After much debate about where to throw Emilia's first birthday party, we wound up hosting it at home. By the time I began planning all affordable venues were rented and the only ones that remained were astronomically priced (in my opinion). So at home, it was! Our house is pretty small and the layout isn't super conducive to a kid party but it was a house crowded with love which is the best kind of "problem."
The preparation for the party was also a labor of love and all the grandparents lent their help. My mom and sister were especially busy with decorations, crafting and putting their amazingly creative energy to use. They made all the personalized decorations, photo banners, and collages, and they came over to help me clean, decorate, and set up. It wouldn't have happened without them! We're lucky to have so much help nearby. A lot of our decorating ideas came from Pinterest but they still needed to be executed which I could have never done by myself. My mom also made the high chair skirt above and a baby-friendly party game with party animal favors all of which were big hits.
The weight is off a bit since her 1 yr. appt. was later that week. She was just over 19lbs.
My mom also made cookies and my parents brought a huge amount of food. Chris's mom and stepdad bought the cake and also brought food. And Chris's dad and stepmom rounded out the buffet with additional dishes. And of course Chris cooked too. As you can imagine there was a lot to eat!
Emilia wore a striped Ralph Lauren dress that I picked out for her a month or so prior. It wound up being a bit too long but thankfully, my mother-in-law was kind enough to hem the lowest stripe with a quick stitch that was easily pulled out afterwards so that she can wear the dress as she grows. She had a second outfit in which to smash her cake that consisted of a tutu and a shirt with a "1" on it that I found at Gymboree. We cleaned her up and changed her back for opening gifts (which I realize many people today don't do in front of guests but our families insist that it would be inappropriate not to... I guess it depends on the region and the families involved. I've been to parties both where people do and don't...). She received many lovely gifts from our very generous family and friends that we continue to enjoy every day.
It was a great day and it commemorated an even more wonderful year! Our time with Emilia has flown by and she is already sixteen months old. We're so grateful for the love in our lives and for our family and friends who helped celebrate this time. Suffice to say that work and life have managed to get in the way of blogging so this update is long overdue. For that I apologize and I thank you for checking back in here, despite the hiatus!
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