Our Baby’s First Birthday Party | Personal Post

You’ve probably heard a parent exclaim, “I can’t believe my baby is turning one!” And maybe you completely understand. But we’ve also heard people respond with, “How can you not believe it? 365 days have passed. . . just like they do every year.” Hardy har har. It’s just that the year flashed by. It seems like barely a wink has passed since that day on February 24, 2015 when Tenley decided to make her grand entrance.  We understand the logic & the fact that 363 days have passed since our daughter was born, but somehow our hearts can’t fathom it.

Her party was Saturday & we celebrated with a Twinkle Twinkle Little Star themed first birthday party. What you’ll see in the photos we share are the cute decorations & the happy smiles that came along with being surrounded by our family who all came to celebrate the life of our baby. What you won’t see in the photos (but what we believe we should share in the spirit of authenticity) is how harried we were leading up to the party. Living in this Pinterest society & wanting everything to be photo-worthy can be draining; I realize that I put those expectations on myself. Tenley would’ve had fun without any of the decorations. I don’t think it’s wrong to want everything to be memorable & for the photographs that we get to put in Tenley’s baby book to be cute, but I really shouldn’t put so much pressure on myself to be perfect all of the time. I’m working on it!

Before the party, Josh & I were both running around crazy trying to make sure everything was ready. I made a homemade “healthy cake” for Tenley’s smash cake after she finally went to sleep Friday night (I think she could sense our excitement).  On Saturday, I made a chocolate sheet cake, but shortly before the party, I realized that it probably wouldn’t feed 45 people & I kind of panicked. Josh had already made one trip to Columbiana earlier in the day to have the balloons blown up, get a beautiful flower arrangement from the lovely & talented Jenny at The Willows by Wehr, and buy bacon (because every party needs bacon! “Bring me all the bacon & eggs you have.” -Ron Swanson). Because of the cake panic situation, Josh ran to get a cake and ice. At this point, I was trying to finish getting Tenley into her birthday outfit (even though she had, quite predictably, skipped her second nap), get the food to the party location downstairs, and get our dogs over to my parents’ house because they just couldn’t be around everyone eating (lol. . . pug life). Thankfully my dad came over to play with Tenley for a bit so I could run up & down the stairs a few times carrying things. Once Josh was back with the cake & ice, we only had about 20 minutes until party time. He started the task of making the bacon & eggs. Thus began the true crazy. Our oven was on 400 degrees, smoke was billowing around the kitchen, we were both covered in sweat, and the bacon was just not happening. I came up the stairs from carrying drinks down & Josh sighed & said, “I’m nixing the bacon.” “The bacon?!” I thought. “But it’s breakfast for dinner. . . we NEED bacon!” I didn’t say anything. “It’s just not working.” He explained. There were 4 or 5 baking sheets with greasy half-cooked bacon strewn across the kitchen counters. Egg cartons full of egg shells were oozing onto the counter as he scrambled the eggs. “It’s okay.” I said.

Once everyone started arriving, they were all asking where Josh was because he wasn’t downstairs yet. I just smiled & said, “He’s making eggs” with sweat dripping down my neck. He finally came down around quarter after & we were all able to eat (thankfully nothing was cold yet). The rest of the party felt like chaos to me. I couldn’t really talk with anyone because I was always trying to watch out for Tenley, take photos, and keep everything moving. I wish I could’ve sat down & had a few actual conversations, but it didn’t happen. I’m sure everyone understands, but there’s always that feeling of chaos & craziness after a party like that.

Why am I sharing all of this behind the scenes craziness? Because it’s REAL LIFE. Nothing is perfect. Parenthood is messy. All moms feel pressure (in some way) to have things appear a certain way. But why? We all know that being a parent is difficult & wonderful & crazy & intense & heart-wrenching & amazing & beautiful & such a MESS sometimes. Trying to appear like we always have it all together is silly. After the party, I was feeling drained & tired & overwhelmed. I was very happy that everyone came & showed love to our little girl. Having family close by & willing to be there for our child is extremely appreciated & wonderful! But I put so much pressure on myself that day & I vow to try my best not to do that again. What’s important in life? Family. A smile on my daughter’s face. Sweet, little Tenley laughing, dancing, playing, and hugging us. She feels love & happiness being near us & because we invest time with her. . . not because we have perfectly themed & decorated parties with Pinnable images. Mom lesson learned.
Baker’s Golden Dairy represent!One thing I recommend if you’re planning a party that makes decorating easier- have the color scheme match baby’s nursery decor. You can easily decorate the space by incorporating elements from baby’s nursery & it all matches.Our favorite florist made this pretty arrangement for our baby girl. The high chair banner is from BennyTill Stitch on Etsy. This is also where Tenley’s outfit came from.Smash cake!Her adorable moccasins are from Mr. & Mrs. Little on Etsy.Tenley loved everyone singing her Happy Birthday. She was in awe & staring around at everyone smiling.We predicted she’d pick up her cake in its entirety. She does nothing halfway.Her favorite expression right now is “Oooooohhhhhh.”And we had to snap a photo of G-ma with three of her greats on her lap.To everyone who came to celebrate with us- THANK YOU! We truly appreciate your presence in Tenley’s life. We desire to teach her that family is important & a staple in this crazy life. We love you all!

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