a first birthday party

Let's see how many posts I can do about Tommy turning one... but of course I just have to write down the details of his little party so I always remember this special celebration of his very first year of life!
I had this picture in my head of what I wanted my baby boy's first birthday party to be like. I wanted it to be easy and fun, full of his favorite things. I pictured family and friends gathered around singing happy birthday with Tommy looking curious and excited. I know he's not going to remember his first birthday but I just wanted him to feel loved and special and I wanted to celebrate our first year as a family.
Sadly we live many miles away from most of our family and I was worried it wouldn't feel like a real party. I so wish we could have been with all his grandparents, aunts and uncles and great grandmas, but luckily my parents were able to be there and so were some of our neighbors and dear friends that we've made out here in Washington. It was a smaller get together but just right for our little birthday boy. I was worried he'd be overwhelmed by all the attention but to my great joy, he is a content and secure little guy and he happily partied the day away.
I didn't do a real "themey" theme, just kept it simple and boyish with lots of blues and gingham decor that I mostly ordered off amazon or etsy, and added in a couple DIY pieces as well.

We got Tommy a water table for his birthday which we set up in the backyard along with some of his other new birthday toys. He loved playing with his little friends and got totally soaked which was fine because we stripped him down to his diaper when it came time for the cake.

The party was at lunch time, after his morning nap. I made pulled pork sliders, cole slaw, pasta salad, pimento cheese, and I also ordered a tray of chicken nuggets from Chick-Fil-A which T.J. picked up before the party. Then I made yummy strawberry cupcakes with whipped cream frosting and I made a matching strawberry smash cake.
He looked around at everyone with a big smile as we sang to him but he was surprisingly restrained when it came to eating the cake. He was mostly interested in taking the strawberries off the top. Oh well- he has a lifetime to inherit his mama's sweet tooth. 
I love having a summer baby and so look forward to fun parties with a mess of little boys running around. I picture water balloons, squirt guns, a slip 'n' slide, sleepovers, capture the flag. Maybe we'll have the same strawberry cake every year. But this first sweet simple little birthday party for my first baby boy will always hold a special place in my heart. Now that I'm a mom I realize how my parents felt on my birthday and my sister's, how exciting a day it was for them as well. I spent the day feeling all the things, remembering the day he was born, sadness to say goodbye to the sweetest year with my baby, joy to celebrate the little boy he's becoming, and excitement to see what this next year will hold with my little wild man! 

Comments

  1. What a perfect party for your one-year-old Tommy! Thanks for sharing the fun and the emotion with us!!

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  2. Cheers to year 2!! He's the best!!

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  3. Little Tommy is just so adorable. What a happy, well-loved baby. May his second year be a wonderful year full of great memories for all of you.

    Have a blessed day. :)

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  4. Really impressed with this lovely first birthday party preparations. Cup cakes, colors and theme done is amazing. Selecting one of the cool venue NYC for my nephew's birthday. Will make the day memorable for our little munchkin in similar ways. Playful activities and sporty ideas for kids are on hunt.

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