A photo that stands out from this past weekend is an image of Sloan wearing a pair of sunglasses. Although I would say she looks “Hollywood,” the cool kids these days would probably say she looks chic, fly, fresh, etc.

With Sloan sporting her birthday sunglasses, I couldn’t help but think to myself she is going to love accessories just like her mommy.

Sloan sporting her new sunglasses during her birthday party.

Me on the other hand? Not so much. I wear clothes and that is pretty much it. I don’t do bling, jewelry, or flair. Unless I am purposely dressing up for a holiday, I keep it pretty basic. Let me give you my very uncomplicated history with accessories…

Sunglasses – Had to start with the accessory that started this blog post. I will occasionally wear sunglasses during the summer but here is the caveat…you will never see a pair of shades on my face that cost over $10. If I need a pair of sunglasses, I am notorious for stopping at a $5 stand on the side of the street. The most expensive shades I ever purchased was an Oakley knockoff pair in Cancun (still set me back only $10). Even if I plan to wear sunglasses, I usually forget to put them on.

I rarely wear sunglasses.

Rings – I love my wedding ring. For someone who never wore a ring before, I actually got used to it pretty quickly. With that said, my ring won’t have any company soon. Because they are small, rings are tough to keep track of and can fall off. Even though I had my wedding ring perfectly resized to snugly fit my finger, it still loosens at times depending on the weather. I don’t want another “finger decoration” that I have to fly off each time I take a shower or hit the gym.

The only ring I will wear is my wedding ring.

Watch – I have never worn a watch before. Wait, let me be more specific. I have never worn a wrist watch before. Sidney saw old home movies of me wearing a pocket watch that was attached to the loop of my jeans and she still hasn’t let me live that down. But when it comes to traditional watches, I find them way too gaudy and bulky. I don’t want the weight of a watch restricting the movements of my wrist. I also find them obsolete. We all have smart phones that remind us of the time every few seconds we whip it out. I see no practical reason to own a watch.

Hats – I will wear a hat on the weekends, usually if I am outdoors doing something active or if I leave the house to run an errand and have not showered. I make limited use of hats mostly because majority of them don’t look good on me.

Every now and then I will throw on a hat.

Necklaces – I will slip on beads from a party story but I would never wear a necklace of any value. What’s the point? They are tough to contain if you make any body movements and they irritate the back of my neck. While most watches are gaudy, most guy necklaces are dainty. It once again brings up the possibility of losing it or accidentally discarding it.

Bracelets – Wearing rubber bracelets modeled after the famous Livestrong prototype is cool in my book. I favor the concept of rubber but meaningful over silver but meaningless. However, I will only wear one at a time. As for traditional bracelets, they aren’t my thing.

Piercings/Tattoos – No and no. I know a lot of men sport an earring(s) but I wouldn’t want to put a hole in my body nor worry about taking them in and out. As for tattoos, I support them and think they look good on a lot of people. However, as a personal preference, I could not put everlasting ink on my body.

Call me a bore but I am a pretty plain dude. The most “accessorized” you will ever see me is during the summer when I might be wearing a cap and sunglasses (and of course my wedding ring). Is that bad? Don’t Blink.

With the recent overload of Sloan birthday-related posts, I decided to switch gears for tonight. In no particular order, I present 20 random thoughts that have nothing to do with my daughter turning 1.

