One Year Old in a Flash: Party Details

I love a good party and what better reason to plan a bash than a first birthday! I had so much fun scouring the internet and Pinterest (of course) for ideas. Since, Jackson is only one there wasn't really an obvious theme choice and I didn't want to push a random theme on him... When I came across this party, One Year Old in a Flash, I was sold immediately!! I've probably talked about how fast time went during Jackson's first year about a thousand times! Plus, I'm obsessed with capturing every moment on camera (even tantrums). This particular party was designed for a baby girl, so I tweaked the color scheme (ours was teal, lime green, and navy) and also made some menu changes (we went with more hearty snacks and less dessert options). Here are the details of Jackson's party!

Invites:

I absolutely loved the custom invitations that were made for the inspiration party, but we saved some money by designing ours on Shutterfly. You can see the full design here.

I thought the pictures along the side, on the front, and along the top, inside the card, had the effect of a photo strip. I wanted to make the theme a little more obvious so I searched for a camera sticker or stamp to add to the card. Luckily, I found the perfect stamp at my second stop (Paper Source).

The invites were complete!

Photo "Booth" and Props:

While browsing at Paper Source for the stamp, I was thrilled to come across a photo prop kit! I didn't even know that such a thing existed and had planned on making the props myself. I thought the $14.95 price tag was well worth the time and energy it would have cost me to create them from scratch. All I had to do was punch out the shapes and attach them to the dowels, that were included, with a little hot glue. They turned out great!

As you can see, I also added a frame prop. I used the frame from an old mirror that was collecting dust in the basement. I just removed the mirror and painted the wooden frame lime green (I used some left over paint from Jax's nursery).

I set up the photo "booth" in our office because it has good natural light and was out of the way of the rest of the party. I used duct tape to secure a queen size sheet to the wall and then hung some extra party decorations to add a little more pizazz.

The party pics were zoomed in so the bed and attractive duct tape edging didn't show. Everyone who attended the party had their picture taken (some with a little more prompting than others) and signed Jax's guest book. I'm going to add each group's picture next to their message, so Jackson will have a nice keepsake from his party. I'm also planning on sending everyone their picture, along with the thank you notes, as a souvenir. I'll include some of the pics in another post, once we get them back from our photographer (my darling and talented cousin Becca).

Decorations:

This was my favorite part of planning the whole party! Besides this package of first birthday decorations and some balloons, I made most of the decor myself. My absolute favorite was the party hat garland.

I made another, more simple, garland using Jackson's monthly pictures.

I also made a banner for Jackson's highchair (inspired by the one from my copycat party).

Finally, I designed little cupcake picks.

I will detail all of my DIY party decorations in future blog posts!

Food:

This was definitely my least favorite part of the planning... Shocking, I know. We decided to keep things as simple as possible because we didn't want to spend Jackson's party in the kitchen. Since the party was at 2pm, we didn't have to worry about serving a meal (which would have been impossible with close to 40 guests and limited space). Instead, we had heavy snacks and dessert (and beer and wine). In all of the hustle and bustle of the party, not only did I forget to take a picture of the food table, I even forgot to put out a couple of things! This is what was served:

• meatballs
• cucumber sandwiches
• meat & cheese tray
• veggie tray
• hummus & pita chips
• potato chips
• vanilla cupcakes with vanilla cream cheese frosting
• chocolate cake

Everything was made ahead of time or came straight out of a bag. Unfortunately, we forgot to prep and put out the fruit. Oh well, we had lots leftovers so hopefully it wasn't missed...

So there you have it! We had a blast and I think our guests did, too! Thanks to Elle Belle Creative and Pinterest for the inspiration, my husband for putting up with my craziness in the days leading up to the party, my cousin Becca for taking pics, my mom and sister for babysitting while we prepped for the party, and to everyone who came to help celebrate!

The Big 0-1!

Oh, my little sweetie, you are one year old already!! Where did the time go? You have grown from a tiny 5 1/2 pound peanut, to a sweet little 6 month old, to a strong, rambunctious toddler in the blink of an eye...

You weigh 23.5 pounds and are 31 inches long. You love being the center of attention and easily command it. You seem to light up every room you enter. We are pretty certain that you can say 3 words: mama, dada, and gee (for KG). You are a busy, busy boy:

crawling

climbing

and WALKING!!!

