since the fabric was too cute and unable to be passed up.  Stay tuned for the Angry Birds Star Wars pillow that will be next up.  My dad is to blame for Tommy’s love for Angry Birds.  And I will go ahead and blame him for Tommy’s crazy iPad obsession.  (Yes, I used obsession twice in this entry.  I don’t take the word lightly; we just have some serious addictions going on over here.)

So here is my birthday boy in the finished product.  We went to Legoland.  He was in heaven.  Yes, he is wearing Elmo shoes to match.  Like I said, I just gave in to Elmo.

Here are some pictures of a few numbers along with a small sample fabric options we have.  I cannot apologize enough about the poor photography skills I have.  I could not get these number to look right!

All the numbers can be added to any shirt for an extra special touch.  It really personalizes the shirt even more.  Like I said earlier, any way to make this day super special for your little one, we want to help.  And it only costs $2 to add a number.  We have so many fabric options; we are sure you can find your perfect fit!  Place your orders now for your special birthday baby!