1. Easter is only 13 days away.
2. Another amazing accomplishment for Gonzaga as the Bulldogs advance to another Sweet 16.
3. Publix chicken tenders are delicious.
4. Kind of depressing that we don’t have “This Is Us” to look forward to this Tuesday.
5. Palm Sunday/Holy Week is only 6 days away.
6. Sidney and I have a lot of thank you notes to write!
7. The last movie I saw in a theater was “Girls Trip” with Sidney on Aug. 11, 2017.
8. My favorite Netflix original series, “Love,” just recently released new epsiodes (give it a try!).
9. My car recently surpassed 190,000 miles.
10. Tonight for dinner, Sidney made chicken alfredo.
11. Still blown away that someone bet $20,000 on Virginia to defeat UMBC just to potentially win $800 (ouch).
12. I pray that the Austin serial bomber is captured soon.
13. Last Friday’s Dateline episode was insane. Two words: bounty hunter.
14. Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert still aren’t funny.
15. Compiling a list like this is a great way to brainstorm blog post topics.
16. I am loving these longer days.
17. Teachers are saints yet underappreciated.
18. I have written 1,428 blog posts for Don’t Blink.
19. Three years ago on this date I saw Marv Albert in person.
20. Don’t Blink.

You only turn 1 once, right?

To have a big birthday party for this little girl or not to have a big birthday party for this little girl? No brainer!

After some contemplating, Sid and I decided that we wanted to have a big birthday party for Sloan. After reaching the conclusion that we would throw a party, the second question was what the theme would be. This was the easiest question of them all. Sidney had her heart set on a St. Patrick’s-themed gathering. Sure, in 10 years Sloan might tire of the St. Pat’s connection but for her first birthday it was pretty much a given, especially since the holiday fell on a Saturday this year. The third and final “big” question was where we would have it at. After flip flopping between our house and Sidney’s parents’ house, we decided on the latter (thanks in-laws!).

With the main components squared away, we started focusing on the finer parts of Sloan’s birthday bash. We made a guest list, selected an invitation template, and decided on a menu. A couple weeks before the big date, Sid and I (Sloan came too) picked out balloons, decided on a cake, and purchased decorations. The planning phase went great.

A look at Sloan’s invite (minus the address and regret number).

A week before the party, we started to make final arrangements. Sid made checklists and I started on my special projects. Then, this past Thursday and Friday, my wife was in full party planner mode. Both days she was out picking up food, utensils, and necessities for Saturday’s event. Things were coming together!

I worked with Brooke Holden of Brooke Holden Calligraphy to have this board made for Sloan. It was displayed at her birthday party.

Sid awoke at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday and prepared her dishes. Among other things, she made a broccoli salad, fruit salad, and a Lucky Charm mix that guests took home as their party favor.

The Lucky Charm mix that Sid made for guests to take as their party favor.

We arrived at party headquarters 90 minutes before the bash started. As Sid decorated, I dashed off to pick up the balloons, chicken, and cake. I first went to a party store and picked up 20 balloons, including a giant #1. Whoever saw me attempting to stuff all those inflatables into the back of the car would have enjoyed a good laugh. I then went to Publix and picked up the giant cake and chicken tenders.

A few of the balloons that we placed outside (including the big #1) that I picked up for Sloan’s party.

I arrived back at the house just as the party was about to start. Our first guests pulled up right as I was bringing all the goods inside the home. Sid worked to get everything set up, doing a great job working under pressure.

Sloan’s cake for the guests.

It didn’t take long before we had a full house. We crammed 32 people (babies included) into the living room and dining room areas of my in-laws’ home. With everyone there, we played a slideshow on the TV, one of my responsibilities. It was a silent looping video that showed some of the best shots from Sloan’s first year and proved to be an effective conversation starter among the guests.

Our family at Sloan’s party.

Sid worked the whole house, talking to all the guests while making sure everything was stocked and in order. My mother-in-law also worked extremely hard to back her daughter up and make sure everything went according to plan.

With Sid running the show, I was able to take video and photos of the momentous occasion. I also was able to use and promote the two special geofilters I had designed for Sloan’s special day.

Sloan was a little shy with her cake at first.

Things were going by fast. It was time for Sloan to eat/smash her cake. We sang “happy birthday” and then our daughter went for it! Well, she didn’t exactly “go for it.” It took her a few moments to warm up to the cake but eventually she discovered that she liked it and started to tear it up a bit.