On Valentine's Day you mastered walking with your walker toys (as seen above). You probably could have done this sooner, but I never gave you the chance. I always held the walker so it wouldn't get away from you. When daddy saw me doing this he told me that I was smothering you and that you could do it on your own. I didn't believe him, but the second I let go, you took off! (Okay, maybe I am a little overprotective). After practicing this for a couple weeks, you took your first unaided step (on March 1)! You were standing by a bookshelf and I was sitting next to you. I held out my arms and, instead of crawling to me like usual, you took a giant step/leap into my arms! When daddy got home we had you walk a couple steps back and forth between us. I have a feeling you'll be running by next month!

The morning of March 1 was very eventful for you! Your first step occurred early in the morning and just a couple hours later you had your first "official" kiss. We were at our weekly ECFE class and you crawled over to a sweet little girl, sat right in front of her, and leaned in for a kiss. It was adorable! All of the moms went crazy and, since you seemed to like the reaction you got, you gave her a couple more kisses. Then you became a bit more aggressive and stuck your hand in her mouth, so I had to intervene (sorry sweetie). I have a feeling that you're going to be quite the ladies man. Here you are practicing in the mirror:

Speaking of kisses, Valentine's Day marked your last, first holiday. Here is the one and only photo that turned out from our photo shoot. You do not sit still for longer than a second these days, so you are a blur in most pictures I take. Luckily, I do not give up easily...

Earlier this month we had an unexpected first- our first call to poison control (after you decided to have spackle for breakfast). Daddy got up with you on a Saturday morning so that I could sleep in (he's the best). He was doing some spackling in your soon to be new playroom. Well, he must have taken his eyes off of you for a second and you took that opportunity to check out his work. When he turned around you had spackle on your hands and mouth. Of course he panicked and ran upstairs to wake me up. I was deep asleep, so panic didn't set in for me right away. However, the warning on the back of the spackle was enough to snap me out of my daze: IF INGESTED DO NOT INDUCE VOMITING. GET MEDICAL ATTENTION IMMEDIATELY. We called poison control fully expecting that we'd be told to call 911 or bring him to the emergency room. Thankfully, they reassured us that Jax would be fine. (Apparently, it's not a big deal unless you eat the whole jar). Whew! Disaster averted. All you needed was a bath to get all the residue off... Good thing rubber duckies aren't toxic!

Other than spackle, you have been eating more and more finger foods (and I am slowly getting over my fear of you choking). Your favorites are bananas, carrots, peas, couscous,  and barley. You're very good at feeding yourself, but about a week ago you realized how much fun it is to play with your food and smashed a bunch of banana into your hair (of course this was right after I had given you a bath). As talented as you are at getting food into your mouth, I am constantly finding it in odd places (like in diapers, ears, and stuck to the side of your nose).

The highlight of the month, by far, was your first birthday party (on March 4). It was a perfect celebration! Nearly 40 family and friends came over to help you celebrate the big day!! Our house was VERY crowded, but we felt blessed to know that everyone came because they love you. You are one lucky little guy... The theme was "One Year Old in a Flash." I set up a photo booth and put together some silly props for everyone to take pictures to put in your guest book. My cousin Becca was kind enough to take the pictures; she also took some of you before the party. I can't wait to see how they turned out! I think your favorite part of the party was the cake. You were a little cautious with the first couple bites, but once you got a taste for the sweet frosting you started taking larger and larger handfuls. It was pretty hilarious! I had to be the bad guy and took it away before you ate too much (hey, it was for your own good).

As your birthday gift, Dad and I re-purposed our junk room into a much more functional playroom. Your friend Christopher's dad re-built the cabinets and we re-painted it from a very pretty lilac to calming aloe (at least it's a little more masculine)... We also got you a ball pool (dad and I are both jealous). Here you are swimming in the ball pool and posing with a few of your other presents:

You were a little off your rocker for a couple days after your party- maybe it was all of that frosting... Yesterday afternoon brought the biggest tantrum I have ever seen out of you (all because I closed the gate so you couldn't climb up the stairs). You turned bright red and kicked and screamed for what felt like hours. Nothing I did could calm you down.

You finally got so tired that you allowed me to pick you up. I got your cozy blanket and boppy and we nestled into the massive recliner in the basement. You slept in my arms for two blissful hours. And I watched you- took in your pouty lips, your round little cheeks, and your long eyelashes. I couldn't help but think that you will outgrow this before I know it. It breaks my heart... Then I drifted off to sleep (apparently your tantrum took a lot out of me, too). Daddy was "nice" enough to snap a pic of this moment...

