Baby's First Birthday Party

On Saturday we held Lana’s first birthday party – a Sesame-Street themed affair with generous amounts of balloons and food, the former being far more popular with the birthday girl than the latter. We tried to keep the party low-key by limiting our guest list to immediate family and Lana’s little girlfriend, Alexandra. Still, we ended up with quite a crowd, but Lana handled the excitement amazingly well. She happily demonstrated her new walking skills and pointed out our home’s attractions to her guests. I would have taken the time to dust the ceiling fan had I known it would be the highlight of her pointing tour.

Lana particularly enjoyed opening and exploring her gifts, which included some beautiful new clothes and fun, big girl toys. Almost all the new toys make music or talk, but I’ve become surprisingly immune to the persistent din of Fisher-Price tunes and talking Elmo toys. I wake up with the “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” song in my head, but it’s a small price to pay for keeping Lana entertained.

Less enjoyable for Lana was her introduction to birthday cake. When John and I selected a cake at Publix, we had visions of our delighted daughter admiring her beautiful cake and tearing into her complimentary “baby smash cake.” And she did at least smile as the guests sang “Happy Birthday” and we blew out the candle. Things went downhill quickly, though, as she tentatively grazed her hands over the cake. She surveyed the resulting neon, sugary mess on her hands with a look that said, “Seriously, guys. This is completely uncivilized. Ever heard of a fork?” Fortunately, a hand washing and a bowl of ice cream perked her right back up, and hey – more cake for me!

The true highlight of the day was spending it with the friends and family who have played an important part in Lana’s first year of life. We feel especially fortunate to have such a beautiful little girl and so many people who share our love for her.


View more photos from the party