After a little hesitation, Sloan warmed up to her cake.

When she was finished, we called a quick timeout and gave Sloan a bath and wardrobe change. She then made her encore appearance to open up her gifts. So many presents surrounded Sloan that she possibly couldn’t open them all…thankfully mommy and daddy were there to help. One word can describe Sloan after all the gifts were opened: Spoiled.

Sloan with one of her friends, Stevie Blair, while opening up gifts.

As our party guests started to filter out, we both felt a couple different ways. First, we felt a little bit of relief. Throwing a party can be stressful, but the predominating emotion was definitely joy. Not only was our little girl 1 but we had shared the day with a large group of people who care about her.

Sid organized and executed a very nice party for Sloan and her guests.

Sidney worked long and hard on this party and her efforts paid off. Call me one proud husband and one proud daddy. Don’t Blink.

A year ago today, at 2:44 p.m., my life changed. One of the nurses in the operating room raised up a little girl over the partition that separated Sid and I from the surgical team. There she was. Sloan Anne Reser. I will always remember the feeling. After waiting for almost nine months and conceptualizing Sloan as an unborn baby in Sid’s stomach, to see her in the flesh was surreal. Still covered in birth fluids with her little body emphasized by the brightly lit room, the sight was a bit shocking for a stressed out new dad.

This photo was taken very soon after Sloan was born.

The nurse disappeared with Sloan for a moment. She wasn’t out of sight long. Before I knew it, I was holding my little girl for the first time.

That’s when the love affair began.

This is my first picture taken with Sloan.

It has been a year of happiness, inspiration, and enlightenment. I found out firsthand that the joy of being a parent is not overrated. In fact, it surpasses all possible expectations. Then again, the baby that God gave us might have something to do with that.

One year later. Same shirt. Same pose. Same love.

Sloan has brightened our world. Throughout her first year she has been happy, low-maintenance, and strong. She bonded with us almost immediately and there has not been a day where she hasn’t made us smile or proud.

Our daughter changed my outlook on life and gave me something new to look forward to every single day: Walking in the door after a day at work and seeing that cute, innocent little face. She sparked my productivity at the office. I knew that the harder I worked and the more I got done, the sooner I could get home. Leaving right at 5 p.m. so I could spend the maximum amount of time with her before she went to bed became my top goal.

Sometimes I wouldn’t even have to wait until after 5 p.m. to see her; Sidney would just bring her to me at work.

She gave me more of a purpose, she strengthened my faith, and she made me value my wife even more. The power contained inside that 19.5 pound baby has completely melted the heart of her daddy.

It just isn’t her good-natured disposition and bloodline that has made me infatuated with her. Sloan has given me a major lesson in resiliency. Early on in her first (and only) year, she got pretty sick. I watched her go through a lot – much more than any child, let alone a baby, should have to go through. In the hospital, when it was just the two of us, I held her and let her know that I would never forget her courage and that I would always be there for her.

Every parent believes that their baby is special and I am no different. I know I am the stereotypical sappy dad but I can’t help it. I am so happy to have Sloan.

Sloan and I hit it off from the start.

Now we move to her second year of life. She finally has a number in the year column. Weeks and months need not apply. But excuse me for addressing the first 365 days once more by thanking some people – my parents (who gave Sid and I so much support and never neglected to tell us that we are good parents), my in-laws (who taught me much about how to care for a baby and who have helped out incredibly with Sloan), Sid’s sisters (who have been there for Sloan since Day #1), and my siblings (who spoil Sloan even though she is 3,000 miles away) – THANK YOU.

Of course, there is one person I could never possibly thank enough and that is my wife. Sidney carried Sloan for 8.5 tough months and has been the best mom any baby could ask for. She has taught me a lot and inspires me just as much as Sloan does.

Happy first birthday, Sloan!

We love you, Sloan. You are our lucky charm and we can’t wait to spend many more years with you. Don’t Blink.