Today, you actually slept until 6am, which was a big improvement from the typical 4:30-5am wake up time most of this month. You even took an hour-and-a-half long nap this morning!! (Let's hope this is the start of a new trend). This afternoon we went to Sealife Aquarium with your friend Chris to celebrate your big day. Look, you guys are holding hands!

Motherhood is hard, but you have made this past year the most amazing experience of my life, thus far. Although I have only been a mom for 12 months, I can't imagine my life without you. You are the light of my life. I am sad that your baby days are behind us, but am thoroughly enjoying your emerging personality and watching as you learn new things and experience life. I cannot wait to see you continue to grow, but what do you say we try to slow things down just a little bit... Deal?

Happy first birthday, peanut!!
Love, Mom

Happy Valentine's Day

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. "

Thornton Wilder

I wished I looked this cute so early in the morning... My little Valentine was up at 4am to celebrate his last, first holiday (I don't think President's Day really counts as a holiday). He was obviously excited to see what Valentine's Day is all about! Here's hoping that such an early wake up will lead to an early bedtime, so that I can have a little alone time with the other man in my life. I hope everyone is able to take a minute to enjoy their "treasures" today, whoever they may be.

Happy Valentine's Day!

P.S. Jax's pic was featured on my friend's blog today. Check it out here!

11 Months!

How is it possible that we will be celebrating your first birthday a month from now?! Everyone has been commenting about how big you are getting and how much older you look. In fact, you had quite a growth spurt this month. You were 22.8 pounds when they weighed you at the doctor last week!! That's almost 3 pounds more than last month! You've also grown about an inch- you're around 31 inches (it's very hard to accurately measure a squirmy baby). Please, slow down my sweet little man!

It has been a quiet month- partly from that mid-winter, post-holiday limbo and partly because you've been sick practically all month. A cold, turned into a nasty cough, which lead to a high fever, and double ear infection.

After several calls to the nurse line and a couple trips to the doctor, you were put on your first round of antibiotics. Unfortunately, the antibiotics caused you to get an "upset tummy" which caused your first diaper rash. Your firsts this month weren't as fun as your firsts last month... You just had your final dose of medicine last night and I think you're almost back to your old self!

Despite not feeling your best this month, you continued to refine your crawling and cruising skills. You're not yet walking on your own, but can get around very effectively with the aid of various pieces of furniture and the walls. You also figured out how to climb up the basement stairs! It's amazing how quickly you can get up them. You are constantly busy exploring your surroundings, so daddy and I have been busy baby-proofing. However, along the way, we have learned that "baby-proof" doesn't necessarily mean "Jax-proof." For example, in anticipation of you getting your helmet off, I decided to put some corner cushions on the sharp edges of our coffee table. I knew that if you saw me put them on, you would immediately try to get them off so I waited until you were napping (aren't I sneaky?). After your nap we went downstairs to play and, as soon as you pulled yourself up on the table, you noticed the new addition. (They are clear and don't stand out very much at all, so I was shocked!) You picked and prodded at it until you figured out how to get it off. Then, you proceeded to walk around the table pulling each one off along the way. I guess you get the last laugh...

Other new skills include:

waving

sticking out your tongue (Grandma White taught you that...)

and drinking from a straw.

I thought that your teething had slowed down this month, but then I noticed a little white peak sticking out on the lower right, in the back. It looks like you already have a molar coming in! Lord help us! Maybe that explains why you started chewing on your crib rails like a little beaver! At least the rail guards I installed have proven to be Jax-proof (so far).

KG continues to be your greatest source of amusement. You are constantly pulling his hair, poking him in various places, tackling him, and taking his toys away. His patience with you has amazed us! Maybe it's because you also play fetch with him and feed him your treats...

Other highlights from the past month include:

A trip to the MN Zoo with Grandma White and Aunt Nicole.

Another reunion with our friends from "New Mamas."

Dinner at Rice Paper (you had the Soupe Tonkinoise- Vietnamese chicken noodle soup).

 

Amazingly, it has even been warm enough to squeeze in a few walks around Lake of the Isles!

I have also been busy planning the details of your first birthday party and cannot wait to celebrate that milestone with you!

Happy eleven months, peanut!

Love, Mom